The Hands on History Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Sundays, entry is FREE.

01482 613 902

Holy Trinity Church is closed Monday & Thursday (except Bank Holidays). On Tuesday open 11am-3pm, Wednesday and Friday 12noon-3pm, Saturday 9..30am-12noon, Sunday services are held throughout the day.

01482 324 835

Farmers Markets are held every other Friday.

Hull’s Trinity Quarter is at the heart of the historic Old Town. The area was remodelled in 1999 to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the town’s first Charter. The Charter had been given to Hull by the King, Edward I, who six years previously had bought the town from the monks of nearby Meaux Abbey for £78.

The monks had been using the small port as an outlet for the wool trade. The monks controlled many of the small farms, or granges, around Hull at this time and would send the wool skins to Hull for shipping to the low countries where they would be then made into expensive garments. A reminder of the importance of wool to the area can be seen to the left of the Hands on History Museum where the Woollen Warehouse building is clearly visible, as is the frieze above the door showing a lamb being weighed.  Now converted into commercial premises, the Warehouse used to function as the town’s wool exchange.

The Wollen Warehouse Frieze

The dominating attraction in the area is undoubtedly Holy Trinity Church, the largest parish church by area in England and actually larger than two thirds of all cathedrals in the country. Externally, it shows some of the earliest examples of medieval brickwork, whilst inside many stories from Hull’s hundreds of years of history are told in the tombs, architecture and furnishings.

Holy Trinity Church

In the shadow of the church lies Hull’s Old Grammar School, records of which can be traced back to 1347, though the present building was built in the late 16th century. The first floor of this classic Tudor building was also to form a base for the town’s Merchant Adventurers. Famous alumni of the school include William Wilberforce and Andrew Marvell, both of whom became MPs for the town. A statue of Marvell stands proudly in front of the museum, though Marvell is equally celebrated for his poetry and the first lines of his most famous poem ‘To his coy mistress’ are on the plinth below him.  Marvell probably wrote this poem prior to serving in Oliver Cromwell's government as a minister. This closeness to Cromwell’s regime might have had negative consequences in a less skilful individual when the monarchy was restored in 1660, but Marvell not only managed to survive, but was also instrumental in convincing Charles II not to execute his fellow poet John Milton for anti-monarchical writings.

The Old Grammar School now houses the Hands on History Museum which houses exhibits about Victorian life and an upstairs display about the story of Hull and its people. For many visitors though, the main highlight is the upstairs Egyptian Gallery which features the only known replicas of Howard Carter’s famous discoveries in King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The replicas were made for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 by Hull artisans and were amongst exhibitions attracting 27 million visitors.  There is also a real mummy, sarcophagus and an excellent replica of Tutankhamun’s golden funeral mask on display.

Egyptian Exhibits in the Hands on History Museum

In front of the Hands on History Museum is Trinity Square which every other Friday is transformed into a bustling Farmers’ Market, bringing people from afar to buy local produce. Seats and nearby cafés in the Square offer an excellent opportunity to recharge batteries before venturing into nearby Trinity Market, Hull’s colourful indoor market where a wide variety of goods can be bought, from meat and vegetables to vinyl records and retro-clothing.

Trinity Market

Next to the Hands on History Museum can be seen some converted merchant warehouses, typical of 18th and 19th century Hull and close to that, a small arch way leads down into Prince Street. This charming Georgian Street is considered by many to be one of the prettiest streets in Hull.

Prince Street with Holy Trinity In Background

Across the Square from the museum is the cream coloured Hull Trinity House and a spectacular frieze showing the fighting lion and unicorn, flanked by the reclining figures of Britannia and Neptune. The institution was referred to by the great English novelist Daniel Defoe as being the ‘glory of the town’, and started life in the 14th century, largely as a sailors’ insurance guild. It became more powerful over succeeding centuries as its range of responsibilities increased. In particular, it assumed responsibility for shipping and pilotage in the Old Harbour and the River Humber, a duty which lasted right up until the start of the 20th century. Revenue from shipping dues was also channelled into charitable work to needy sailors and their families, a role it continues to perform to this day.

Trinity House

Behind the current façade lies Trinity House School, one of Hull’s best performing schools and one which continues to promote its founders’ wishes of ‘clothing and educating a certain number of boys for sea service’. Though the proportion of boys entering maritime professions is less than in the past, the sight of the school’s pupils out on their lunch break dressed in their dark blue jackets and trousers offers a unique link between the city’s maritime past and present.

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