As part of the £30m Hull Maritime project to redevelop five historic sites within the Yorkshire city, contractors have been invited to put forward their interest in delivering the creation of a new visitor centre that will shed light on the area’s maritime and trade history.
The visitor centre will be situated at the North End Shipyard, and will be one of the most energy-efficient constructions in the UK’s cultural and heritage sector.
Potential contractors are now able to express their interest in the project by completing a selection questionnaire. After examining all bids carefully, the Hull Maritime project will select up to six firms to compete for the contract.
The North End Shipyard is a surviving reminder of Hull’s maritime history. HMS Bounty (on which the famous 1789 mutiny took place) and HMS Boreas (of which Horatio Nelson was once Chief Naval Officer) were both built in the yard.
The Hull Maritime project has plans for the restoration of two historic vessels, the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship. The North End Shipyard will become the new, permanent dry-berth for the Arctic Corsair, the country’s last distant-water sidewinder trawler, built in Beverley, Yorkshire, in 1960.
‘The North End Shipyard is a hidden gem, steeped in shipbuilding history,’ said Garry Taylor, Assistant Director for Major Projects and Place. ‘The creation of the new visitor centre will regenerate the area, celebrate its 400-year history and showcase the Arctic Corsair’s tremendous career.’
The project, funded by Hull City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, has set out further plans for the transformation of the Grade II-listed Hull Maritime Museum, which includes improved visitor facilities and increased digitisation of its collections. Future renovations of the Dock Office Chambers will create storage for archives and artefacts.
