Goole is a town and port located on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in northeast England. Also prominent on the skyline is the spire of the Parish Church - St. John's - built by Aire & Calder.

The senior school in the town is now a comprehensive known as Vermuyden School, doubling the intake and extending the original buildings of the Grammar School, founded in 1909 (hence the Roman numerals MCMIX which remain above what was the main entrance, fronting Boothferry Road). The first headmaster was C.J.Forth, followed in the 20's by R.B.Calder, after whom in the 40's came J.L.Latimer. There was a Secondary (Modern) school on the opposite side of the road, allocations being on the basis of results in the "eleven-plus" examinations, although there was a facility for 'crossing the road' for late developers. As at the present time, there were several primary schools, linked to population. Immediately east of the Grammar School was erected the War Memorial, which remains a pleasant replica of that in London.

Prior to the 1974 local government reform it was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was then in the Boothferry district of Humberside County Council until that was abolished in 1996, and Goole became part of the East Riding of Yorkshire. Because Goole was historically in the West Riding, it was briefly considered to link it with the district of Selby or possibly the borough of Doncaster instead.

The civil engineer Cornelius Vermuyden from The Netherlands diverted the River Don northward to the Ouse in 1627 to drain the marshland of Hatfield Chase at the behest of King Charles I. This also made the lower Don navigable for small barges so that coal from the southern Yorkshire coalfield was transported to "Gool" at the new mouth of the Don (or "Dutch River") for transfer to seagoing vessels. Prior to the creation of the town, the agricultural area was managed by warp drainage, which was alternate flooding and nonmechanical drainage, making use of deposition of rich silt from the river at a suitable time of each year (the word 'goul' and it's derivations such as gully meaning 'drain').

The Aire and Calder Navigation opened their broad canal from Knottingley in the northern sector of the coalfield in 1826 together with two transhipment docks at Goole and a company-built town. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway built a line from Pontefract and Wakefield in 1848 and the North Eastern Railway connected with Doncaster and Hull in 1870. The prosperity from the coal and general cargo trade with the West Riding industrial area continued for 150 years after the opening of the canal. After a period of decline, these commodities were more than replaced by containers, the export of steel and the import of timber from north-eastern Europe. The two original 1826 docks, along with all six others built later, are still in full operation. Notably, on the 13th June 2005 the RMS Coblenz docked in Goole to deliver the largest hydraulic combobulating condenser ever imported into the UK. The condenser, weighing over 17 tonnes, was manufactured by STN Atlas of Germany and was destined for an ammonia plant near Warrington.

Glass and clothing are produced in Goole and it is the focus of an agricultural district. Its population of 18,500 returns six councillors to the East Riding Council and it is the western component of the Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency.

In March 2006, the go-ahead was given by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a new £237.5 million Centreport development, although there was significant opposition from local residents. This will surround the Guardian Glass factory, at Junction 36 of the M62, to the west of the town. Local residents submitted a presentation at the planning meeting which expressed concern that the development was to be conducted in an unfocused manner and would not be a benefit to Goole. The drainage and landscaping scheme and residents access to their own properties have not been discussed and are still a contentious issue.

It should also be noted, that Goole is the furthest inland port in the United Kingdom. The residential areas of the town have moved steadily away from the small and compact zone near to the docks and occupy a considerable area west and north as allowed by the course of the river.