The newest museum can be found on Liverpool’s waterfront
Inside Hartley Hut on Liverpool waterfront(Image: Christopher Megrath)
A new museum has opened its doors to the public in Liverpool. Hartley Hut, which once served as a place of refuge for the dock workers, has been repurposed as a mini museum detailing its history.
The hut’s main purpose was as a shelter for those working on the dock; the unstable weather conditions of Liverpool meant that having a place for the workers to take cover was vital. Now, visitors can take a look behind its door and discover the history of the building.
Lead Curator of Archaeology at the National Museums Liverpool Elsa Price told the ECHO about its fascinating history. She said: “The Hartley Hut we’re stood in now, in the middle of this massive global exchange coming in and out of Liverpool, and it’s little role in this huge, bigger story.
“The purpose of it was to be a shelter for dock gatemen, they would be permanent employees of the dockside, and it was their job to keep the docks running smoothly, so opening and closing the dock gates.”
Liverpool waterfront where Hartley Hut is located(Image: (c) Pete Carr)
National Museums Liverpool will open the hut from 10am to 4.30pm on Tuesday to Sunday.
Elsa added: “It’s part of a much wider waterfront transformation project, and that’s quite a large body of work across our estates that will transform both sorts of walkways, navigation, and public facilities but also our ability to tell the history and the heritage of the waterfront.
“People are always sticking their heads in, asking if they can come in and telling you stories of their relatives that used to work here.
“You’ve got this immense local pride and connection to these spaces and many generations working lives and careers.”
Inside Hartley Hut on Liverpool waterfront(Image: Christopher Megrath)
Within the building, a piece of art hangs above where the fireplace of the hut would have been, created by artist Caroline Jariwala.
Elsa said: “She came to work with us to create a new piece of art for the Hartley Hut, the only parameters she had was that it had to sit above the fireplace, and it had to utilise shards of pottery that were excavated.
“Where the Museum of Liverpool was built, was on top of the Manchester Dock. The Land we’re standing on under the hut and under the Museum is all reclaimed land, so when they were reclaiming the land, they would fill it with sand and stones, but also huge dumps of pottery, so what we’re seeing in the artwork was actually under the Museum.”
More information on the site can be found here.