BoatBoatIn this section we list major maritime museums in the UK, with their locations and opening hours. Scroll down or click on a museum to see the details. Model makers will find the list of historic ships particularly useful.
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Symons Wharf
Tooley Street
London SE1 2JH
Tel: 0207 940 6300
Web: http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast
The Cruiser HMS Belfast was launched in 1938
and came to London river in 1971 after a distinguished wartime career.
Charts in the bridge area show the layout for the D-Day invasion, in which she
played an important part.
Boat
Museum, Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
Tel: 0151 355 5017
Web: http://www.boatmuseum.org.uk/
Opening hours: Summer
10.00 - 5.00 Winter 11.00 - 4.00
Chatham Historic
Dockyard
Chatham
Kent ME4 4TE
Tel: 01634 823800
Web: http://thedockyard.co.uk/
Museum ships HMS Gannet and submarine Ocelot. Paddle steamer
Kingswear Castle on site.
Remarkable working ropewalk etc.
Opening hours: 30th March -
end October, 7 days 10.00 - 5.00. Winter - February and March, Wed, Sat &
Sun 10.00 - 4.00. Last admission 1 hour before closing.
A nice collection of sailboats which includes Lord Brabazon's remarkable "windmill" Bembridge Redwing (yes the actual boat ! Ed.) and a splendid group of sports boats amongst them Lady Docker's Chris Craft Silver Arrow and some serious machinery including a rare Healey. The Museum has an Airborne Lifeboat. Our photograph shows her at the Thames Traditional Boat Rally at Henley in 2003. From Uffa Fox's board these craft were designed to be dropped from aircraft to downed pilots in WWII, and will be the subject of a new TradBoat Source Page
The museum was moving into this location during 2016 and may not yet have moved all its exhibits. Check before traveling. Note - the Museum is a short walk from the Ferry terminal
Cornwall - National Maritime Museum, Cornwall.
Discovery Quay
Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3QY
Tel: 01326 313388
Email: enquiries@nmmc.co.uk
Web: www.nmmc.co.uk
Opening Hours:
Daily 10am to 5pm
Cutty Sark
Clipper Ship Museum
King William Walk
Greenwich
London SE10 9HT
Tel: 0208 583 3445
Web: www.cuttysark.co.uk
Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery built
in 1900-1901, restoration going on but open to visitors. Visitors Centre
alongside tells the story of Scott's Expedition.
Opening hours: (Christmas
Day and 1st/2nd Jan excepted)
April to end October, Mon - Sat 10.00 - last admission
5.00, Sun 11.00 - 5.00
November - March, Mon - Sat 10.00 - last admission
4.00, Sun 11.00 - 4.00
(This ship was moored alongside Blackfriars'
Bridge in London for many years before finding a permanent home back in
Dundee. Ed.)
Ellesmere Boat Museum See The Boat Museum, Ellesmere Port
Glasgow Riverside Museum
Web: http://www.clydewaterfront.com/
The new riverside museum on the Clyde Waterfront is home to 'Glenlee' a three barque built in 1896 at Port Glasgow. She is in the care of the Clyde Maritime Trust and her restoration is well advanced. A nice example of a three masted barque - square yards on to of the three mats and fore and aft rig on the third. 245 feet overall
The Clyde Maritime Trust. Web: http://thetallship.com/
The paddle steamer Waverely is also based hetre when she is not cruisng.
S S Great
Britain Project
Great Western Dock
Gas Ferry Road
Wapping Wharf
Bristol BS1 6TY
Tel: 0117 9260680
http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/
Brunel's famous screw driven ship was launched in 1843 for the Atlantic route as a passenger liner and later converted to merchant use in 1852. She ceased service in 1933 and remained as a hulk in thr Falklands until being rescued and returned to Bristol for restoration in the early 70s. She is now restored, ashore and fully accessible in Bristol..
Opening hours: Summer 10.00 - 5.00 Winter 10.00 - 4.30 dailytrincomalee
Hartelpool
Historic Dockyard
The
Hartlepool Historic Quay is home to HMS Trincomalee which has been
fully restored and is open to visitors.
Built in 1817 in Wadia Shipyard, India as Trincomalee she was
renamed Foudroyant circa 1902, and spent a period as a training ship
She returned to her original name in
1993. She is currently the oldest ship of her type afloat. More details
at: www.hms-trincomalee.co.uk
Trincomalee lies in a dock
surrounded on three sides by a series of original shops each dedicated to
an aspect of seagoing life - a chandlers, a sword makers and so on. These
are amongst the best that we have seen. In addition there is an extensive
onshore museum which amongst other things has a fine display of Cobles, two of
which are also displayed on the Quayside.
The Paddle Steamer Wingfield
Castle, built here, is alongside. (Her sister ship is moored
on the river in central London Ed.) The staff are very helpful, and
run a series of guided tours.
Venue: Maritime Avenue,
Hartlepool TS 24 0XN
Tel: 01429
223193 Web: www.thisishartlepool.co.uk
The London
Canal Museum
12/13 New Wharf Road
London N1 9RT
Web: http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/
Tel: 020 7713 0836
Opening hours: 10.00
- 4.30 (last admission 3.30) daily. The museum is situated not far from
Battlebridge Basin and occupies a Victorian ice house.
