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A look inside city museum ahead of its reopening

Eleanor MaslinEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
News imageBBC The skeleton of a large animal is suspended above a large white-walled room with a high ceiling. A sign says "Welcome to Hull Maritime Museum", and there is a projected black and white image of two women on the wall.BBC
Hull Maritime Museum will reopen to the public this Saturday after being closed for six years

Hull Maritime Museum is getting ready for its big reopening this Saturday after six years of being closed to the public.

The museum, which has undergone a £20m renovation programme, tells the story of the city's maritime heritage as a hub for trade, migration, fishing and whaling across Britain and beyond.

Opening in the restored former Dock Offices in the city centre, revamped features include 50% more objects on display and a hidden treasures gallery.

Nearly 10,000 free tickets to visit the museum have already been snapped up, said Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council.

News imageA stuffed polar bear is inside a glass cabinet looking up and bearing its long, white teeth.
Erik the polar bear was captured in the Arctic in the 1860s by the crew of Dundee whaling ship SS Erik

Robin Diaper, curator of social and maritime history at the museum, said: "Unsurprisingly, people have been waiting a long time to get in to this much-loved building and museum."

Popular stuffed polar bear Erik has returned to the museum after previously being on display there for more than 40 years.

It will be able to be seen from all angles in the Age of Sail gallery.

There is also a whale skeleton which is 40ft (12m) long, "conserved and repositioned to look like it's swimming", said Diaper.

Take a look inside the restored Hull Maritime Museum

Both adults and children will be able to go through a tunnel and resurface in a dome inside the whale's ribcage.

On the second floor, which has never opened to the public previously, is a hidden treasures gallery.

A new community exhibition space displays objects, images and filmed content from organisations preserving stories of the sea.

News imageA man with grey hair and a navy suit and tie with a white shirt is smiling into the camera. The background is blurred but a large clear case has the skeleton of what appears to be a dinosaur in it.
Mike Ross said the museum was "incredibly important" in telling Hull's maritime history

Entry is free but visitors are advised to book during busy periods.

Ross said: "This is the city's premier museum. It tells Hull's maritime history. That is incredibly important in a city built on water."

The restoration was funded by the city council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Helen Featherstone, a director at the Heritage Fund, said visitors would be able to "take in the stunning architecture" of the listed building as well as enjoying the "significant collections of the museum".

News imageA small model of a boat is situated inside a glass case, and has "Specimen Hull" on the back.
There will be 50% more objects from the museum's collection on display

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