Skip to content

Hull 2017 City of Culture museums sees a million visits

Alamy Maritime MuseumAlamy
The Maritime Museum - formerly the Dock Offices - is one experiencing a bumper visitor year

Museums in Hull have notched up a record one million visits since the city began its reign as UK City of Culture in January.

Ferens Art Gallery, seven museums and Hull History Centre saw their combined visitor total pass seven figures.

It is the busiest the free attractions have been since records began in 1960, said Hull City Council.

Councillor Terry Geraghty said the visits were "making a significant economic impact in the city".

Live updates and more news from East Yorkshire

There were 12,805 visits during the single busiest day for the city's museums and art gallery on 21 January, said the council.

Ferens Art Gallery has had a £5m refurbishment and had more than 6,000 visits on the day it re-opened in January.

One million people is equivalent to about four times Hull's population.

PA Made in HullPA
Queen Victoria Square packed for Made in Hull one of the opening City of Culture events
Hull City Council Arctic CorsairHull City Council
Hull trawler Arctic Corsair also makes an unusual museum exhibit to visit
Trevor Gibbons Ferens Art GalleryTrevor Gibbons
The Turner Prize is to be awarded at the Ferens Art Gallery in September
Geograph/David Dixon William Wilberforce HouseGeograph/David Dixon
Wilberforce House was the home of the Hull-born abolitionist William Wilberforce

Hull's museums include Wilberforce House, the Hull and East Riding Museum, Streetlife Museum of Transport, the Arctic Corsair trawler, Spurn Lightship, Hull Maritime Museum, and Hands on Museum.

The Hull History Centre houses archives and local resources some dating back more than 700 years.

The Turner Prize is to be awarded at the Ferens Art Gallery in September and the short-listed entrants are to exhibit until January 2018. This is expected to boost visitor number further.

It was announced in June more than £27m was to be spent on renovating Hull's maritime attractions.