The Hull Maritime Museum has reopened following a £20.4 million refurbishment as part of an £80 million cultural investment in the city of Hull. The museum, housed in the historic Hull Dock Office building, unveiled a series of redesigned galleries created by heritage architects Purcell, accompanied by new furniture designs from Angus Ross. The revamp aims to highlight Hull’s rich maritime history and its legacy as a significant port city.

Visitors entering the museum are greeted by a large skeleton of a North Atlantic right whale, notable for its vestigial leg bones that provide insight into the animal’s prehistoric origins. The museum’s exhibits include artifacts from the whaling trade, such as a bent harpoon and cauldrons used for rendering blubber, as well as items linked to Hull’s distant waters trade, including Inuit crafts and sculptures. The display addresses historical narratives, including Victorian-era misconceptions about Inuit orphan care.

Upstairs, the museum houses the world’s second-largest collection of scrimshaw, intricate carvings on whale teeth and tusks by sailors. Among the pieces is a whale ear bone decorated with painted eyelashes and lipstick, representing a rare instance of personal human connection through maritime art. The museum’s director, Robin Diaper, has emphasized presenting the city’s whaling and fishing heritage without modern-day editorializing.

The reopening also features the return of a polar bear specimen, originally captured by the whaling ship SS Erik, temporarily acquired from the Dundee Museum. Conservators discovered newspapers from 1874 stuffed inside the bear during conservation work in 2010, adding further historical context.

The museum includes displays on various aspects of maritime life, including the merchant marine, shipbuilding, and dockworkers’ tools. A dedicated memorial room honors seafarers lost at sea across different eras. Interactive elements such as video presentations, a small planetarium, and a virtual trawler navigation simulator aim to engage visitors of all ages.

Significant local histories are also highlighted, including a letter from Lillian Bilocca, known as the “headscarf revolutionary,” whose advocacy following 1968 fishing tragedies led to improved safety regulations during Harold Wilson’s government. The contributions of women in maritime communities, both in the past and present, are recognized with a contemporary portrait of Karolina Jabrzyk, a Humber Pilot 1st Class and one of the few women in the male-dominated shipping industry.

Additional restoration efforts included cleaning the Dock Office’s ornate boardroom ceiling, where a team of eight women removed a century’s worth of smoke residue from pipe and cigar smoking.

The museum’s reopening coincides with the anticipated return of the Arctic Corsair, the last surviving sidewinder trawler, to the North End Shipyard. The vessel, notable for its role in the 1970s Cod Wars, will be dry-docked for preservation. The museum’s proximity to other maritime landmarks, such as the Spurn Lightship and Queen’s Gardens, offers visitors extended opportunities to explore Hull’s maritime heritage.

The Hull Maritime Museum opened to the public on Saturday, marking a significant milestone in the city’s ongoing cultural renaissance.