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Maritime museum interior work completed

Philip Norton / BBC A view of a hall in the refurbished museum with a large photograph in the foreground showing how it will look when the whale skeleton and other exhibits are restoredPhilip Norton / BBC
The next phase of work will see new exhibition displays installed

Work on restoring the interior of the Hull Maritime Museum has been completed, the city council has said.

The former dock office has been shut for a number of years undergoing a multimillion-pound refurbishment.

Specialists have spent three years restoring its Victorian features and it will now be fitted out with new exhibits and interactive displays, ready for the reopening in 2026.

Hull City Council leader Mike Ross described it as an "important and exciting milestone".

Philip Norton / BBC The newly restored main hall in the museum with purple marble pillars and sash windows with cream and brown plaster ceiling Philip Norton / BBC
Specialists worked for three years to restore the Victorian interiors

He said: “We are eager to begin the next stage of the programme with the installation of the new displays, technology and projections and signage that will showcase the city’s rich maritime heritage.

"This will be a museum for the city and its residents to be proud of.”

Returning exhibits include a 40ft (12m) long North Atlantic Right Whale skeleton and a stuffed polar bear named Erik.

Work started on the building in 2021 as part of a £27.5m revamp of the city's maritime heritage.

Other parts of the project include renovating the former North End Shipyard on the River Hull as part of a new visitor attraction.

Philip Norton / BBC Restored statutes of two white stone figures holding coats of arms sat in front of bronze foliage either side of an oval window Philip Norton / BBC
The work is part of a £27.5m revamp of the city's maritime heritage

Once completed it will house the Arctic Corsair - a 1950s sidewinder trawler.

The maritime museum and the shipyard will be linked by a new maritime route through Queens Gardens public park, which is also undergoing a £21m redevelopment.

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