Behind the Door Of... Great North Museum: Hancock

Great North Museum: Hancock is one of the most remarkable museums in Newcastle, set in immediate surroundings so bucolic you’d imagine you were far outside of the city rather than in the complex of buildings that makes up Newcastle University. It’s a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of artefacts and exhibits and also hosts all manner of activities and happenings.

We were keen to find out more about the museum – its history and contents, its relationship with the university and its forthcoming plans – so we caught up with Adam Goldwater, the Museum Manager, who got us started by explaining how The Hancock Museum transformed into Great North Museum: Hancock (we’ll call it the Hancock from hereon in!).

Image: Hancock Fossils Gallery

“It all started back in 2006 when the old Hancock Museum closed its doors to the public.” explains Adam, "and an ambitious £26 million project began to transform it into a museum fit for the 21st century. This wasn't your average renovation project, either. Newcastle University led the way in turning the Hancock Museum into the Great North Museum, which meant building a massive extension and moving both the Society of Antiquaries and the Shefton collections into the space. Finally, in 2009, the Great North Museum: Hancock opened its doors to the public. With its new name reflecting the sheer size and huge variety of treasure it houses, the Hancock is a must-see for anyone interested in history, culture, and all things awesome.”

Image: Hancock Live Planet Gallery

The museum has a longstanding relationship with the university, and we asked Adam how long that has existed. “It's a historical partnership that's lasted longer than you might expect!” Adam explains. “The Natural History Society of Northumbria still owns the impressive museum building and half a million objects, including everything from fossils and minerals to plants and animals from around the world. But back in the 1950s, the museum was in a bit of a pickle - it desperately needed some TLC and was costing a fortune to maintain. Thankfully, in 1960 Kings College (which was then part of Durham University) swooped in to save the day and took over the running of the museum on a long-term lease. Fast forward to 1992 and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) took over the day-to-day operations of the museum on behalf of Newcastle University.”

Image: Hancock Roman Britain Gallery

And what benefits does this close relationship bring to both parties? “It’s been a real trailblazer, with research and teaching feeding into some truly world-class exhibitions, events and educational programmes that appeal to everyone from kids to grown-ups. The Hancock is the beating heart of this collaboration, featuring some truly amazing collections from both the Natural History Society of Northumbria and The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne. And with cutting-edge university research at the heart of everything we do, we aim to inspire passionate debates, foster a love of learning, and challenge all our visitors to think outside the box.”

Image: Hancock Planetarium

Adam has been on the museum team since 2015 and in that time believes they’ve worked together to create a unique and fascinating place - what he describes as a “fun and thought-provoking experience for our visitors, whether they're from the local area or visiting from further afield.” Adam goes on to explain what an unusual venture the Hancock is: “It's a one-of-a-kind university museum managed by a local authority and is possibly the only one of its kind in the world.” And as he explains, the Hancock has long been a part of his life. “I'm lucky to work in a place that I love, and was lucky enough to visit as a young child - so the museum is very much part of my DNA. But for me, the best thing about working here is seeing the museum ignite children's curiosity, spark their imagination and watching them dive headfirst into a world of science and culture through our engaging, innovative and downright provocative program!”

Image: Hancock Myth Quest

Going forward, things never stand still at the Hancock. There’s the recently opened Myth Quest: Monsters & Mortals interactive exhibition, running until September, and the twilight events like Great North Nights, where the museum is open after dark.

When asked what his favourite exhibit was in the collection, Adam couldn’t resist reeling off quite a list of fascinating treasures. “Here's a few of my favourites:  It’s hard to miss the enormous bony beast in the Living Planet gallery – a rare, enormous Japanese spider crab. Back in 1877, when John Hancock was trying to raise money for a new museum in Newcastle, his friend Captain Henry Craven St John sent him this amazing creature from the Far East. It arrived in many pieces inside a large crate and had to be carefully re-assembled like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle!"

Image: Hancock Living Planet Gallery

Then there's a stone inscription which comes from one of the milecastles along Hadrian’s Wall. Its inscription proves that it was indeed Emperor Hadrian who ordered a great wall to be built from coast to coast across England, marking the northern limit of the Roman Empire. This impressive engineering feat was completed by a force of 15,000 men in less than six years. Find this stone and many other Roman artefacts in the Hadrian’s Wall gallery.

Shining as brightly as if it had been made yesterday, there is a delicate gold item, possibly a hair decoration, which is an incredible 4,000 years old. It was discovered in the 1930s in a Bronze Age burial plot in Kirkhaugh, Northumberland, along with pot fragments and stone tools. You can take a closer look at it in the Ice Age to Iron Age gallery.

Image: Hancock Roman Britain Gallery

The museum’s Ancient Egyptians gallery is packed with amazing artefacts, but one of the most stunning has to be a complete, painted cartonnage (inner coffin) dating back to around 900 BC. It still contains a mummified body – a woman named Bakt-en-Hor. CT scans, which work like 3D X-rays, have shown that she died aged about 30 and has wrapped bundles in her chest cavity, which may be her internal organs.

"Something remarkable, but less well known, is Europe’s first ever wombat in the Explore Gallery! This furry fellow was collected alive in Tasmania in 1798 but sadly died soon after," explains Adam, "He was shipped to Newcastle (preserved in a barrel of spirits) as a gift to the newly-created Literary & Philosophical Society. The taxidermist in charge of stuffing the wombat had never seen one alive and didn’t know it would have walked on all fours, so he stood it on its back legs like a sort of chubby little kangaroo!”

We finished by asking Adam to share his vision for the museum. His answer was typically impassioned and inspiring. “It’s that everyone can benefit from the enriching power of science and culture. We believe that by providing access to these awe-inspiring realms, we can empower children and young people to reach for the stars, and give people from all walks of life the confidence to make a real difference in the world around them.  That's the best thing about arriving at work each day.”

Great North Museum: Hancock is at Barras Bridge. It's open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays, and til 4pm on weekends.