National Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich
, England
is the leading maritime museum
of the United Kingdom
and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
, and 17th-century Queen's House
. The museum is a non-departmental public body
sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
.
Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the National Maritime Museum does not levy an admission charge although most temporary exhibitions do incur admission charges.
accompanied him for the journey along the Thames from London. The first Director was Sir Geoffrey Callender
.
Since earliest times Greenwich
has had associations with the sea and navigation. It was a landing place for the Romans; Henry VIII
lived here; the navy has roots on the waterfront; and Charles II
founded the Royal Observatory
in 1675 for "finding the longitude of places". The home of Greenwich Mean Time
and the Prime Meridian
since 1884, Greenwich has long been a centre for astronomical study, while navigators across the world have set their clocks according to its time of day. A painting of the Great Comet of 1843
that was created by astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth
. The Museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea comprising more than two million items, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, instruments for time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory). Its British portraits collection is exceeded in size only by that of the National Portrait Gallery and its holdings relating to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson
and Captain James Cook, among many other individuals, are unrivalled.
It has the world's largest maritime historical reference library (100,000 volumes) including books dating back to the 15th century. An active loans programme ensures that items from the collection are seen in the UK and abroad. Through its displays, exhibitions and outreach programmes the Museum also explores our current relationship with the sea and the future of the sea as an environmental force and resource.
By virtue of its pairing with the Royal Observatory, the Museum enjoys a unique conjunction of subjects (history, science and the arts), enabling it to trace the movement and accomplishments of people and the origins and consequences of empire. The outcome of the Museum's work is to achieve, for all its users at home and overseas, a greater understanding of British economic, cultural, social, political and maritime history and its consequences in the world today.
The collection of the National Maritime Museum also includes items taken from Germany after World War II, including several ship models and paintings. The museum has been criticized for possessing what has been described as "Looted art
".
The Museum regards these cultural objects as "war trophies", removed under the provisions of the Potsdam Conference
.
The Museum awards the Caird Medal annually in honour of its major donor, Sir James Caird.
The museum was officially established in 1934 within the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of Greenwich Royal Park
in the buildings formerly occupied by the Royal Hospital School
, before it moved to Holbrook in Suffolk. These buildings had previously been occupied by the Royal Naval Asylum
before it was incorporated into the Greenwich Royal Hospital School
. It includes the Queen's House
(part of the historic park-and-palace landscape of "Maritime Greenwich", which was inscribed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
in 1997) and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
, until 1948 the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
The gardens immediately to the north of the museum were reinstated in the late 1870s following construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel
between Greenwich
and Maze Hill
stations. The tunnel comprised part of the final section of the London and Greenwich Railway
and opened in 1878.
Flamsteed House (1675–76), the original part of the Royal Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren
and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain.
In 1953, the Old Royal Observatory became part of the Museum. Flamsteed House, was first opened for visitors by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960.
The 17th-century Queen’s House, an early classical building designed by Inigo Jones
, is the keystone of the historic "park and palace" landscape of maritime Greenwich.
All the Museum buildings have been subsequently upgraded. A full redevelopment of the main galleries, centring on what is now the Neptune Court, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
, was completed in 1999.
The Queen's House was refurbished in 2001 to become the heart of displays of art from the Museum's collection.
In May 2007 a major capital project, "Time and Space", opened up the entire Royal Observatory site for the benefit of visitors. The £16 million transformation features three new modern astronomy galleries, four new time galleries, facilities for collections conservation and research, a learning centre and a 120-seat planetarium
(named for the major donor, Peter Harrison) Peter Harrison Planetarium
designed to introduce the world beyond the night sky.
At the end of March 2008, the museum announced that Israeli shipping magnate, Sammy Ofer
, has given the Museum, £20M for a new gallery. Mr Ofer who has close contacts with the London shipping community, was a Royal Naval sailor, and part of his shipping operation is London-based.
The award of the medal is associated with the Caird Lecture, a public lecture presented by the recipient, which is usually published after the lecture.
