The story of a lost medieval town has been reaching a wider audience with the exhibition Ravenser Odd: The Sunken Island of the Humber currently touring Holderness.
Hull Maritime have been working in partnership with Dr Emily Robinson from the University of Sussex, Dr Kathryn Maude from The National Archives and local arts organisation Square Peg to bring the exhibition and accompanying engagement activities to new audiences in Holderness.
Ravenser Odd was a short-lived medieval town on an island near to Spurn Point. It quickly became very wealthy and was accused of piracy and stealing the trade of its neighbours along the Humber, but was lost to flooding after just 130 years.
The story of Ravenser Odd initially received a great response from visitors during the Hull/Ravenser Odd: Twin Cities Sunken Pasts exhibition at Hull History Centre earlier this year, attracting more than 3,000 people during its two-month run. After seeing that the story was sparking people’s imaginations the group decided to create a smaller, travelling exhibition to reach communities in the wider region, and closer to the site of the lost town.
The exhibition started its journey at Spurn Point Discovery Centre, continuing along the coast to Withernsea Library and Customer Service Centre where it is currently open to the public until 3 December 2024.
Alongside the exhibition, Square Peg Hull have been working with local people to engage more deeply with the story of Ravenser Odd in creative workshops.
Jemma from Square Peg said: “We have had a great time delivering open workshops in the East Riding with a mixture of participants who have known and not known about Ravenser Odd. It has been a great opportunity to discuss stories and the work already created, whilst inspiring new works to add to the exhibition going forward. We are always excited to see how people interpret the stories into visuals.”
The next phase of the exhibition will explore the island’s rivalry with its neighbours on the south of the Humber, with activities in Grimsby and Cleethorpes in 2025
For those wanting to find out more about Ravenser Odd’s fascinating story online, you can read a short article by The National Archives here: and download a comic by Gareth Sleightholme exploring the folklore of Ravenser Odd here:
The exhibition and associated activities are underpinned by research by Dr Kathryn Maude (The National Archives) and Dr Emily Robinson (University of Sussex) and supported by the Higher Education Impact Fund at the University of Sussex.
Images by Square Peg Hull.
