//
The major part of Hull's Maritime Festival. It attracts major shanty singers from the UK as well as from around the world. The main stage is along the Prince's dock side and groups sing in the pubs nearby. While some stalls along the dock sell a variety of things, others represent various organisations. All performances are free though the concerts in the City Hall on Saturday evening and the Survivors Concert on Sunday evening are by ticket. Various barges are moored alongside and can be visited free of charge. If you're into shanty singing it's a really good weekend.
Tucked away in a rather inauspicious area of the city, The Charter House is on Charterhouse Lane, and lies within a small conservation area. The wealthy merchant and first mayor of Hull Sir William de la Pole founded a Priory of Carthusian monks here in 1350, with the further intention of establishing a hospital. The ‘Gods House Hospital’ was eventually established by his son, the charter being granted in 1384 when the first master was appointed. It housed 13 poor men and 13 poor women, and was surrounded by fields through which the River Hull flowed. The institution prospered from income derived from its lands. This attracted the attention of Henry VIII who, in 1536, closed the Priory and turned the monks out. The hospital, however, remained and over time acquired the name The Charterhouse. This name is a corruption of Chartreuse in France where the order of Monks originated from. With Hull’s refusal to admit Charles I in 1642 and the start of the English Civil War, the town became a target for the Royalists and the Charterhouse, being outside the town walls, was demolished so a gun battery could be placed there to defend the town. In 1649 the Master, with his flock, returned to the site and the Charterhouse was rebuilt. However, neglect and decay caused this building to be pulled down in 1777 and a third one was built, the only remaining piece of the original priory being the stone over the door of the Master's House. But more was to come and although the Charterhouse survived World War II, The Blitz that Hull suffered caused much damage to its buildings. Since its restoration and expansion with improved living quarters the people living there now no longer represent de la Poles ‘indigent and decayed persons’ but pay for their accommodation and are called Residents. What is known as the Charter House consists of the Master's House and walled garden where Andrew Marvell is said to have played under the Mulberry tree and on the northern side of the road Old House which contains the fine Chapel with its Adams ceiling.
Permanent collection of Sculpture and Paintings from medieval to present day, and a regular programme of temporary exhibitions from around the world. Strong on old European Masters, particularly Dutch and Flemish, the Ferens also houses some of the best contemporary art in the country. Includes masterpieces by Frans Hals, Antonio Canaletto, Stanley Spencer, David Hockney, Helen Chadwick and Gillian Wearing. There is a pleasant cafe on the ground floor of the gallery with an outside section overlooking part of Prince's dock. In February to April each year it hosts the 'Open Exhibition' to which, for a modest fee, amateurs and professional artists can submit their own work for sale or just display.
Formerly the Whaling Museum and housed in the original Dock Offices for the Prince's Dock and Queen's Dock (now Queen's Gardens). It is a huge, quaintly old-fashioned museum dedicated to Hull's glorious conquest of the High Seas and to the often tragic sacrifices made to it. An elegant staircase rises from the entrance hall and there are displays to interest all ages from the skeleton of a whale to models of ships to explanations of fishing methods. The museum is closed for refurbishment and is expected to reopen in 2025.
Completed in 1903 and designed by Frank Matcham, the City Hall to some extent defied total destruction by Luftwaffe. When the bomb damage of 1941 was finally made good in 1950 it reopened to emerge, with its green copper roof, as one of the most loved structures in the city. Around the upper west end of the building is a frieze commemorating famous musical composers. The cupola of the previous town hall, built in 1866 by Cuthbert Brodrick, is sited at the west side of Pearson Park. The City Hall now regularly hosts rock, pop and classical concerts, and comedy events. Left of the entrance is the booking office for events in the city, and to the right is the Tourist Information Office.
Opened in 1930 and built on top of the old Queen's Dock. The dock was built in the late 1700s, and at 10 acres it was the largest dock in England. However, it was not until 1854 that it was named Queen's Dock after Queen Victoria. You can still make out the original shape of the dock in the walls and buildings surrounding the gardens. Some of the buildings on the south side are the old warehouses of the dock. At the east end stands the Wilberforce Monument and at the west, the old dock offices now the Maritime Museum. The gardens are sunk and contain flowerbeds, seating and a large grassy area.
Runs adjacent to and on the south side of Queen's Gardens and with Alfred Gelder Street on its south side. Built between 1903 and 1916, to a design chosen by competition, it is the home of the City Council, it also houses the city's silver, the Hull Tapestry, the old magistrate's court, and below this the cells! The Guildhall is a great slab of early 20th-century civic pride, prosperity and confidence. At the west end sits a sculpture symbolising 'Maritime Prowess' atop its ornate Neo-Classical design and at the east end a clock tower. Starting in 1991 The Hull Tapestry took 15 years to complete and in 19 panels depicts important aspects of the city's history and development. The tapestry can be viewed (free of charge) Monday-Thursday 8:30AM-4:30PM, and Friday 8:30AM-3:30PM. To view it ask at the reception desk of the Guildhall. Guildhall tours are also available free of charge but these must be booked in advance.