The National Maritime Museum Cornwall
is a fully independent museum, a development of the original FIMI (Falmouth International Maritime Initiative) partnership created in 1992 and the result of collaboration between the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and the former Cornwall Maritime Museum in Falmouth
.
have advised on planning related issues relating to development at and the conservation of the National Maritime Museum.
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is the leading maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
, and 17th-century Queen's House
Queen's House
The Queen's House, Greenwich, is a former royal residence built between 1614-1617 in Greenwich, then a few miles downriver from London, and now a district of the city. Its architect was Inigo Jones, for whom it was a crucial early commission, for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I of England...
. The museum is a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
.
Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the National Maritime Museum does not levy an admission charge although most temporary exhibitions do incur admission charges.
Creation and official opening
The Museum was created by the National Maritime Act of 1934 Chapter 43, under a Board of Trustees, appointed by H.M. Treasury. It is based on the generous donations of Sir James Caird (1864–1954). King George VI formally opened the Museum on 27 April 1937 when his daughter Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
accompanied him for the journey along the Thames from London. The first Director was Sir Geoffrey Callender
Geoffrey Callender
Sir Geoffrey Arthur Romaine Callender was an English naval historian and the first director of the National Maritime Museum from its opening in 1937 until his death in 1946....
.
Collection
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
has had associations with the sea and navigation. It was a landing place for the Romans; Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
lived here; the navy has roots on the waterfront; and Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
founded the Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
in 1675 for "finding the longitude of places". The home of Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
and the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
since 1884, Greenwich has long been a centre for astronomical study, while navigators across the world have set their clocks according to its time of day. A painting of the Great Comet of 1843
Great Comet of 1843
The Great Comet of 1843 formally designated C/1843 D1 and 1843 I, was a long-period comet which became very bright in March 1843 . It was discovered on February 5, 1843 and rapidly brightened to become a great comet...
that was created by astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth , was Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1846 to 1888, well-known for many innovations in astronomy and his pyramidological and metrological studies of the Great Pyramid of Giza....
. The Museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea comprising more than two million items, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, instruments for time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory). Its British portraits collection is exceeded in size only by that of the National Portrait Gallery and its holdings relating to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
and Captain James Cook, among many other individuals, are unrivalled.
By virtue of its pairing with the Royal Observatory, the Museum enjoys a unique conjunction of subjects (history, science and the arts), enabling it to trace the movement and accomplishments of people and the origins and consequences of empire. The outcome of the Museum's work is to achieve, for all its users at home and overseas, a greater understanding of British economic, cultural, social, political and maritime history and its consequences in the world today.
The collection of the National Maritime Museum also includes items taken from Germany after World War II, including several ship models and paintings. The museum has been criticized for possessing what has been described as "Looted art
Looted art
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act, or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict."Looted art"...
".
The Museum regards these cultural objects as "war trophies", removed under the provisions of the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
.
The Museum awards the Caird Medal annually in honour of its major donor, Sir James Caird.
The site
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, Isle of...
in the buildings formerly occupied by the Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
, before it moved to Holbrook in Suffolk. These buildings had previously been occupied by the Royal Naval Asylum
Royal Naval Asylum
The Royal Naval Asylum was an educational institution, founded under the name The British National Endeavour in 1798, by a Mr Andrew Thompson who strongly excited the charity of the British population by his ideas for a small "industrial school" for the orphans of military and naval personnel...
before it was incorporated into the Greenwich Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
. It includes the Queen's House
Queen's House
The Queen's House, Greenwich, is a former royal residence built between 1614-1617 in Greenwich, then a few miles downriver from London, and now a district of the city. Its architect was Inigo Jones, for whom it was a crucial early commission, for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I of England...
(part of the historic park-and-palace landscape of "Maritime Greenwich", which was inscribed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1997) and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
, until 1948 the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
between Greenwich
Greenwich station
Greenwich railway station is about 400 m southwest of the town centre of Greenwich, London, England. It is an interchange between National Rail trains between central London and Dartford , and the Docklands Light Railway between Lewisham to the south and the Docklands area and the City of London...
and Maze Hill
Maze Hill railway station
Maze Hill railway station, in the Maze Hill area of Greenwich, London, is the closest railway station to Greenwich Park, being about two minutes walk from the north-east corner of the park....
stations. The tunnel comprised part of the final section of the London and Greenwich Railway
London and Greenwich Railway
The London and Greenwich Railway was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. It was the first steam railway to have a terminus in the capital, the first of any to be built specifically for passenger service, and the first example of an elevated railway....
and opened in 1878.
