146 



A MUSEUM OF FISHERIES AND SHIPPING. 



(plate XIV.). 



On Saturday, March 30th, was opened the Museum of Fisheries 

 and Shipping in the Pickering Park, Hull. With this museum 

 the city of Hull has reason to be proud of the forethought 

 of her councillors and the munificence of one of her citizens. 

 Few towns of the size of the third port can boast of so many, and 

 such excellent treasure-houses for things of historic and scien- 

 tific interest as the three institutions now Under the charge of 

 Mr. T. Sheppard. It is not many years since we had the 

 pleasure, in this journal, of complimenting the city of Hall 

 upon its museum of natural histor}^ and antiquities in Albion 

 Street. A few years later we lavished equal praise upon the 

 enlightenment of her citizens in opening as a public museum 

 the celebrated Elizabethan home of William Wilberforce, 

 and filling it with the relics of slave emancipation and objects 

 illustrative of Hull's history. It was largely through the 

 personal exertion of the present Chairman of the Museums 

 Committee, Alderman J. Brown, Sheriff of Hull, that Wilber- 

 force House became municipal property, and we venture to 

 think that he never rendered a greater service to his city than 

 this. Now, under the same Chairman, and under the clirection 

 of the same Curator, it falls upon us to announce the opening 

 of a third museum, which is entirely devoted to the history of 

 shipping and fishing. 



The site of the Museum and the building itself have been 

 handed over to the Hull Museums Committee by Mr. Christopher 

 Pickering, J. P., who recently presented the magnificent Picker- 

 ing Park on the Hessle Road, Hull, adjoining which the 

 Museum is situated. 



From many points of view the situation is excellent : 

 the district in which it is located is essentially the home of the 

 fishing industry, and is not far from the Fish Docks ; it is 

 pleasantly surrounded by fields and shrubberies ; and it has 

 round about it room for extension, a not unimportant asset. 



Mr. Pickering's interest in the institution has not ceased 

 with the building of it. He has used his influence in inducing 

 shipowners, shipbuilders, and others to present models of 

 ships, etc., to the Museum, and in this way a very valuable 

 series, and one that will year by year become increasingly 

 valuable, illustrating the evolution of the steam trawler, liner, 

 man of war and other types of ship, has been obtained. 



The Museum was formally opened by Mrs. Pickering, who, 

 in a graceful speech, expressed the pleasure of herself and her 

 husband at the way in which the exhibits had been arranged 

 by the Hull Museums staff, and at the thought that the place 



Naturalist, 



