Heritage Open Days tours

The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre is home to the Royal Museums Greenwich stored collections and state of the art conservation studios. 
 
This unique facility is full of inspiring objects which normally would be away from public view. 

Heritage Open Days tours: Astounding Inventions

Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture. Every September, places across the country throw open their doors to celebrate their heritage, community and history. 

This year's theme is astounding inventions. On our tours we will investigate the stories of great inventions, inventors and innovators, from Isambard Kingdom Brunel to mathematician Gladys West.

We will also delve into Royal Museums Greenwich's collection, showcasing special maritime and space related objects including an underwater telephone and a diorama of the building of the Great Eastern.

Find out more about Heritage Open Days

About The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre

The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre is home to the Royal Museums Greenwich stored collections and state of the art conservation studios. It is set on the grounds of a former RAF base in Kidbrooke, which was previously a barrage balloon depot in the Second World War.

Visitors to The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre will see a contrast of architecture with our new state of the collection stores and conservation studios next to the former RAF buildings. 

Despite storing the Museum’s collection since the early 1970s, members of the public rarely have had the chance to see behind the scenes.

With the collection comprising of 2.5 million objects, the vast majority are kept in storage, generally out of public view. Many items are genuine treasures of the Museum, which can occasionally be shown in exhibitions.

During our Heritage Open Days event, the public will be able to explore this Aladdin’s cave of treasures.