Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City

Posted: 11th July 2017

Hull City Council has today revealed the vision and ambition behind a £27.5m plan to celebrate the city’s maritime heritage and re-connect the city to its historic River Hull waterfront.
Welcoming the announcement of a £15m Heritage Lottery Fund award Councillor Stephen Brady, Leader of the Council, committed a further £12.5m in capital funding for the project, which he hailed as the next major step towards Hull achieving its City Plan ambition to become a world-class visitor destination and a further example of the city’s investment in creating a lasting legacy from its year as UK City of Culture 2017.

Councillor Brady said: ‘This exciting project will allow Hull to capitalise on its position as Yorkshire’s Maritime City. The story of Hull as a centre for international trade, commerce and exploration is as old as the city itself.  It’s a story that is hugely important to local residents and which resonates with people and places across the globe whose historic trading and cultural links with Hull continue to this day. This project will allow us to bring this story to life whilst regenerating and re-connecting this historic area back into the heart of the city. It is the next major step towards our vision for Hull as a world-class visitor destination and another clear demonstration of our commitment to securing a lasting legacy from our year as UK City of Culture.

Vision for Hull, Yorkshire’s Maritime

The plans for Hull, Yorkshire’s Maritime City represent the biggest investment in a visitor attraction in Hull since The Deep was opened in 2002 and will put maritime heritage at the centre of the city’s tourism offer.

Over the next five years, in consultation with the public, plans will be developed and delivered to preserve Hull’s outstanding maritime heritage, architecture and collections. The plans will include the transformation of three historic sites and two ships, connected by a renewed and interactive streetscape through Queens Gardens, to create an exciting new visitor attraction.  Visitors will see Hull in ways that have never been seen before, as they delve deep into Hull’s past from its days as a major trading and whaling port and one of the wealthiest port cities in Europe.

The city’s much-loved Maritime Museum will see a whole new floor opened up to visitors with collections being rehoused in the adjacent Dock Office Chambers. This new space will allow the display of many more of the city’s world-renowned designated collections. For the first time, visitors will also have access to one of the Museum’s domes with its spectacular rooftop views across the city.

The North End Shipyard, once the original entrance to Queens Dock Hull and the place where HMS Bounty was built, will house Britain’s last sidewinder trawler, Arctic Corsair.

The ship will undergo full conservation before being relocated from its current site on the River Hull to a dry berth at the shipyard where it will sit alongside a new visitor orientation centre, complete with new exhibits and interactive displays.  On board the vessel, there will be greater provision for tours and visitors will be able to see the volunteers carrying out maintenance and preservation work.  The compelling personal stories of life on board will continue to be at the heart of the Arctic Corsair experience, with new interpretations provided at dock-side and on the vessel.

The Spurn Lightship will be moved and restored before returning to her present location in Hull Marina, with a new on-board exhibition.

Impact and Connectivity

Hull, Yorkshire’s Maritime City, is the latest project to flow from Hull’s City Plan ambition to make Hull a world-class visitor destination.

Hull City Council’s £12.5m capital investment follows its wider £100m investment in Hull’s cultural and visitor infrastructure, which aims to ensure the city secures a lasting benefit from its year as UK City of Culture.  Since 2015, this investment has completely transformed the city, attracting a further £200m from public and private partners, to deliver a regenerated public realm and Fruit Market area, the refurbishment of the Ferens Art Gallery and Hull New Theatre and the development of the 3,500-capacity Hull Venue, which is set to open in the summer of 2018.

In its first year of operation it’s estimated that Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City will deliver a further £1.44m economic boost and 302,000 additional visitors.

Councillor Terry Geraghty, Hull City Council Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Chair of Hull Culture & Leisure (HCAL), which operates Hull’s cultural facilities on behalf of the City Council added: ‘I would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund and National Lottery players themselves for investing in what I know will be a truly fascinating and inspiring project for Hull and I look forward to welcoming them to the city now and in the future.’

Matt Jukes, Chief Executive of Hull City Council, added: ‘Following on from the investment we have already made in the city to make Hull a place where people want to live, work, visit, invest in and enjoy, this is another demonstration of how we are continuing the work to achieve the ambitions of our City Plan. The vision and ambition of the project reflects several years of work of staff from Hull City Council and Hull Culture & Leisure and, over the next seven years, we will be seeking to involve the public in the detailed development and delivery of the plans.’

To find out more information, visit: http://cityplanhull.co.uk/index.php/hull-yorkshires-maritime-city/