Lowestoft Maritime Museum
Whapload Road, Lowestoft NR32 1UL
Web: http://lowestoftmaritimemuseum.co.uk/plan-your-visit/
An excellent museum particularly strong in models from the age of the herring fleets, including a splendid display of model steam drifters
Mary Rose Trust
College Road
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
Hants PO1 3LX
Tel: 01705 750521
The Trust is responsible for the ship, research and preservation - for admission to the site and other ships in the Portsmouth Dockyard see Portsmouth Historic Ships
Albert Dock
Liverpool L3 4AQ
Albert Dock Visitor Information Centre Tel: 0151 907
1057
Web: http://www.albertdock.com/visitor-information/shops/albert-dock-visitor-information-centre/
Collection includes items on the slave trade, and emigration,
the Lusitania gallery a ship model collection including the Ocenaic
and the Lusitania, and a fascinating collectio of convy drawings.
Web: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/
The Motor Boat Museum Basildon
This museum is now closed and the exhibits dispersed.
National
Maritime Museum
Park Row
Greenwich
London SE10 9NF
Tel: 020 8858 4422
Venue: Greenwich.
Opening hours: 10.00
- 5.00 seven days, last entry 4.30.
The museum has had an extensive "make over" and the exhibits are
largely themed in galleries, for Trade and another for Warships for
example. I particularly like the Art section which has several examples
of the work of Van der Veld the Elder and a splendid painting of the
return of the Dutch East Indies fleet to Amsterdam. If you enjoy sorting the
flags of the States of the Netherlands, this is for you. In contrast Miss
Britain III is here occupying a corner of her own. The museum has a
library on site and a vast collection of ship plans and models, drawings and
photographs mostly held off site but accessible for research. (There
are some very nice ship models in the Warship gallery for those interested in
period ships and craftsmanship in boxwood, Ed.) Be
aware that photography is not allowed in the museum.
Copies of prints, paintings drawings and plans may be
accessed as follows:
Ships Plans Dept:
Tel: 020 8855 1647
Email:
plansandphotos@nmm.ac.uk
Prints & drawings collection web site: http://www.nmm.ac.uk
Picture library: Tel:
020 8312 6645
Pictures, email picture librarian at :
picturelibrary@nmm.ac.uk
Thumbnails of the collection may be seen
at: http://www.nmm.ac.uk
Print Sales: Tel:
020 8312 6600
National Maritime Museum of Cornwall
See under Cornwall above
Llanthony Warehouse.
Gloucester Docks,
Gloucester
GL1 2EH
Tel: 01452 318 0504
Portsmouth
Historic Ships
In Portsmouth follow the brown signs for Historic Ships
HMS Victory, Warrior, Mary Rose, and Monitor M33. Historic dockyard and Museums.
Information line:
Tel: 01705 861512 Other details from address below:
Flagship Portsmouth
The Porters Lodge, Queen St, Portsmouth
Hants PO1 3LJ Tel: 01705 861533
warrior
HMS
Warrior
Warrior is afloat immediately adjacent to the entrance to Portsmouth
Historic Dockyard . She was the
last of the great "broadside" ships and for her day had enormous
fire power. In Warrior a full sail plan is combined with a beautifully
preserved steam plant, turning an ingenious lifting propeller. The plant
is turned over for visitors and remarkable for the size of its
cylinders.
Breech Loading guns
On deck she is particularly interesting for her (then new) breech loading guns mounted on racer arcs fore
and aft. Her main armament below deck is mounted in her internal "citadel",
mainly conventional muzzle loading guns but also a number of new breech
loaders. Her type was soon
to be replaced by warships carrying turreted armament.
(William Mowl's splendid model is on display
in the ticketing area, and his book is available for purchase.)
victory
HMS
Victory was of course Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar. She stands in dry
dock in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. She is beautifully preserved
and has recently undergone additional work on her rigging.
Visitors to the Victory need to book on to a guided tour when they come
into the entrance to the dockyard, and will then be able to go over the ship
in detail. (We would recommend going
through the adjacent Nelson gallery before going on the tour, to set the ship
in context)
he
Mary Rose
The
Mary Rose was Henry
VIII's great flagship - until the day in 1545 when she sank in full view of the shore
and the attacking French fleet. Alexander McKee located her on the
seabed in 1979 and the whole story of her discovery in the Solent is a remarkable
adventure. Preservation of the timber structure is now completed
and ship may be viewed, together with all the equipment found in her hull and
on the sea bed, in the new Mary Rose Museum which is part of the Portsmouth
Historic Boatyard.
The
Monitor Minerva
You will find her in dry dock at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, adjacent to the Victory. Used in the Dardanelles campaign and elsewhere. She is now completely restored and an excellent subject for model makers.
(I
bought the book by Ian Buxton published by HCC, from the adjacent shop and
then went back and had another look at her. Buxton's book is excellent
value, mine cost £2.50 in 2003, and has very useable original
photographs. Also, a card model of the ship is available through
David Hathaway's site "Paper Shipwright", together with a
number of other monitors and turret ships. Go to
www.papershipwright.freeserve.co.uk Editor.)
Email: msubs@submarine-museum.demon.co.uk
Opening times:
April-October 10 am - 5.30 pm. Last tour 4.30 pm
November - March 10 am - 4.30 pm. Last tour 3.30
pm
First submarine Holland under conservation;
tour of HMS Alliance (Shown here,
Ed.). X24. Museum, educational
visits etc.
Rhein-Museum Koblenz
