BLOG | Returning to Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City

I’m not a Hull native – I come from over the hill, from Manchester, and it’s safe to say that I’m well versed in the classic rivalry between Yorkshire and Lancashire. I do have a very strong connection to Hull though, having studied at the university to achieve to achieve a BA Hons and MA in history.

My particular interest through my study was – in an attempt to sound like an academic – modern socio-politics in Europe and America, and my dissertations were on volunteering (BA) and crime/social unity (MA) in Hull during the Second World War. This interest was sparked by my family connections to the city (which I hadn’t realised before choosing to study here) as I learned that my gran had lived along the fabled Hessle Road, worked at Smith & Nephew, and frequented Bob Carver’s chippy before eventually moving Westward (presumably in search of dance halls – she claimed to have been barred from all of the dance halls in Hull for her rock and roll dancing!).

I also have a strong connection to this project. Following my study (and the obligatory stint of bar work), in 2017 I took on an internship with Hull Culture and Leisure in Museum Support, gaining experience in both front and back of house roles. A few months later I moved across to a Project Support internship role with the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, where I worked with the Audience and Engagement Manager on the early stages of our engagement and consultation around the city prior to the bid submission to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In this picture, I revisited the spot where my desk used to be in Dock Office Chambers while conducting a site visit – I was only away for 18 months and the office has been cleared and is being prepared for conversion into a bespoke research archive! I miss that view…

In 2019 I moved to Barnsley and began a role as a Project Support Officer with the Barnsley Museums Learning Team, where I worked with a number of hugely inspirational people across the service and learned a lot about the heritage sector and the amazing things that we can achieve for our local communities.

That brings us back to now, and my return to this amazing project. For all of the wonderful experiences I have had and the incredible people that I have worked with, since day one on this project I have had the excitement of delivering a huge heritage project at the back of my mind. The idea that we are in a place to deliver a regeneration project that will, without doubt, change this city for both its inhabitants and the many visitors that come through each year (at least, in happier times when there’s no pandemic to contend with!) grabs my imagination.

I’m very keen to help to deliver a project that will shape Hull’s future and celebrate Hull’s past. A project that will teach and upskill people, support vital trades, showcase the wonderful and rich heritage of the area, and celebrate what makes Hull the incredible city that it is – the people who have lived and worked here, the people who are here now, and the people that are to come.