‘Cherished’ whale skeleton on the move

FRAGILE: Nigel Larkin starts work to dismantle the North Atlantic right whale

Work is underway to carefully dismantle and move the skeleton of a juvenile North Atlantic right whale - the largest item in Hull Maritime Museum.

The fragile skeleton, which hasn’t been moved for 45 years, and seven other whale skeletons are the first displays to be taken down to make way for a £12m refurbishment of the museum, as part of the Hull Maritime project to revitalise Hull’s rich maritime heritage. 

Before being placed into secure storage, the skeletons will receive conservation treatment, to ensure they are in the best possible condition for when they return to a newly refurbished museum.

The 40ft right whale was caught by a 78-year-old retired whaling captain, along with its mother near the coast of New York in 1907.

The skeleton currently lies on the museum floor. In contrast, the new displays will celebrate how the species still swims the oceans today.

Nigel Larkin Ltd, a company that specialises in conservation and curation of skeleton materials, is carrying out the delicate task.

Councillor Daren Hale, Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration and Planning, Land and Property at Hull City Council, said: “This is an important milestone in order to prepare the museum for its refurbishment.

“The whale and its tragic story will take centre stage within the new displays and exhibitions and in ways you have never seen before, educating visitors about their plight.

“This refurbishment to make this a building fit for the 21st century will not only tell the story of the building but create a fitting home for our exceptional collections and the stories they tell.”

Stathis Tsolis, conservation and engagement officer at Hull Maritime Museum, said: “The whale is well-remembered and cherished by many people visiting the museum over the last four decades and it is about to receive some much needed care and conservation. 

“North Atlantic right whales are currently endangered, with only an estimated 400 left. These days the threat is largely from ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear. 

“The rarity of this animal adds to the global significance of our specimen, which will hopefully change as time goes by. May the day come when skeletons of right whales are not so rare and important.”

Nigel Larkin, whale conservator, said: “The museum has an important and fascinating collection that tells the story of Hull's unique maritime heritage.

“Cleaning and conserving such historic specimens is always a pleasure. We look forward to returning the whale skeletons cleaner, in better condition, and mounted ready for installation in the newly refurbished galleries.”

The significant investment, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Hull City Council, will see significant changes at the Grade II Hull Maritime Museum, the Dock Office Chambers, the North End Shipyard and two historic vessels, the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship.

For more information on the Hull Maritime project, visit maritimehull.co.uk

The story of Hull Maritime Museum’s North Atlantic right whale

The huge skeleton of a Blue whale used to hang from the roof of the Municipal Museum, on Albion Street. 

It was from an animal that actually stranded in the Humber in 1835.

One hundred years later, in 1935, the Blue whale skeleton was transferred to London’s Natural History Museum, where it could be studied more widely. 

It is not the same specimen that is now on display in the Natural History Museum’s entrance, but it still survives in storage.

In return for this generous move, it was arranged that a skeleton of a North Atlantic right whale would be transferred to Hull from the collections of the University Museum of Zoology, in Cambridge.

Cambridge, in turn, had gained this specimen from the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, in exchange for a composite skeleton of a dodo in 1908.

When it came to Hull, the right whale skeleton was initially displayed at the Museum of Fisheries and Shipping, at Pickering Park, and not at Albion Street, which suffered greatly from bombing during the Second World War.

It moved to the Maritime Museum as it was established in 1974.