Hands on History Museum

2467 Reviews

Star Travel Rating

1/5

Review type

Things to do

Location

Date of travel

2014

Product name

Product country

Product city

Travelled with

Solo

Reasons for trip

The website describes this as covering the story of Hull and its people. I set off to find it with great expectations.

It is in the lovely brick built old grammar school where William Wilberforce was educated. There is a small entrance hall with shop off selling books, Egyptian items and some children’s games.

The large room off on the left is set up as a Victorian schoolroom with double decks with wooden bench seats. I remember similar when I was at primary school. Lifting the lid, there was a slate, an exercise book with beautiful copper plate writing and a small text book entitled "How to write properly". There was also a tray of sand. I don’t remember these and wondered what it had been used for. At the front was the teachers desk with high chair giving good views over all the classroom. There was also an abacus and a small cast iron stove, the only source of heat on warm days.

The room is very hands on and very popular with the kids as there are dressing up clothes, hop scotch game on the floor, rocking horse and other toys to play with. There was a maid’s box complete with contents, wash tub and a carpet beater. The zeotrope was a source of great amusement.

Upstairs is the Egyptian gallery with a mummy and coffin lid of a priest of Min dating from between 500-300BC. The mummy is in poor condition as it was removed to a warehouse for safe storage during the war and was forgotten. There is a display of replica furniture from the tomb of King Tutankhamun including the ox bed as well as a copy of his gold face mask. In display cabinets are artefacts collected by WMF Petrie from excavations in Egypt partially funded by Hull Museums. These include a lovely small model boat about 4000 years old which would have carried the mummified body of a pharaoh with priests and mourners across the Nile. There are examples of shabti figures which were placed in a tomb to represent slaves needed in the afterlife. There are small statues of cats and Anubis as well as perfume bottles.

Beyond is the Story of Hull through the Ages, although this just seems to be 20thC history. There is some information about childhood and a display of childrens clothes, toys and games. Further on there was a collection of prams and pushchairs. There was some information about courtship and marriage. There was a display case on tailoring and making men’s suits. Display cases contained school books and dolls wearing different school uniforms. Beneath in drawers were examples of samplers from the 18th and 19thC. The earlier examples were much more detailed and carefully worked. There were reconstruction of a 1950s living rooms and early 20thC kitchen with zinc bath in front of the fire. .

The ‘hands on’ doesn’t seem to extend up here. I was very disappointed and began to feel that this was a collection of bits and pieces from attics and garages which had been given to Hull Museums over the years and had been put here as there was space needing to be filled. The displays were disjointed and there didn’t seem to be any logic in the order in which they were presented. There was a lot of written material which often didn’t relate to the display panels next to it. There were few attempts to label exhibits or give information about them. There was a lovely old time clock surrounded by display panels on industry and earning a living. If you didn’t now what it was, there was nothing to explain it.

Even though the rooms were described as the Story of Hull, there was very little specifically about Hull. There was nothing about the history of Hull or the effect of the World Wars on Hull. The Hull and East Yorkshire Museum of Archaeology ends with the Normans. There is some information about the development of the docks in the Maritime Museum.

Wilberforce House does have a little information about the Civil War and Hull. But none of the museums gives a comprehensive picture of the way Hull has developed from the Normans to the town we see today.

The Egyptian Gallery seems to have been put here because it doesn’t fit into any of the other museums and they wanted somewhere to display the Mummy and the Petrie collection. The reconstructions from Tutankhamun’s tomb have no direct relevance to Hull and their main purpose seems to be to fill up the space.

There is an amateurish feel about the whole museum compared with other museums in Hull. It is free but to be honest there is little that you won’t have seen better done elsewhere.

For information about the museum click here.

For information about collections click here.

Silver Travel Advisor

Join the club

Become a member to receive exclusive benefits

Our community is the heart of Silver Travel Advisor, we love nothing more than sharing ideas, inspiration, hints and tips between us.

Come feel the love on a Princess cruise. You’ll enjoy the MedallionClass experience others simply can’t, and it’s exclusively for everyone. Visit incredible destinations and be involved in the best experiences around each one of them.

Experience more with Princess and connect effortlessly with the world around you, spend time away with loved ones, take a moment for yourself, and fall in love with your holiday of a lifetime, every time.

With over 20 years of experience, Wendy Wu Tours has mastered the art of creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours which showcase the very best of each destination.

Each tour is led by a world-class guide, who will highlight the very best of their homeland, and includes authentic cultural experiences so you are not just seeing the sights, but truly immersing yourself in local life.

Say hello to ease at sea. Ambassador’s purpose is simple: they want to inspire every guest to experience authentic cruising, effortlessly and sustainably. Passionate about protecting our oceans and destinations, their ships comply with the highest industry emission standards and there is no single-use plastic on board.

On your voyage, you will receive the warmest of welcomes from the Ambassador community as you sail upon the friendliest ships afloat.

This is a global co-operative co-owned by local partners using real local experts and guides, which supports local communities, environments and wildlife. It offers travellers quirky places to stay, activity holidays and learning experiences. Not In The Guidebooks gets travellers off the beaten track into local culture with day experiences and longer, immersive adventures.

From wild wellness breaks in Wales to painting in Portugal, sustainable adventures in Mauritius to food safaris in Brazil, this is immersive, exciting travel.

Seabourn’s five intimate ships carry guests to the heart of great cities, exclusive yacht harbours and secluded coves around the world, while two new purpose-built expedition ships will combine exhilarating adventures in remote destinations with the sophisticated amenities of the world’s finest resorts at sea.

From the luxury of all suite accommodations to complimentary fine wines and spirits, and a no tipping policy, Seabourn exemplifies the definition of travelling well.