Dan Snow to formally open Hull History Centre

20th May 2010 

Hull's new History Centre is to be formally opened by historian and broadcaster Dan Snow on Monday 7 June.

A ceremony will take place at the History Centre in the morning where Dan Snow will unveil a plaque to mark the occasion. He will go on to deliver a public lecture on 'The Importance of History' at the Guildhall in the afternoon - with a live link on to a screen in the History Centre where more people can watch (read on for how to get tickets).

Hull is the first city in the UK to bring together its city and university archives, local studies resources and specialist staff into one hi-tech building. It's a partnership between Hull City Council and the University of Hull and was made possible thanks to a generous £7.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) - one of the largest amounts given to any archive project in England.

Since opening to the public on 25 January 2010, over 18,000 people have visited the History Centre - well above the targets set for the centre's first year.

Bringing this impressive new facility to Hull was no mean feat. This event will celebrate the success of the project so far, recognise the work of all those involved, and continue to raise Hull's profile nationally.

Dan Snow is a regular contributor to the BBC1 One Show and has recently presented TV programmes on Britain's naval history, and on the fall of Quebec in 1759.

His lecture will take place at the Guildhall at 2.15pm on Monday 7 June, and the live webcast can be viewed by members of the public at the History Centre. Tickets for both venues are free and available from the History Centre, Worship Street, Hull, tel: (01482) 300 300.

Dan Snow said: "Hull has a fascinating history so I'm really looking forward to visiting the impressive new Hull History Centre and making some discoveries in the archives.

"I'm sure the building itself is the envy of archivists everywhere, but I've been equally impressed by the way staff at the centre are making history exciting and accessible to people of all ages through the events and education sessions they run. Hull should be proud of this unique place."

Portfolio holder for image and culture, Councillor John Robinson said: "The Hull History Centre represents a significant investment in the city and is proving a great success. It's a great resource for local people, and it's helping to promote Hull as a cultural destination and challenge perceptions of the city. I look forward to marking the History Centre's contribution to Hull at the event in June."

Martin Taylor, city archivist for Hull City Council, said: "We look forward to welcoming Mr Snow to Hull in June to mark the formal opening of the History Centre. In many ways our history is reflected in the way we lead our lives, and I am sure he will have many interesting things to say about this in his talk."

Judy Burg, university archivist said: "This formal opening is a way of celebrating the success of the History Centre project so far and giving recognition to the large number of individuals and organisations which helped to make it possible.

"Creating a space to enable people to explore history for many different reasons was at the heart of this project, so we are pleased to be able to offer free tickets to the lecture as part of the celebrations."