National Maritime Museum - Royal Museums Greenwich

From bustling dockyards to ferocious sea battles, the gallery brings to life the tumultuous 18th century, exploring how the Royal Navy shaped everyday lives as it became a central part of society and turned sea-faring heroes into national celebrities.

Journeying from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Nelson, Navy, Nation brings together over 250 star objects from the Museum’s collections, from the sailor’s shoes worn to impress on shore leave and love tokens sent to sweethearts, to a fiendish seven-barrelled volley gun and an amputation knife and bullet forceps. Discover what made men join up, how they lived and what kept them in line; and how the Navy loomed large in all areas of the popular imagination, from caricatures to keepsakes and collectables.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Where

National Maritime Museum

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/nelson-navy-nation/about

This gallery is about the movement of people, goods and ideas across and around the Atlantic Ocean from the 17th century to the 19th century.

The connections created by these movements changed the lives of people on three continents, profoundly affecting their cultures and societies and shaping the world we live in today.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/atlantic-worlds

As part of the National Maritime Museum’s commemoration of World War One this new gallery explores the naval and maritime dimensions of that conflict.

The horrors of the Western Front have long dominated our understanding of those years, and yet the war at sea was fought on an epic scale and with terrible human loss.

Forgotten Fighters foregrounds the personal stories of those who participated through a wide range of objects including weaponry, photographs, medals and ship models; in a gallery which takes visitors from the heroism of merchant mariners to the shattering realities of naval battle, and from the Falkland Islands and the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and the North Sea.

Where

National Maritime Museum

Admission

Normal admission charges apply.

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/events/forgotten-fighters

Set in the heart of the new Sammy Ofer Wing, Voyagers tells the story of Britain and the sea, illustrating the contemporary significance of maritime histories and the personal stories of our island nation.

The gallery, designed by Real Studios, contains over 200 objects representing the extraordinary depth and range of the Museum’s collection. Voyagers also features a dynamic audio-visual installation created by The Light Surgeons, using bespoke software developed by Flightphase.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/voyagers

Traders: the East India Company and Asia is a permanent gallery exploring Britain’s maritime trade with Asia, focusing on the role played by the East India Company.

For over 250 years, the East India Company uniquely shaped trade between Britain and Asia. The gallery explores the influence of Company trade and power, tracing the changing relationships between Britain and Asia that this brought about.

This trade involved key commodities, different locations and many people. It had consequences that changed Britain and the world and still affect us today.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/traders

We are delighted to announce that thanks to the generosity of many individuals, the fundraising appeal to buy Yinka Shonibare, MBE’s sculpture Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for the National Maritime Museum and ensure it remains on permanent display has been a success.

The work, which is a scaled down replica of HMS Victory, now has a permanent new home outside the recently opened Sammy Ofer Wing.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/nelsons-ship-in-a-bottle

The Great Map provides a space at the centre of the Museum where people can gather, delve deeper into our collections, and join in with events and celebrations. This multi-sensory experience is especially suitable for families.

Walk across the map’s surface, and use a touch-screen tablet to uncover stories of female pirates, Scott’s Antarctic expedition and many more. Understand from live data the currents and winds that drive vessels and people across the world’s oceans and seas.

Have fun on The Great Map playing games with your friends and family. With five games to choose from there is a game for everyone. Pick a card and explore the world as a submarine or build bridges across continents!

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/the-great-map

Our new gallery dedicated to our younger visitors. Board a pirate ship, stoke the fire of a steamship, navigate an ice-breaker, and more, all under one roof.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Marking the centenary of the Battle of Jutland, this new display presents the compelling story of the ships, technology, strategy and impact of the battle on both the men who fought and their families. 'Jutland 1916' places the battle within the wider context of the First World War, and examines the action itself through audio-visual content created with the grandson of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet. The gallery also includes material from the Deutsches Marinemuseum and the Bundesarchiv.

Suitable for

• Any age

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/we-recommend/attractions/jutland-1916-ww1s-greatest-sea-battle

Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity explores the remarkable yet tragic life of the mistress who captured the heart of the Nation’s hero, Horatio Nelson, and in turn became one of the most famous international celebrities of her time. Captivating Europe with her beauty and achievements, Emma was feted by kings and queens and became the muse to many artists, only to end out her dying days in Calais after being imprisoned for debt after Nelson’s death. This exhibition brings together over 200 objects, many of which have never been on public display before, including a wealth of paintings, personal letters, prints and caricatures, costume and jewellery that illuminate Emma’s extraordinary and dramatic tale. Highlights from the exhibition include exceptional fine art by George Romney, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Thomas Lawrence; key letters from Emma and her lovers; her prized, personal possessions including one of the betrothal rings exchanged between her and Nelson; her songbooks and decorative objects that illustrate her celebrated attitudes.

