Shipping and industry

They carry everything from apples to iPhones – but how did a simple metal box have such a profound impact on the way we live, work and shop?

In this blog we explore how our ancestors obtained ice in an age before widespread domestic refrigeration.

If a ship runs into trouble in UK territorial waters, an individual known as ‘SOSREP’ is often one of the first to be notified. Who are they, and how do they help prevent disaster at sea?

Explore the legacy of the Sea Empress oil spill, and meet the people working to prevent disaster at sea today

Cliff Benson reflects on how efforts to save oiled sea birds inspired a lifetime's dedication to wildlife protection

Artist Zoe Childerley is embarking on a project with the National Maritime Museum to bring experiences of modern seafarers to light. How did she find her first voyage on board a container ship?

Gordon 'Willie' Williamson worked aboard Thames barges throughout the 1960s, and witnessed the final years of central London as a busy cargo hub

Happy 70th birthday to the fish finger, first introduced to Britain in 1955

For many, Charles Dickens is synonymous with Christmas jollity. However, there was a darker side to Dickens’ work. Not only did he repeatedly refer in his novels and articles to the contemporary filth of the Thames, which culminated in the Great Stink crisis of 1858, he was also actively involved in kick-starting the reform programmes to resolve the issue.