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What has been achieved so far?

  • Hull City Council has committed £15m to the project
  • The National Lottery Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Hull City Council with £15m
  • The Coastal Communities Fund has committed £50,000 for early work on Arctic Corsair
  • The DCMS and Wolfson Foundation has awarded Hull Maritime Museum £150,000
  • Arts Council England awarded Hull City Council with £88,113
  • The John Ellerman Foundation awarded Hull City Council with £170,000 to conserve the museums' collection
  • The Garfield Weston Foundation awarded the Hull Maritime Museum with £350,000 to support its refurbishment
  • Mike Fell generously donated £736.34 from the royalties from the sale of his book, An Illustrated History of the Port of Hull and its Railways
  • Humber Street Distillery donated £464 from the sale of a Trawler strength gin, made specifically for this project
  • Public donations of £34,000
  • Trinity House Maritime Charity (THMC) awards a grant of £75,000 to the Hull Maritime Foundation
  • The Headley Trust awards a grant of £50,000 to the Hull Maritime Foundation
  • The Foyle Foundation awards a grant of £250,000 to Hull Maritime towards North End Shipyard

Milestones

DATE MILESTONE
26 June 2017 The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded Hull City Council round-one funding for the £27.4m project.
January 2018 Appointment of key staff.
8 March 2018 Start of consultation on heritage projects including Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime Museum.
2 April 2018 Hull’s Land Train offers train tours to raise awareness and build confidence in the project.
8 June 2018 Hundreds of artefacts are delicately moved from the Arctic Corsair by volunteers and museum staff ahead of its move to a temporary birth and placed in temporary storage.
26 July 2018 Specialist team announced to support the delivery of the project.
September 2018 Arctic Corsair closed to the public to prepare for its move in 2019.
4 September 2018 The Spurn Lightship moves to a temporary location in Hull Marina. WATCH THE VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXAERs48p4
19 November 2018 Lord Mandelson visits Hull to act as an ambassador for the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City Project.
26 November 2018 Hull awarded £50,000 from the Coastal Revival Fund to support the maritime project.
15 November 2018 Specialist interest and community groups take part in a community day.
14 December 2018 Mid-term review with Hull City Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
3 January 2019 Refugee Council visits Maritime Museum.
15 January 2019 The DCMS and Wolfson Foundation awarded Hull City Council with £150,000.
5 February 2019 Two historic cannon dating back two hundred years go back on display following major restoration. /whats-happening/news/historic-cannon-return-to-display-following-dramatic-conservation
20 February 2019 Welcomed the Home Library Service to the Maritime Museum.
8 March 2019 A performance, Swinging the Lamp, of the dramas of a life at sea is performed in Hull for the first time.
25 April 2019 Plans for the ambitious project will go on display for the first time.
24 May 2019 Second round bid submitted to National Lottery Heritage Fund
27 May 2019 Planning application submitted to Hull City Council
4 August 2019 The Arctic Corsair was moved from its current location to temporary storage at Siemens Gamesa with the support of Associated British Ports
2 October 2019 The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded Hull City Council with £13.6m
17 December 2019 Arts Council England awards Hull City Council with £88,113 to delve deeper into the museum's collection
17 December 2019 The John Ellerman Foundation awards Hull City Council £170,000 to conserve the museum's artefacts
19 January 2020 Hull Maritime Museum closed to the public
20 January 2020 Work starts to install new steps and access ramp to the entrance of the Hull Maritime Museum
February to June 2020 The public helped select 100 artefacts for a new People's Choice exhibition
29 February 2020 Celebrate the Arctic Corsair's 60th birthday
July 2020 Campaign launched to appeal to the public to gather material for a new exhibition
July 2020 Tender process opens to dismantle, conserve and transport whale skeletons
September 2020 Appointment of whale specialist to dismantle and conserve eight whale skeletons
October 2020 Eight marine skeletons were dismantled, packed and transported to receive conservation treatment
5 January 2021 Trinity House Maritime Charity (THMC) awards a grant of £75,000 to the Hull Maritime Foundation
18 January 2021 12 paintings were sent off for conservation
8 March 2021 Constantine was appointed to pack and move 50,000 objects from the Hull Maritime Museum.
14 May 2021 Work to pack and remove 50,000 objects gets underway
25 May 2021 The Headley Trust awards a grant of £50,000 to the Hull Maritime Foundation to support the restoration of the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship
1 July 2021 Contractor appointed to refurbish the Hull Maritime Museum
Summer 2021 Work to reconfigure Dock Office Chambers in to a storage centre gets underway
October 2021 Spurn Lightship is moved to a shipyard for restoration
October 2021 Arctic Corsair moves to shipyard for restoration
December 2021 The 20th century Scotch Derrick crane is dismantled and sent away for restoration
December 2021 Work to pack and move 50,000 is complete
January 2022 Contractors moved on site at Hull Maritime Museum and start major redevelopment work
18 & 19 March 2022 In partnership with Freedom Festival, hosted The Awakening, a new spring festival for the city
October 2022 Works to Dock Office Chambers is complete
October 2022 Works to build a new visitor centre start on site at North End Shipyard - dependent on contractors
March 2023 Storage equipment is installed at Dock Office Chambers, ready for the reserve collection to return to the city
9 March 2023 Spurn Lightship returns to a temporary berth at Hull Marina, until permanent berth is ready
Summer 2023 A series pop-up exhibitions went on display at locations across the city
1 June 2023 Work to improve Queens Gardens begins
19 June 2023 Guildhall Time Ball rises and falls again after 100 years

What's next?

This is one of the largest projects of regeneration, development and investment to be delivered in Hull.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect, preserve and celebrate our maritime heritage. Heritage that’s deeply rooted in our DNA.

The complexity of this project comes about because it isn’t just a simple refurbishment project. The transformation of the five key sites involved will create one of the best maritime visitor experiences in the UK, a rich story that cannot be told anywhere else in the world. This means there are many interrelationships around refurbishment work, the movement of collections both in to and out of the museums, the movement of both ships and the high value procurement work involved.

This is a hugely ambitious project and many of the elements are very complex and that’s why the planning may take time and change.

Getting this right will take time and often our plans will need to be revised and adjusted as prior steps are completed and influence the work moving forward.

Having said that, we know many people are keen to understand when this will be done so we have set out an indicative timetable for our project below. We would ask all of our supporters to be patient, these times may change, the unforeseen will inevitably pop up and force us to adjust but we are certain that this will be worth the wait.

The level of investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Hull City Council is for the city of Hull and its residents.

DATE MILESTONE
Autumn 2023 Work to the new wet berth for the Spurn Lightship gets underway
Autumn 2023 Reserve collection returns from storage and moved to the Dock Office Chambers - dependent on contractors
Autumn 2023 Building work at North End Shipyard is complete - dependent on contractors
Winter 2023 The Arctic Corsair is moved to its final home at the North End Shipyard – Dependent on high tides and weather
Spring 2024 Spurn Lightship reopens to the public in new location
Spring 2024 Installation of news displays at the new visitor centre at the North End Shipyard - Dependent on contractors and volunteers
Autumn 2024 A new visitor attraction at the North End Shipyard opens to the public and visitors will visit the Arctic Corsair in a dry berth for the first time
Spring 2024 Construction work to refurbish the Hull Maritime Museum is complete - dependent on contractors
Spring 2024 Final snagging and handover of the Hull Maritime Museum takes place – dependent on contractors
2024 Installation of new displays and new interactive technology is installed at Hull Maritime Museum – Subject to completion of building works
Spring 2025 Opening of Hull Maritime Museum following major refurbishment