First tour as city museum reopens for the first time in three years
ATTRACTION CELEBRATING ONE OF HULL’S MOST FAMOUS SONS
IT’S been shut for more than three years, but the popular and important museum Wilberforce House finally reopened its doors this weekend.
Having initially closed during the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, the museum has undergone wellneeded conservation work and used the extra time to redevelop its galleries.
Ahead of its reopening on Saturday, Hull Live was invited to take a look around.
William Wilberforce is undoubtedly one of the most influential people to hail from Hull. Being born in the High Street house on August 24, 1759, the politician helped spearhead the complete abolishment of the slave trade in the United Kingdom.
The reopening of Wilberforce House means that the Museum Quarter is finally complete again, along with the everimpressive Hull and East Riding Museum and Street Life Museum of Transport.
During its three-year hiatus, Wilberforce House has seen the Grade-one listed building given some TLC, much to the delight of many history buffs.
It includes an extensive reworking of the heating system and delicate work to reinforce the 18thcentury ceiling by Hirst Conservation, a Lincolnshire specialist. As well as maintenance and redecoration, the house also has some new additions.
For the first time since becoming a museum to the public in 2007, a temporary exhibition space has been installed. This gives local artists and institutes a new voice, and the first exhibition – Uncovering Modern Slavery – will open the museum.
Ham Lomotey, one of the members of the Museum Advisory Panel, told Hull Live about the importance of a new gallery that focuses on the legacy of transatlantic slavery, saying: “The museum approached Black people from Hull and nearby because the legacy of slavery involves us and we need to tell our story. It was to highlight the legacy of the slave trade. In the exhibition, the main theme is that racism is the main legacy of the slave trade and not just overt.
“One of the things that people do not know is that our history and culture didn’t start with slavery – Black people have been in Britain since its inception and this story is never told.”
With features telling the stories of Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder, this gallery acts as an educational reminder that racism is still prevalent in modern society. Being in the house of the man who spearheaded the abolition of the slave trade nearly 200 years ago in 1833, it’s the perfect home for such an eye-opening education.
The sentiment is shared with Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, who said: “[Racism] is an issue that’s been raised with me a number of times, it’s clear that it still lives with us in the 21st century, and that isn’t right. The opportunity to learn about ways of how it’s been stuck in the past and changes that have been made, but how there are still more improvements that need to happen.
“This is history, but it’s also a case of the modern world and how we need to change it, which is why things like Wilberforce House Institute and tackling things like modern-day slavery are fundamental. Actually it is learning from the past and pulling that into what it’s going to do in the future.”
Walking around the halls, it’s easy to see why the ceiling alone took a lot of time to be repaired. The stairway is grand enough, but the 18th-century ceiling is something to behold.
Robin Diaper, curator of Maritime and Social History at Hull Culture and Leisure, told us that during the restorations, they secured the Wilberforce family crest which was given to William to celebrate his birth.
Each room goes through the life of Wilberforce’s life, education and political fight to abolish slavery. Portraits of the man decorate every room, as well as some his personal belongings. A personal highlight for me was seeing the reconstruction of what their family room would have looked like all those years ago, with a seemingly untouched fireplace.
It’s been a long time coming, but the reopening of Wilberforce House is a more than welcome one. I’m already looking forward to the reopening of the Maritime Museum, which is due to take place in 2025.
The Wilberforce House Museum will be open 10am to 4.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 4pm on Sundays.