Hull Maritime Museum: Thousands book tickets for reopening of historic maritime museum

The opening weekend for one of Britain's oldest maritime museums is fully booked as it prepares to reopen with immersive galleries, a new planetarium and internationally significant collections.

More than 8,000 visitors have already booked free tickets for the opening month of Hull Maritime Museum with all-advance timed-entry slots for the first weekend booked up, ahead of tomorrow’s reopening.

A limited number of walk-up visitors will still be able to enter the museum each day, subject to capacity.

Hull Maritime Museum, inside the former Grade II*-listed Dock Offices in Queen Victoria Square, has been closed since January 2020.

Originally built in 1871, the striking Victorian building has been transformed. A likely highlight for visitors will be the chance to ascend a spiral staircase into one of the building's three distinctive domes and get 360 degree views across the city and to the docks beyond.

The second floor, which used to be office and storage space, now houses displays.

Visitors journey through more than 800 years of maritime history, exploring the stories of trade, migration, fishing, whaling, Arctic exploration and the communities whose lives have been shaped by the sea.

Alongside restored historic interiors, contemporary galleries reveal how Hull became one of Britain's great maritime cities and why the Humber remains the UK's busiest port complex today.

Highlights include the 40ft skeleton of a North Atlantic right whale, internationally significant scrimshaw collections, objects from Shackleton's Endurance expedition, Erik the polar bear, and the Sirius figurehead from the first steamship to cross the Atlantic under steam power.

Throughout the museum, hands-on experiences bring the collections to life.

Visitors can crawl beneath the whale skeleton, lift the weight of a traditional harpoon, navigate using a compass, operate a steam engine model and explore tactile exhibits designed to make the collections accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities.

A new feature of the museum is the planetarium, where visitors can discover how generations of sailors navigated using the stars long before satellite technology.

The immersive 10-minute experience recreates the night sky above Hull and the northern hemisphere, revealing the constellations that guided ships across the world's oceans.

Hull City Council leader Coun Mike Ross said: "It's fantastic to see so many people wanting to visit Hull Maritime Museum, with tickets for the opening weekend snapped up ahead of the opening.

"This museum has been cherished by generations of residents and visitors, and the transformation has created something truly special that honours its remarkable heritage while bringing it firmly into the future.

“This is another example of why 2026 is a landmark year for the city. Hull's maritime story is at the heart of our city's identity, and we're incredibly proud to be reopening one of Britain's finest maritime museums following this £20.4 million investment.”

To book tickets https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/hull-maritime-museum