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 teaches visitors all about the city's amazing history with the sea. The museum's main goal is to keep and share Hull's maritime stories. It does this through old items and important documents.
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Exploring Hull's Sea History
The museum first opened in 1912. It was called the Museum of Fisheries and Shipping back then. Its first home was in Pickering Park. In 1974, the museum moved to its current spot. This building is known as the Dock Offices. It got its name because 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 special building. It is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's historically important. It's also a great example of Victorian architecture. You can find the building in Queen Victoria Square. It stands across from the Queen's Gardens in the city centre. Hull City Council takes care of the museum today.
Exciting Renovations Underway
In January 2020, the museum temporarily closed its doors. This was to get ready for a big project. An £11 million plan began to update and preserve the building. Many teams worked on this project. Renovation work started in January 2022. Before that, about 50,000 items from the museum were carefully moved. They were put into storage during 2020 and 2021.
The museum is a key part of Hull's "Maritime City Project." It is expected to reopen in spring 2026. When it reopens, it will have a new exhibition floor. There will also be a spiral staircase. This staircase will let visitors go up into one of the building's domes. A new glass roof is also being added to the building's main hall. The storage and research areas have moved to a nearby building.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum's exhibits cover a long period of time. They go all the way back to the Bronze Age and through the Middle Ages. But the museum mostly focuses on Hull's sea history from the 1800s onwards. The exhibits are set up around several main topics.
Arctic Whaling Adventures
One whole section of the museum is about Hull's whaling industry. This industry was very busy in the early 1800s. Many ships sailed into the cold Arctic waters. They especially went near Greenland. This part of the museum shows items from whalers. You can see things from their ships and cool models. There is also artwork, including the largest collection of scrimshaw in Europe. Scrimshaw is art made from whalebone or teeth. You can also see items from the Inuit people. These include a kayak.
North Sea Fishing Stories
Hull's fishing industry became very important in the mid-1800s. One gallery in the museum tells the story of this industry. It grew from fishing in the North Sea to going further north. This gallery uses models of different fishing boats. You can see everything from simple cobles to huge trawlers.
Global Trade by Sea
Hull has a long history of trading by sea. This tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. Hull often traded with countries in Scandinavia and around the Baltic Sea. The Court Room in the Hull Docks building also celebrates Hull's trading past. This room was once used by the Hull Dock Company's owners. Now, it hosts special exhibitions. The room has a frieze (a long band of decoration). It shows the coats of arms of cities Hull traded with.
Online: Hull and the Sea
Hull City Council also has an online collection. It launched the Hull and the sea website in 2008. This website lets you explore the museum's collection from home. You can see pictures of scrimshaw art. You can also find descriptions and images of old ships from Hull's past.
Hull City of Culture 2017 Highlights
Hull was the UK City of Culture in 2017. During this special year, the Maritime Museum played a big part. It was featured in the first three months of events, called Made in Hull. At the opening event, the museum building had amazing multimedia projections on it. These projections attracted over 300,000 visitors. Throughout the three-month season, the museum also hosted an art show called Bowhead. It showed a bowhead whale using multimedia.
Other Maritime Attractions
- Arctic Corsair, a former fishing boat. It is now a museum on the River Hull.
- Spurn Lightship, a former lightship. It is now a museum in Humber Dock.
