The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has confirmed a grant of £5M to the National Maritime Museum’s project to develop a major new wing. This commitment from HLF, together with the substantial £20m gift from international shipping magnate and philanthropist Sammy Ofer KBE, announced in 2008, sets the project firmly on track to open in 2012, the year of the Museum’s 75th anniversary and the London Olympics.

The project includes an international standard special exhibitions gallery; state of the art library and archive facilities complemented by digital resources; and greatly enhanced visitor facilities.

The new wing will become the Museum’s major south entrance, opening up key visitor approaches from the Royal Observatory and King William Walk. This new entrance will create seamless access to the Museum from the Park and the Royal Observatory. It also improves links with major transport arrival points and enhances connections with the rest of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.

The large special exhibition gallery will enable the Museum to build on its programme of major exhibitions and foster links with other museums to tour these internationally.

The expanded archive and library will provide a new treasures gallery for iconic objects, an interactive gallery, and learning and research spaces. These will help unlock the rich treasures of the Museum for visitors and reveal the stories contained in the world’s most important maritime heritage collection. Key archival collections will be stored on the Greenwich site to nationally recognised environmental standards.

The restaurant and café will feature attractive terraces and views over the Park. The new visitor facilities and shop will greatly improve visitor orientation and flow throughout the site.

Wesley Kerr, Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund's London Committee, said: “Those who go down to the sea in ships have for millennia been central to our island story and this substantial Heritage Lottery Fund award will enable the National Maritime Museum to tell their and Britain’s story so much better, through swift access to magnificent archives and historic artefacts and through artfully designed new buildings which will welcome millions of visitors from Greenwich Park. This great Museum, at the heart of London’s most dramatic river prospect, already includes the world famous Greenwich Meridian and the fabulous Queen’s House; now it will be home to an array of cutting edge displays and facilities.”

Dr Kevin Fewster, NMM Director, said: “We are tremendously grateful to HLF for their support and today’s welcome news, building on Sammy Ofer’s donation, means all capital funding for the construction project is in place. The project signals a new chapter in the way the National Maritime Museum relates to its surroundings and to its visitors, creating greater cohesion between all our venues and the rest of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. With the help of the HLF we will be able to transform the experience we offer to the 2 million visitors from Britain and overseas who visit us each year. The project will also help to put the Museum at the forefront in staging major exhibitions, both nationally and internationally.”

The development is the largest capital project in the NMM’s history with a project build cost of £35m.

Site works begin in September 2009 and are scheduled for completion in 2012 in time for the London Olympics.

Further details and images of the new development can be found at: www.rmg.co.uk/about/sammy-ofer-wing

For further information, images and interviews, please contact Sheryl Twigg, Press and PR Manager on 020 8312 6790 | 07903 547 284 or by email: stwigg@rmg.co.uk

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Notes to Editors

1. The National Maritime Museum - the largest museum of its kind in the world - is housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. It incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich (home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian Line), 17th-century Queen’s House (England's first classical building) and the main maritime galleries. Visit www.rmg.co.uk for further information.

2. Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 28,800 projects, allocating over £4.3billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk.
For more information, please contact Dervish Mertcan or Katie Owen, HLF Press Office, on tel: (020) 7591 6102 or (020) 7591 6036 or on the out of office hours mobile: 07973 613820.
 
3. Sammy Ofer KBE is an international shipping magnate and philanthropist. He served in the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during World War Il and having been based in Monaco for many years recently retired to Israel (September 2009). Sammy Ofer was born in 1922 in Romania and moved to the then British Mandate of Palestine as a child. He entered the maritime world, joining his father’s ship chandlery business. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Navy and saw active service. The international shipping group which he founded today operates a significant part of its fleet from London with about 90 vessels flying the Red Ensign. Through his longstanding relationship with London and its shipping community Sammy Ofer has developed a deep appreciation and respect for the long maritime tradition and history of the UK. A renowned philanthropist, Sammy Ofer has pledged in excess of £40m in support of education, medicine and medical treatment facilities. He is also a well-known art lover and collector.

4. The new wing
A notable attribute of the design is that visitors arriving in the new wing will immediately get a clear sense of all that the Museum offers: world-class displays, pre-eminent archive and library holdings, and stylish visitor facilities, all in one accessible configuration.

The new wing provides 7300m² of new floor space and returns 580m2 of outdoor space to public use. It features five key elements:

• the new main entrance facing Greenwich Royal Park
• an 850 m² special exhibitions gallery
• an open archive centre, linked in with interactive and ‘Treasures’ galleries
• new learning spaces
• a restaurant, café, shop and upgraded visitor facilities

After construction it is anticipated that the new wing will create up to 23 new permanent jobs.

5. The project completed ‘Stage One’ of the HLF funding process in October 2008, at which time it was awarded a £478,000 development grant. It has now passed the ‘Stage Two’ phase to secure the remaining funding, £4,510,000, bringing the total HLF grant to £4,988,000.

Prior to this award, the National Maritime Museum has received 12 HLF awards totalling c. £21m. Eight of these awards were for acquisitions. In 1995, £12m was awarded to the NMM’s Neptune Court project and £7m was awarded to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich Time and Space project in 2003.

Issued 29 September 2009 by the National Maritime Museum Press Office.