Summer days- finds, crafts and exhibitions
Fran Oliver, Highways England, helps children explore what archaeologists do
As summer passes into autumn, and with it the hustle and bustle of the school holidays. The Minster has been an active and vibrant place where we have hosted our Archaeology Activity Days and arts events. Our new young faces, Bailey and Stephen, have settled in very well, and have added to the vibrancy of church life; their presence is much welcomed. Our volunteers and staff have put on a series of exhibits and activities, from a digging activity conducted by our friends at Highways England to various handling stalls, where treasures from our archaeology collection could be handled (with care), including coffin plates, a Georgian gold sovereign and an intact late medieval pottery bowl – it's over 500 years old!
We had nearly 1000 visitors over 4 days, with a large proportion from the local area. We welcomed lots of intergenerational groups where grandparents, parents and children enjoyed the activities together. We were visited by a nursery, a kids club, lots of international tourists, and of course, keen groups of Hull residents. Watch our little video and see what we got up to!
Heritage Intern Stephen works on his Flower of Hull window embroidery
We also welcomed several artists for our Thursday Craft Days, in association with our exhibition Confluence, which focused on the culture, history and environment of the river Humber. Our artist friends brought with them their craft supplies, allowing anyone and everyone to have a go at creating art- Stephen, our Heritage Intern, produced a lovely version of our great east window in an embroidery, complete with the Flower of Hull motif right in the centre. He was really chuffed! All of the pieces produced were placed on a giant map of the estuary, which itself was covered in doodles and drawings of the local landmarks, naturally including our lovely Minster.
Autumn Activities
Our Lunchtime Heritage Talks series launches through October and November. For six weeks we will have a heritage speaker coming to the Minster to give a lecture, tour or workshop on a topic of their choice, lasting approximately an hour. Details are TBC, so keep an eye out for updates via our social media. If you know someone who would make an excellent guest speaker, please get in touch with their details.
Also launching for the 2022/23 academic year are our FREE heritage workshops for schools, so if you want to give your pupils an exciting beginning to the new academic year we’re the place to visit!
Trying calligraphy
Workshops include:
My Strength and Shield- This is a workshop that explores heraldry, identity and belonging. Using stamps and shapes, learners design their own shield and explain their style choices to one another which they can take home at the end of the visit.
Stained Glass- This workshop introduces students to the Minster's rich collection of stained glass helps them to design their own stained glass window, using medieval designs to create images.
Language and script- This workshop engages pupils with the language of memorials and celebrations of life. Learners collect words from monuments, coffin plates and church records through brass rubbing or photography, helping them to explore expressions of love, praise and memory.
Handling Archaeology- We have a collection of archaeological finds for handling and discussion, including pottery, animal bones, metal finds, and many other things. Students can make replicas of objects, explore why some things decay and others don’t, and think about what objects tell us about the way people lived in the past.
Objects and finds ready for handling!
A travel bursary is available from the Ann Watson Trust- schools must apply for this separately. To book please contact Jane Owen at jane@hullminster.org; we look forward to hosting these workshops!
Restorations this summer
We’ve had a lot of work done this summer on our artefacts to keep them in top condition. We are very excited to show you some footage from the restoration work; see below for footage of the restoration of our tower clock!