Read our blog to get the lowdown from our experts and go behind the scenes at Royal Museums Greenwich.
Front page from the September 1931 issue
My dad is a diehard Union man and in his working life, was heavily involved in negotiations for better contracts for civic employees. Our family heard a lot about the discussions and the delicate balance of arguing for fair recompense and the importance of the union for the ‘working man’. In the case of the Mercantile Marine, the journal collection at the National Maritime Museum holds numerous copies of ‘The Seaman’ although the early copies have distinct titles. This publication records the activities and decisions surrounding the Merchant Navy and its workforce.
Early 17th Century map of the North Pole drawn by Geradus Mercator
John Dee (1527-1609) was a philosopher and scholar whose work during the Tudor period has been overshadowed by his alleged sorcerous and occultist activities. He is best known for having conversations with angels through his scryer Edward Kelley, his interests in astrology, alchemy, calendar reform and suggesting the date for Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation. What John Dee may not be as well-known for is his influence on English navigation and being the first person to coin the term ‘British Empire’.
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The first thing that strikes you about Hugh Percy Wilkins’s Map of the Moon is the detail.
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Are you interested in family or local history? Do you like visiting churches or are you interested in the lives and deaths of seafarers? Explore our Maritime Memorials database.
Night sky highlights - July 2019
Find out what you can see in the night sky tonight, from a partial lunar eclipse on 16 July to the Delta Aquiariid meteor shower at the end of the month.
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In the Armada Portrait, Elizabeth I is adorned with multiple strings of pearls, sumptuous velvets, silk ribbons and gold embossed designs. It is a painting packed with symbolic meaning - and Renaissance bling!
The funeral ceremony of Nelson in St. Paul’s Cathedral at the moment when Sir Isaac Heard, Garter Principal King at Arms, gave his oration
In this blog we recall how the nation bid farewell to Nelson and look at the life of the Garter King of Arms, Sir Isaac Heard (1730-1822), who organized the procession and ceremony.
Richard Parker, President of the Delegates in the Mutiny at the Nore-PRIMARY IMAGE.jpg
Richard Parker was sentenced to death for his role in the 1797 Nore Mutiny - but was he a ringleader or a scapegoat?
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On 6th June 1944 the largest amphibious invasion of the Second World War took place. The invasion of Normandy, or D-Day as it is popularly remembered, was an immense undertaking.
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The Sea Maidens is a medium-sized oil painting (818 x 1428 mm) by Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919), completed in 1886. It is hung in the Queen’s House, below a portrait of Queen Victoria (1842) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, courtesy of the de Morgan Foundation.