Flamsteed House (1675–76), the original part of the Royal Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain.
In 1953, the Old Royal Observatory became part of the Museum. Flamsteed House, was first opened for visitors by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960.
The 17th-century Queen’s House, an early classical building designed by Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
, is the keystone of the historic "park and palace" landscape of maritime Greenwich.
All the Museum buildings have been subsequently upgraded. A full redevelopment of the main galleries, centring on what is now the Neptune Court, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, was completed in 1999.
The Queen's House was refurbished in 2001 to become the heart of displays of art from the Museum's collection.
In May 2007 a major capital project, "Time and Space", opened up the entire Royal Observatory site for the benefit of visitors. The £16 million transformation features three new modern astronomy galleries, four new time galleries, facilities for collections conservation and research, a learning centre and a 120-seat planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
(named for the major donor, Peter Harrison) Peter Harrison Planetarium
Peter Harrison Planetarium
The Peter Harrison Planetarium is a 120-seat digital laser planetarium, situated in Greenwich Park, London and is part of the National Maritime Museum. It opened on May 25, 2007....
designed to introduce the world beyond the night sky.
At the end of March 2008, the museum announced that Israeli shipping magnate, Sammy Ofer
Sammy Ofer
Sammy Ofer KBE was a businessman, shipping tycoon and one of the wealthiest people in Israel, although most of his time he spent abroad, and managed his businesses from Monte Carlo in Monaco...
, has given the Museum, £20M for a new gallery. Mr Ofer who has close contacts with the London shipping community, was a Royal Naval sailor, and part of his shipping operation is London-based.
Directors of the National Maritime Museum
- 1937 to 1946 - Geoffrey CallenderGeoffrey CallenderSir Geoffrey Arthur Romaine Callender was an English naval historian and the first director of the National Maritime Museum from its opening in 1937 until his death in 1946....
- 1947 to 1966 - Frank George Griffith CarrFrank George Griffith CarrFrank George Griffith Carr was director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England from 1947 to 1966 and was responsible for restoring and preserving a large number of ships such as the Cutty Sark and Gypsy Moth IV...
- 1967 to 1983 - Basil Jack GreenhillBasil GreenhillDr. Basil Jack Greenhill , was a diplomat, museum director and historian.He went to Bristol Grammar School, before reading philosophy, politics and economics at Bristol University, but his time there was interrupted by wartime naval service...
- 1983 to 1986 - Neil CossonsNeil CossonsSir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA is Pro-Provost and Chairman of the Council of the Royal College of Art, of which he has been a Governor since 1989. From 1986 to 2000 he was the Director of the Science Museum, London, UK, the National Museum of Science & Industry...
- 1986 to 2000 - Richard Louis OrmondRichard Louis OrmondRichard Louis Ormond CBE is the former Director of the National Maritime Museum from 1986-2000. He was also the Assistant Keeper & late Deputy Director of the National Portrait Gallery. He is currently the Chairman of the Trustees of the Watts Gallery...
CBE (born 1939) - 2000 to 2007 - Rear Admiral Roy ClareRoy ClareRoy Alexander George Clare was Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 2007-2011...
(born 1950) - 2007 to present - Dr Kevin Fewster
Caird Medal
The Caird Medal was instituted in 1984 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the National Maritime Museum Act of 1934 that established the museum. The medal is awarded annually to "an individual who, in the opinion of the Trustees of the National Maritime Museum, has done conspicuously important work in the field of the Museum's interests and is of a nature which involves communicating with the public. The medal is named for Sir James Caird (1864–1954), the principal donor at the founding of the National Maritime Museum.The award of the medal is associated with the Caird Lecture, a public lecture presented by the recipient, which is usually published after the lecture.