Admission

£14.00 adult | £7.00 child | £6.00 concession

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/emma-hamilton-seduction-and-celebrity

Date: Every Thursday, 1 September – 6 October 2016
Time: 11.00-12.30
Venue: Lecture Theatre, National Maritime Museum
Admission: £8.00 adult
Age: 16+

The Roman and Medieval Ports of London
Project Director of the Discovery Thames Programme, Gustav Milne, explores how trade has long been at the heart of London’s prosperity. Over 40 years of archaeological investigations have revealed the site of a Roman harbour and bridge, a mid-Saxon port on the Strand, and later Saxon and medieval harbours in the City.
Date: 1 September 2016

The Disappearing Archaeology of the Thames at Greenwich
The Thames at Greenwich has some of the most vulnerable foreshore archaeology in London. Join Community Archaeologist of the Thames Discovery Programme, Helen Johnston, to see how 20 years of archaeological investigations have revealed features from the Mesolithic period through to the modern day, including shorefront remains of Greenwich Palace.
Date: 8 September 2016

Thames Discovery Programme
For thousands of years, the Thames has held special meaning as a crossing place. Explore aspects of ritual and religious activity connected to the river, and the archaeological evidence for these, recorded by the Thames Discovery Programme and others. This lecture is led by Head of Community Archaeology, Nathalie Cohen.
Date: 15 September 2016

The Thames beyond London: Archaeology Downstream
Unconstrained to central London, discover the archaeological record of the Thames foreshore. Lara Band and Oliver Hutchinson of CITiZAN (the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network) reveal forts, forests and fish traps that have become visible as water recedes and tides erode the river banks of North Kent and Essex.
Date: 22 September 2016

Blackwall Shipyard and the East India Company
Ships have been built at Blackwall since the Middle Ages. Using the National Maritime Museum collections, this talk by Assistant Curator of Ship Models, Nick Ball, will track the history of the shipyard, from building the East India Company and Royal Navy ships in 17th and 18th centuries, to some of the earliest 19th-century steam ships.
Date: 29 September 2016

Roman and Medieval Waterfronts: Recent Excavations at Sugar Quay, London
The quay has been at the centre of the port of London since the late 1st century AD. From Roman beginnings, the site later became the location of a custom house in the medieval period. Major excavations by MOLA on the Thames waterfront have revealed new information about this multi-phase site.This lecture is led by Sadie Watson from Museum of London Archaeology.
Date: 6 October

Admission

£8.00 adult

Directed by Alexander Korda and starring Vivienne Leigh and Laurence Olivier, this 1941 classic recounts the remarkable story of Emma Hamilton; her life, loves and relationships with husband Sir William Hamilton and national hero Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson. This special screening includes an introduction by Quintin Colville, Curator of Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

£12.00

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/exhibitions-events/hamilton-woman-1941

Bonfire night is not the only reason to set the November sky ablaze. Join us for a feast of stories and music, and then follow the Bollywood Brass Band for a symbolic procession of light up to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

Travel across time and sea with Horatia, Admiral Nelson’s only daughter, as she tells the story of her unconventional childhood with her remarkable mother, Emma Hamilton.

Suitable for

• Family friendly
• Especially for children

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

Discover what it takes to be a celebrity journalist and how to get started with this short course. See how celebrity stories are published, what editors look for in a celebrity journalist and how to work with PRs and press officers to get a great story.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

£50.00

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/exhibitions-events/celebrity-journalism-short-course

We honour the contributions of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy to the First World War with a series of curator tours of our Jutland 1916: WWI’s Greatest Sea Battle and Forgotten Fighters: The First World War at Sea galleries.

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

Believe the hype, and get swept up in an evening of gossip and rumour with rags-to-riches and back again ‘it’ girl, Emma Hamilton. Anyone who is anyone will be there, so don’t miss your opportunity to get papped by the paparazzi, create your own gossip mag front page, hear from our curators about the dark side of fame in workshops and tours, and view Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity after hours.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

£15.00

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/emma-hamilton-seduction-and-celebrity

Celebrity, mistress and muse, Emma Hamilton was an extraordinary woman, rising from an unknown to an astonishing life. This walk around St James’ and Mayfair looks at her life, loves, Nelson and connections with London society.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

£20.00

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/exhibitions-events/spectacular-emma-hamilton-walking-tours

Discover the research and imagination that has gone into refurbishing Inigo Jones’ masterpiece for the 21st-century.

Admission

£30.00 adult | £25.00 concessions (includes lunch and refreshments)

Website

http://www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house