Lunchtime talk: 'A botanist by accident: Eva Crackles in Hull and East Yorkshire'
Toby Horkan
10 March, 12.30-1.30pm
Free, all welcome
Eva Crackles, who was born and lived most of her life in Hull, was one of the most prolific and celebrated botanists in Yorkshire, well known for her research into the plant life of Hull and East Yorkshire. This talk will reflect on an archival project undertaken in 2025 at Hull History Centre, revealing Eva's life story through the materials held in the archives and the places she visited and researched throughout her career.
Exhibition: 'Travels & Travails - The travels of Samuel Wilderspin, father of infant education'
Hull History Centre Arcade
3-26 March 2026 (Tuesday-Thursday 9.30-4.30 + Saturday 21 March, 9.30-12.30)
Free, all welcome
In 1825, Samuel Wilderspin undertook his first road-trip promoting infant schools in villages, towns and cities across the nation. The 800-mile roundtrip set the pattern of things to come over the next 20 years. Based on his own accounts, this small exhibition curated by volunteers at the Wilderspin & National School Museum, Barton, highlights the challenges of lone travel across the British Isles just as the railway age was dawning. It’s a unique story of ambition and endurance; A ‘journey’ which began in Spitalfields, London, in 1825, and ended at Barton upon Humber and Hull twenty years later.
Event: Sewa Singh Gola: The Lionhearted Sikh
Saturday 4 April, 1-3pm
Free, booking required
To mark Vaisakhi (the Sikh New Year), Hull History Centre welcomes Guljar Singh Gola for a special event honouring the life of his late father, Sewa Singh Gola (1938-2024).
Guljar will reflect on his father’s journey from pre-Partition India to Hull, where he became one of the co-founders of the city’s first gurdwara. As one of the early Sikh pioneers in Hull, Sewa Singh remained steadfast in his faith through hardship, dedicating his life to seva (selfless service), community, and the preservation of Sikh traditions for future generations.
The event will include religious singing, and langar (refreshments) will be served by the family.
All are warmly invited to attend and learn more about a life devoted to faith, resilience and community.
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance by emailing hullhistorycentre@hcandl.co.uk or calling 01482 317500 during our opening times.
History Centre Behind the Scenes Tour: April
4 April, 11am-12pm
Free, booking required
Join us for a fascinating journey through the strongrooms and conservation areas of the History Centre, with a chance to look at some exciting historic documents along the way…
The tour will take 1 hour.
Places are limited so please book in advance. To book your place you can email us, call us on 01482 317500, or speak to a member of staff at the enquiry desk during our opening hours.
Family Lego Club
4 April, 10am-12pm
Free, all welcome. Children must be accompanied by an appropriate adult.
Come and build with Lego blocks. All materials provided. What will you build... perhaps your favourite castle, or maybe your favourite old building in Hull?
Lunchtime talk: 'Remembering Humberside'
14 April, 12.30-1.30pm
Free, all welcome
30 years after the abolition of Humberside County Council, this event will think about its presence in public memory. Love it or hate it: what does Humberside mean to you?
History Centre Behind the Scenes Tours: May
2 May, 11am-12pm
16 May, 11am-12pm
Free, booking required
Join us for a fascinating journey through the strongrooms and conservation areas of the History Centre, with a chance to look at some exciting historic documents along the way…
The tour will take 1 hour.
Places are limited so please book in advance. To book your place you can email us, call us on 01482 317500, or speak to a member of staff at the enquiry desk during our opening hours.
Family Lego Club
2 May, 10am-12pm
Free, all welcome. Children must be accompanied by an appropriate adult.
Come and build with Lego blocks. All materials provided. What will you build... perhaps your favourite castle, or maybe your favourite old building in Hull?
Lunchtime talk: "Hull and the General Strike - 100 Years Ago This Week"
Professor Tony Collins
12 May, 12.30-1.30
Free, all welcome
One hundred years ago this week, men and women across Hull walked out of work and joined the nationwide General Strike called by the TUC in support of Britain’s miners. It wasn’t the first time that local workers had taken a stand - in 1911 a government advisor reported that strikes in the city threatened a "revolution" - and local docks, railways and factories quickly fell silent. As days passed, the General Strike increased its support, and the day after the TUC called it off, more Hull workers were on strike than ever before.
To mark the centenary of the General Strike, Professor Tony Collins investigates the role that Hull’s men and women played in the dispute, explores why it was so popular, and examines the impact that it had on the subsequent history of Hull.