Hull Maritime Museum reopening pushed back until 2026

The widely-anticipated reopening of the Maritime Museum in Hull has been pushed back.

The former docks office-turned-museum has been closed since 2019 for a huge multi-million pound makeover as part of the Hull: Yorkshire's Maritime City project. The scheme has undergone several notable milestones as it gradually approaches completion, with one of the most recent being the removal of external scaffolding to unveil the refurbished grand building.

Contractors Simpsons of York have been working on the project with Hull City Council and architects Purcell to restore the interior and exterior features of the city centre landmark. Now, the building is ready for the fit out and installation of new displays that will bring the city’s unique collections to life with cutting edge technology including new immersive projections, films and a planetarium.

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Once the displays are in place, an array of maritime treasures will be brought back from storage to take pride of place in the museum once again. They will be unpacked and displayed in purpose-built cabinets in a phase of work that will take around a year to complete.

The 40ft North Atlantic Right Whale skeleton will return in Spring 2025 following extensive conservation and will be remounted in the new-look gallery. The popular and much-loved Erik, the polar bear will also return.

Despite extensive work, the original reopening date of late 2025 has had to be pushed back to Spring 2026 - meaning the museum will have been closed for around seven years when it welcomes back visitors.

A Hull City Council spokesperson said: "Late 2025 was the anticipated date for opening, although, while the contractors have worked incredibly hard on the building so far, some areas required further attention."

Councillor Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “The transformation and restoration of Hull Maritime Museum is an important and exciting milestone.

“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.”