The entrance to Hull’s Streetlife Museums is a TARDIS – honestly! Not only does it convey you to historical artefacts of times gone by – but it really makes the museums look smaller on the outside than they are on the inside!
Entrance through a small shop front brings you into the massive Streetlife site and a journey through Hull and the East Ridings’ histories. One of the first sights greeting you is a woolly mammoth (there is a full-size replica) and the journey takes you from ‘fossilised’ eons, right through to Hull’s ‘modern’ (now decimated) fishing industry.
However, it is the Transport Museum next door which really over-awed me! I remember visiting Hull’s original museum as a kid, but the new one built in 1987 contains so much more and is presented in a much more accessible manner.
The main walkway is made up of a street containing an old tram, single decker bus, fire engine, old shop fronts, level crossing and signal box (re-located from Cottingham North where my Grandad worked in it for a while!). Everything is ‘friendly’ i.e. it caters for those who want to touch, feel, climb onto, push, pull and explore!
The history of transport is charted with an impressive collection of stage coaches (with realistic horse smells?!), ‘horseless carriages’, bikes and motor bikes. The Arctic Corsair – a Hull Trawler – can be viewed on the river outside and tours aboard can be arranged.
The Duff’s went with friends and five (normally bored!) youngsters from ages 4 – 10 all of whom seemed to have thouroughly enjoyed themselves!
One of the advantages of living in Hedon is the fairly easy access to Hull and its attractions. So if you haven’t been to Hull Museums Quarter for a while – then make the trip; you will not be dissappointed!
In the 70s we gave a transport mueseum an old bus on wheels it went to Hull , we wonderd what happend to it The address was the Poplars Jewison Lane sewerby Bridlington I hope our mystory can be solved. G &M Lilley