The archipelago that is the British Isles has a long and wonderful history of fishing. It’s a major industry and always has been even if health chiefs say we don’t eat enough fish. Fish and Chips is our national dish but it wouldn’t be without the fishing communities around our shores. In honour of the farmers of the sea, the City of Hull fishing heritage recently received £15m from the National Lottery’s Heritage Lottery Fund. The money will go towards a £27.5m upgrade of the city’s facilities. The remaining funding will come from the City Council.
Hull Fishing Heritage: The Facts and Figures
This is an amazing cash boost for the city of Hull and for the industry. The Hull fishing heritage project means that the Arctic Corsair (in dock since 1999 when converted to a museum) will have a permanent home. It’s likely to find a dry dock off of the River Hull. Also, the Maritime Museum at Victoria Square will receive substantial renovation. The most exciting part of this is that one of the domed towers will finally open to the public. The city is also home to a substantial fishing heritage collection. The will go on display to the public at new premises at the Dock Office Chambers opposite the museum.
Heritage lottery programmes such as this are not always about attracting tourism – although this is important for any town or city. The new Hull fishing heritage project will create 70+ paid jobs and plenty of volunteer opportunities. In addition, two annual internships and thousands of outreach programmes for local school children will begin over the coming years. Community will be at the heart of the scheme with facilities used in future for arts and crafts courses too. Planners believe a potential annual £1.5m profit for public coffers in Hull.