The Caird Medalists
- 1984 Eric McKee
- 1985 Michael S. RobinsonMichael S. RobinsonMichael Strang Robinson was Keeper of Pictures at the National Maritime Museum, London, England. He was an expert on the paintings of Willem van de Velde, the elder and Willem van de Velde, the younger.-Biography:...
- 1987 Jules van Beylen
- 1989 C. R. BoxerC. R. BoxerCharles Ralph Boxer FBA was a distinguished historian of Dutch and Portuguese maritime and colonial history.-Education and Military Career:...
- 1990 Helen WallisHelen WallisHelen Margaret Wallis was the Map Curator of the British Library from 1967 to 1987.-Biography:Born in Barnet, Wallis attended St Paul's School for Girls and studied at St Hugh's College, Oxford, where she completed her D.Phil degree in 1954.In 1951, she was appointed assistant to R.A...
- 1991 John F. Coates and John Sinclair MorrisonJohn Sinclair MorrisonJohn Sinclair Morrison , who wrote under the name of J. S. Morrison, was an English classicist whose work led to the reconstruction of an Athenian Trireme, an ancient oared warship....
- 1992 Richard OllardRichard OllardRichard Ollard was an English historian and biographer. He is best known for his work on the English Restoration period.-Life:...
- 1993 Gerard L. E. Turner
- 1994 Glyndwr WilliamsGlyndwr WilliamsGlyndwr Williams has been Professor of History at Queen Mary, University of London since 1974 and has specialized in this history of exploration and the history of Europe overseas. He was appointed a professor emeritus of the University of London in 1997.-Academic career:Williams earned his...
- 1995 Margaret RuleMargaret RuleMargaret Rule, CBE led the project that excavated and raised the Tudor warship Mary Rose in 1982. Educated at Cambridge University in land archaeology, she was the curator of the Fishbourne Roman Palace, when she began her work in maritime archaeology when she was consulted on the initial search...
- 1996 John de Courcy IrelandJohn de Courcy IrelandJohn de Courcy Ireland was an Irish maritime historian and political activist.-Biography:Born in Lucknow, India, where his County Kildare native father served in the British Army, he was educated at Marlborough College, Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a PhD in 1951...
- 1997 Felipe Fernández-ArmestoFelipe Fernández-ArmestoFelipe Fernández-Armesto is a British historian and author of several popular works of history.He was born in London, his father was the Spanish journalist Felipe Fernández Armesto and his mother was Betty Millan de Fernandez-Armesto, a British-born journalist and co-founder and editor of The...
- 1998 Elly DekkerElly DekkerElly Dekker catalogued the National Maritime Museum's collection of globes in Greenwich, east London, England. She was awarded the Caird Medal for her work in 1998.-Published works:...
- 1999 Elisabeth Mann-BorgeseElisabeth Mann-BorgeseElisabeth Mann Borgese, CM was the youngest daughter of Thomas Mann and his wife Katia Pringsheim, sister to Klaus, Erika, Golo, Monika and Michael Mann, sister-in-law to W. H. Auden, and niece of the novelist Heinrich Mann.Elisabeth was born in Munich, Germany...
- 2000 John HattendorfJohn HattendorfJohn Brewster Hattendorf is an American naval historian. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of more than forty books on British and American maritime history and naval warfare. In 2005, the U.S...
- 2002 Robert BallardRobert BallardRobert Duane Ballard is a former United States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989,...
- 2004 Sir David Attenborough
- 2005 Paul KennedyPaul KennedyPaul Michael Kennedy CBE, FBA , is a British historian at Yale University specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He has published prominent books on the history of British foreign policy and Great Power struggles...
- 2006 David ArmitageDavid Armitage (historian)- Life and research :Armitage studies imperial, international, and intellectual history at Harvard University where he is the Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History. Armitage graduated from the University of Cambridge, and spent 2000 and 2001 on a fellowship at Harvard, before moving there from...
- 2007 Martin Rees, Baron Rees of LudlowMartin Rees, Baron Rees of LudlowMartin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, OM, FRS is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995 and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge since 2004...
