A floating lighthouse and a trawler that broke world records are among maritime exhibits that have secured British city Hull in a world ranking of places to visit this year.
The city in east Yorkshire is the only place in Britain to be included in National Geographic magazine’s annual list of “must-visit” locations.
As The Guardian reports, a “dizzying array of maritime objects that include a stuffed polar bear called Erik” have contribute to the city’s success.
Hull is about to be transformed in a £70 million (sterling) makeover to make it an international tourist destination.
The National Geographic list includes Manila, Beijing and the North Dakota Badlands, and there has been some surprise at Hull’s rating – a city which poet John Taylor referred to in the 17th century when he wrote “From Hell, Hull and Halifax, good Lord deliver us.”
The Hull Maritime project includes a new home for a restored trawler, the Arctic Corsair which is an emblem of its fishing history. It has been restored by Dunston Ship Repairs.
The deep-sea trawler built in 1960 fished during the “Cod Wars” with Iceland, and once broke world records for landing the largest amount of cod and haddock in a year.
The Spurn Lightship, which helped to guide ships safely through the Humber estuary is due to reopen to the public after an upgrade, and the city’s maritime museum is due to open again after a five year closure.
Large areas of public space are being improved, the Guardian reports.
Read The Guardian here
