The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a

maritime museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, it has no general admission charge; there are admission charges for most side-gallery temporary exhibitions, usually supplemented by many loaned works from other museums.

Creation and official opening

The museum was created by the National Maritime Museum Act 1934 under a Board of Trustees, appointed by

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...

. It is based on the generous donations of Sir James Caird (1864–1954).

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

formally opened the museum on 27 April 1937 when his daughter Princess Elizabeth accompanied him for the journey along the Thames from London. The first director was Sir Geoffrey Callender.

Collection

Since the earliest times

has had associations with the sea and navigation. It was a landing place for the Romans,

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

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 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the local mean time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being ...

and the

Prime Meridian A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th 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. 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, and instruments for time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory). Its holdings including paintings relating to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson and Captain James Cook. Bretagne 1859 7154

Admiral George Keith Elphinstone 1st Viscount Keith by George Sanders

An active loans programme ensures that items from the collection are seen in the UK and abroad. The museum aims to achieve a greater understanding of British economic, cultural, social, political and maritime history and its consequences in the world today. The museum plays host to various exhibitions, including ''Ships Clocks & Stars'' in 2014, ''Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution'' in 2015 and ''Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity'' in 2016. The collection of the National Maritime Museum also includes items taken from the German Naval Academy Mürwik after World War II, including several ship models, paintings and flags. The museum has been criticised for possessing what has been described as "

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 Crime, unlawful or u ...

". 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. In late August 2018, several groups were vying for the right to purchase the 5,500 relics that were an asset of the bankrupt

Premier Exhibitions Premier Exhibitions Inc () is an Atlanta, Georgia-based company that organizes traveling exhibitions. , the company owned 5,500 ''Titanic'' relics with approximately 1,300 on display in various countries. Its two most prominent exhibits are a ...

. Eventually, the National Maritime Museum, Titanic Belfast and Titanic Foundation Limited, as well as National Museums Northern Ireland, joined together as a consortium that was raising money to purchase the 5,500 artifacts. The group intended to keep all of the items together as a single exhibit. The oceanographer

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...

said that he favoured this bid as it would ensure that the memorabilia would be permanently displayed in Belfast (where the ''Titanic'' was built) and in

. The museums were critical of the bid process set by the Bankruptcy Court in Jacksonville, Florida. The minimum bid for the auction on 11 October 2018 was set at US$21.5 million (£16.5m) and the consortium did not have enough funding to meet that amount.

Greenwich site

The museum was officially established in 1934 within the of Greenwich Royal Park in the buildings formerly occupied by the Royal Hospital School, before it moved to Holbrook in Suffolk. The gardens immediately to the north of the museum were reinstated in the late 1870s following construction of the

cut-and-cover A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two Portal (architecture), portals common at each end, though ther ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

between

and Maze Hill stations. The tunnel comprised part of the final section of the London and Greenwich Railway and opened in 1878. A full redevelopment of the main galleries, centring on what is now the Neptune Court, which was designed by Rick Mather Architects and funded by the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, was completed in 1999. In 2008, the museum announced that the Israeli shipping magnate Sammy Ofer had donated £20m for a new gallery. Between 2016 and 2017 the National Maritime Museum reported 2.41 million visitors. A major refurbishment of the main galleries, including replacement of the Neptune Court roof, was undertaken in the early 2020s.

Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre

The museum has an additional site nearby, the

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

Maritime Collections Centre in

Kidbrooke Kidbrooke is an area of south-east London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich south-east of Charing Cross and north west of Eltham. The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisha ...

, opened in 2018. This houses approximately 70,000 items from the collection, but is only open to the public on limited occasions, by means of (pre-booked) guided tours.

Directors of the National Maritime Museum

*1937–1946: Geoffrey Callender *1947–1966: Frank George Griffith Carr *1967–1983: Basil Jack Greenhill *1983–1986: Neil Cossons *1986–2000: Richard Louis Ormond CBE (born 1939) *2000–2007: Rear Admiral Roy Clare (born 1950) *2007–2019: Dr Kevin Fewster *2019–present: Paddy Rogers

Caird Medal

The Caird Medal was instituted in 1984 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the National Maritime Museum Act 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.

Caird Medallists

* 1984: Eric McKee * 1985: Michael S. Robinson * 1987: Jules van Beylen * 1989: C. R. Boxer * 1990: Helen Wallis * 1991: John F. Coates and John Sinclair Morrison * 1992: Richard Ollard * 1993: Gerard L. E. Turner * 1994:

Glyndwr Williams Glyndwr Williams (1932–24 January 2022) was a professor of history at Queen Mary, University of London since 1974, specialising in the history of exploration and the history of Europe overseas. He was appointed a professor emeritus of the Uni ...