- 2010 Willem F. J. Mörzer BruynsWillem F. J. Mörzer BruynsWillem Fredrik Jacob Mörzer Bruyns, , is a Dutch historian of navigational science, specializing in the history of navigational instruments. He rose to be Senior Curator of Navigation at the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum before his retirement in 2005...
- 2011 Daniel A. BaughDaniel A. BaughDaniel Albert Baugh is "seen as the definitive historian of [British] naval administration." Baugh has defined his own contribution in explaining "My research field is mainly England, 1660-1840...
Other British maritime museums
National Maritime Museum Cornwall
The National Maritime Museum Cornwall is located in a harbourside building at Falmouth in Cornwall. The building was designed by architect M. J...
is a fully independent museum, a development of the original FIMI (Falmouth International Maritime Initiative) partnership created in 1992 and the result of collaboration between the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and the former Cornwall Maritime Museum in Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
.
Heritage and Conservation
Nathaniel Lichfield and PartnersNathaniel Lichfield and Partners
Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners is an independent British town planning consultancy originally founded in 1962 to provide specialist advice on all aspects of the planning process. Over more than four decades the practice has built up extensive planning and development experience...
have advised on planning related issues relating to development at and the conservation of the National Maritime Museum.
Transport connections
| Service | Station/stop | Lines/routes served | Distance from National Maritime Museum |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Buses | National Maritime Museum | 129, 177 London Buses route 177 London Buses route 177 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:Route 177 came about as part of the replacement of London's trams in 1952... , 180, 188 London Buses route 188 London Buses route 188 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:... , 286, 386 |
|
| Docklands Light Railway | Cutty Sark Cutty Sark DLR station Cutty Sark is a light metro station on the Docklands Light Railway system in central Greenwich, London. One of three DLR stations in the London Borough of Greenwich, it is also known as Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich for its location within the aforementioned district.-Location:The northernmost... |
0.2 miles (321.9 m) walk | |
| National Rail | Greenwich Greenwich station Greenwich railway station is about 400 m southwest of the town centre of Greenwich, London, England. It is an interchange between National Rail trains between central London and Dartford , and the Docklands Light Railway between Lewisham to the south and the Docklands area and the City of London... |
Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... |
0.5 miles (804.7 m) walk |
| Maze Hill Maze Hill railway station Maze Hill railway station, in the Maze Hill area of Greenwich, London, is the closest railway station to Greenwich Park, being about two minutes walk from the north-east corner of the park.... |
0.4 miles (643.7 m) walk | ||
London River Services  |
Greenwich Pier Greenwich Pier Greenwich Pier is a pier on the River Thames in the London borough of Greenwich, UK. It is operated by London River Services and called at by various river cruise operators, mostly operating public cruise services to and from Central London... |
Commuter Service Westminster to Greenwich Express Service City Cruises City Cruises is a public limited company that operates scheduled public sightseeing cruises on the River Thames in London, serving Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich piers every day throughout the year... |
0.2 miles (321.9 m) walk |
See also
- Greenwich Visitor Centre
- List of London museums
- National Maritime MuseumsNational Maritime MuseumsThere are various National Maritime Museums worldwide:*National Maritime Museum, the original museum in, Greenwich, England*National Maritime Museum Cornwall, U.K.*Australian National Maritime Museum*Israeli National Maritime Museum...
(list of similarly named museums) - National Waterways MuseumNational Waterways MuseumThe National Waterways Museum holds the inland waterways collection at three museum sites in England: Gloucester, Ellesmere Port, and Stoke Bruerne....
—the UK's national museum of inland waterway transport - Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum (Netherlands Maritime Museum)
- National Historic Fleet, Core CollectionNational Historic Fleet, Core CollectionThe National Historic Fleet, Core Collection is a list of museum ships located in the United Kingdom, under the National Historic Ships register.The vessels on the National Historic Fleet are distinguished by:...
External links
- Official website of the National Maritime Museum
- The official prints website of the National Maritime Museum containing a selection of the museum's finest images
- National Maritime Museum Photostream (many photos labeled: "no known copyright restriction") at Flickr.com