Hull Maritime Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1912 |
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| Location | Kingston upon Hull |
| Type | History |
The Hull Maritime Museum is a cool place in Kingston upon Hull, England. It shows off the city's amazing history with the sea. The museum's main goal is to keep and share the stories of Hull's maritime past. It does this using old items and documents.
Contents
A Look at the Museum's History
The museum first opened its doors in 1912. Back then, it was called the Museum of Fisheries and Shipping. It was located in Pickering Park.
In 1974, the museum moved to its current home. This building is known as the Dock Offices. It used to be the main office for the Hull Dock Company. This company managed all the docks in Hull until 1893.
The Dock Offices building was built in 1872. It is a very important historical building. It shows off amazing Victorian architecture. You can find it in Queen Victoria Square, right across from the Queen's Gardens. The city council of Hull takes care of the museum today.
Exciting Renovations for the Future
In January 2020, the museum closed for a big upgrade. This project costs £11 million. It will make the museum even better and more modern.
Workers moved about 50,000 items from the museum into storage. This happened during 2020 and 2021. The actual renovation work started in January 2022.
The museum plans to open again in 2025. It will be a main part of Hull's "Maritime City Project." There will be a new exhibition floor. You can also climb a spiral staircase to one of the building's domes. A new glass roof will cover the main hall.
Exploring the Museum's Collections
The museum's exhibits cover a long time in history. They go all the way back to the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages. But the museum mostly focuses on Hull's sea history from the 1800s onwards.
The exhibits are set up around different themes. These themes help tell the story of Hull and the sea.
Hull's Whaling Adventures
One whole section of the museum is about Hull's whaling industry. This was very important in the early 1800s. Many ships from Hull sailed to the Arctic waters. They especially went near Greenland.
This area shows personal items and things from whaling ships. You can see models of ships and artwork. The museum has the largest collection of scrimshaw in Europe. Scrimshaw is art made on whalebone or ivory. There are also items from the Inuit people, like a kayak.
The North Sea Fishing Story
Hull's fishing industry became very big in the mid-1800s. It grew from fishing in the North Sea to colder, more northern waters.
This part of the museum shows the history of fishing. It uses models of different fishing boats. You can see everything from small cobles to huge trawlers.
Hull's Trading Connections
Hull has been trading by sea since the Middle Ages. It often traded with countries in Scandinavia and around the Baltic Sea.
The Court Room in the Dock Offices building was once used by the Hull Dock Company's owners. Now, it hosts special exhibits. It also celebrates Hull's trading past and present. The room has a special design called a frieze. It shows the coats of arms of cities Hull used to trade with.
Online: Hull and the Sea
You can also explore Hull's sea history online! In 2008, the Hull City Council launched the "Hull and the sea" website. It's part of their Hull Museums Collection.
This website lets you look at the museum's collection from home. You can see pictures of scrimshaw. You can also find descriptions and images of old ships from Hull.
Hull City of Culture 2017
Hull was the UK City of Culture in 2017. The Maritime Museum played a big part in the opening events. The first three months were called Made in Hull.
During the opening week, the museum building had cool multimedia shows projected onto it. Over 300,000 people came to see them! For the whole three months, the museum had an art show called Bowhead. It showed a bowhead whale using lights and sounds.
See also
- Arctic Corsair, a former fishing boat now a museum on the River Hull
- Spurn Lightship, a former lighthouse ship now a museum in Humber Dock, Hull
