Hands on History Museum

The Hands on History Museum is dedicated to the story of the city of Hull, in the north east of England, and its people. It's housed in a grade-A listed old red-brick grammar school. It's also well-known for its collection of early replicas from the tomb of King Tut, which in their early days attracted the ire of the discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb, Howard Carter.

The ground floor of the Hands on History houses Victorian Britain - a Victorian themed hands-on interactive exhibition which includes a mock-up of a Victorian school room. The first floor is home to The Story of Hull and its People. The Ancient Egypt display features the mummy of a real ancient Egyptian priest, plus a number of replicas of items found in the tomb of the famous pharaoh Tutunkhamun in 1922.

The King Tut replicas were created by William Aumonier – a Hull artist – in the 1930s, with advice from Egyptologist Arthur Weigall. They took eight months to produce, using a stock of gold leaf with an estimated value of £1000. Only items from the antechamber of Tut’s tomb are featured, since that was all that had been explored and photographed when the reproductions were made. Carter was outraged when the original exhibition of these pieces took place in 1936, claiming breach of copyright. He demanded that they be destroyed, but was overruled, and they remain on display in Hull to this day.