Hull Streetlife Museum

I've just spent a lovely couple of days on the Yorkshire coast, taken in some cricket (in gorgeous late-summer sunshine) eaten what I'm coming to think might be the best fish-n-chips in the world and visited a couple of Hull's renowned cultural attractions. No, I'm not joking! Although it's always had that end-of-line isolation (unless you're catching North Sea Ferries), was flattened by the Luftwaffe, saw it's industry ruined and had the dubious distinction of being represented in parliament by one of this country's more interesting policitians, Hull has also got a great and unsung history. And they're not paying me to say this.

So, here's a whistle-stop tour of some of city's history.

Forget John Prescott. William Wilberforce was also Hull's MP. 

This is his house, now a museum to his life and anti-slavery achievements.

Next door is the Streetlife Museum, and the real reason for breaking our journey in the city. 

Because inside, are things like this:

and this:

and even this:

The Arctic Corsair, one of the last of Hull's deep-sea fishing fleet. The trawler was once rammed by an Icelandic gun-boat, held the record for the largest catch ever and was away from home for weeks at a time fishing in icy Arctic waters (as the name suggests). 

And if transport isn't your thing, there's one of these to get lost in:

The only drawback with what Hull calls its Museums Quarter (there's a third - equally interesting - on the same site) is the lack of parking. If you're local and can understand the park-and-ride scheme then no problem, but a visitor to Hull needs to know that it's too far to walk from the city centre with a toddler, and parking any nearer ain't going to be easy. Having said that, all three museums come highly recommended.

But for fish n' chips, you've got to go to Bridlington.

And with a beach like this, why not?