* 1995: Margaret Rule * 1996: John de Courcy Ireland * 1997: Felipe Fernández-Armesto * 1998: Elly Dekker * 1999: Elisabeth Mann-Borgese * 2000: John Hattendorf * 2002:

* 2004: Sir David Attenborough * 2005:

Paul Kennedy Paul Michael Kennedy (born 17 June 1945) is a British historian specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He is on the editorial board of numerous scholarly journals and writes for ''The New Y ...

* 2006: David Armitage * 2007: Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow * 2010: Willem F. J. Mörzer Bruyns * 2011: Daniel A. Baugh * 2014: R. J. B. Knight * 2015:

Simon Schaffer Simon J. Schaffer (born 1 January 1955) is a historian of science, previously a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and was editor of '' The B ...

Other British maritime museums

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.

Gallery

File:Sir Francis Drake, 1540-96 RMG L8411.jpg,

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1591 File:James, Duke of York, 1633-1701 RMG BHC2797.tiff, '' Portrait of James, Duke of York'' by Henri Gascar, 1673 File:George Rooke.jpg,

George Rooke Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke (1650 – 24 January 1709) was an Royal Navy officer and politician. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and again at the Battle of Schooneveld duri ...

by Michael Dahl, c. 1705 File:Admiral Edward Russell (1652–1727), 1st Earl of Orford by Godfrey Kneller.jpg, Edward Russell by

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...

, c. 1710 File:Augustus Keppel BHC2821.jpg, '' Portrait of Augustus Keppel'' by

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, 1749 File:Edward Hawke 1.jpg, Edward Hawke by

Francis Cotes Francis Cotes (20 May 1726 – 16 July 1770) was an English portrait painter, one of the pioneers of English pastel painting (or drawing), and a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768. Life and work He was born in London, the eldest so ...

, c. 1768 File:John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.jpg, '' Portrait of the Earl of Sandwich'' by

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

, 1783 File:Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Sir Edward Pellew, Lord Exmouth - ZBA0434 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg, '' Portrait of Sir Edward Pellew'' by

Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...

, 1797 File:Eastlake - Napoleon on the Bellerophon.jpg, '' Napoleon on the Bellerophon'' by

Charles Lock Eastlake Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (17 November 1793 – 24 December 1865) was a British Painting, painter, gallery director, collector and writer of the 19th century. After a period as Curator#Collections curator, keeper, he was the first director of ...

, 1815 File:Rear-Admiral George Cockburn (1772-1853), by John James Halls.jpg, '' Portrait of George Cockburn'' by John James Halls, 1817 File:Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 1772-1853 RMG BHC2618.tiff, '' Portrait of George Cockburn'' by William Beechey, 1820 File:Battle of Vigo Bay 1702.webp, '' The Battle of Vigo'' by Ludolf Bakhuizen, 1702 File:Wager's Action off Cartagena, 28 May 1708 RMG BHC0348.tiff, '' Wager's Action off Cartagena'' by Samuel Scott, c.1747 File:Princess Charlotte Arriving at Harwich, September 1761 RMG BHC0405.tiff, '' Princess Charlotte Arriving at Harwich'' by

Dominic Serres Dominic Serres ( 4 November 1793) was a French-born British painter who specialised in marine art. He co-founded the Royal Academy (RA) in 1768, and served as the RA's librarian from 1792 until his death. Life and works He was born in Auch ...

, 1763 File:The Battle of Quiberon Bay.jpg, '' The Battle of Quiberon Bay'' by

, 1779 File:Loutherbourg-La Victoire de Lord Howe.jpg, '' The Glorious First of June'' by Philip James de Loutherbourg, 1795 File:Richard Westall (1765-1836) - Nelson and the Bear - BHC2907 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg, '' Nelson and the Bear'' by Richard Westall, 1809 File:Turner, The Battle of Trafalgar (1822).jpg, '' The Battle of Trafalgar'' by J. M. W. Turner, 1822–24 File:Nelson Boarding the 'San Josef' at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 RMG BHC0492.tiff, '' Nelson Boarding the San Josef'' by

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

1829 File:Sir Augustus Wall Callcott - Dead Calm.jpg, '' Dead Calm'' by Augustus Wall Callcott, 1827 File:Dominic Serres the Elder - The Piazza at Havana.jpg, '' The Piazza at Havana'' by

, c. 1770

References

External links

*
The official prints website of the National Maritime Museum
containing a selection of the museum's finest images
National Maritime Museum Photostream
(many photos labelled "no known copyright restriction") at Flickr.com {{Authority control Museums in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Grade I listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Grade I listed museum buildings Transport museums in London Archives in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Art museums and galleries in London Maritime museums in England Naval museums in England History museums in London Science museums in London World War I museums in the United Kingdom World War II museums in the United Kingdom Marine art museums Museums established in 1937 Exempt charities Charities based in London Maritime history organizations