The Biggest Maritime Museum in the World : The National Maritime Museum, UK
The National Maritime Museum, based in UK, is a site that deals with the preservation and showcasing of ships, astronomical observations, time, stars and many other unique items different from the ones that are routine in other museums. In simple words, the National Maritime Museum is dedicated to elaborate the relationship that exists between nature, mankind and its creations.
The National Maritime Museum comprises of three different components – the Maritime galleries, the Royal Observatory and the Queen’s House which in totality make up the National Maritime Museum. Established in the 1930s, the National Maritime Museum has over the years grown to be one of the most important idea-setter on the subjects of marine engineering, ships and astronomy.
The importance of the National Maritime Museum is that it serves the purpose for which it was established. It has great stores of data and examples that benefit the people visiting the museum for the purpose of understanding concepts previously unknown to them about ships and astronomy.
The National Maritime Museum has over two million objects in its collection thus proving the credibility of the organisation as a worldwide success. This is one major salient feature of the museum as it caters to a widespread audience and has the necessary objects that could and does satisfy the interest of the people who visit the museum.
Another important feature is that the museum has a collections blog too. This would be beneficial for the people who, while are interested in viewing and understanding the displayed models and examples, are unable to do so because of personal reasons. With the help of the collection blog and the sketch-book that has been newly created and which contains 400 photographs, the interested patrons can gain the required knowledge on their favoured subject. It would also important to note in this context that the UNESCO awarded the museum the title of a World Heritage Site in 1997 befitting its excellence and brilliance.
Every nation has its own set of museums dedicated to such a unique concept. But the reach of the National Maritime Museum is something that reaches far and wide not only across UK and Europe but also across the world. The items showcased in its collections include ancient coins and medals, weaponry, historic photographs, ship models and ship plans to name a few. And while, museums in general do cater to some of the above mentioned details, it is not possible for any museum to house a far-flung collection of only certain objects. Not only will it be justifying to the museum in general but it will not be possible too.
This is precisely why the relevance of the National Maritime Museum grows manifold and it becomes important for one to understand the future plans and prospects about and regarding the National Maritime Museum. As reiterated above, the museum has since its creation in the 1930s, reached out to patrons far and wide. In these times, where the newer generation wants to reconnect with the past ages and understand how exactly the world worked when it came to shipping and astronomy, the National Maritime Museum stands a greater chance of connecting with the masses even more.
The more the world develops and the more the people start to get modernised, they begin to realise the importance of history and development in the past. To aid the people in their quest to gain knowledge, the National Maritime Museum is going and will go a long way. Therefore it becomes important that one understands and appreciates the USP of the museum and give full credit for its timely creation.
About Author
Raunek Kantharia is a marine engineer turned maritime writer and entrepreneur. After a brief stint at the sea, he founded Marine Insight in 2010. Apart from managing Marine Insight, he also writes for a number of maritime magazines and websites.
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It was 1969 and 1970, I was 15 years old and had the experience of helping a professional painter during summer vacation to work on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. At that time it was a simple Gang plank to board the ship and I had the freedom of the run of the ship. I spent countless hours roaming and exploring from the Brig to the massive engine/ boilers. It was a time I have shared with friends and will never forget. I had seen the movie A Night To Remember a few years before and I was hooked! I even climbed the one smoke stack that has a ladder! Maybe a book just about that some day! Not for money but something not to many people can say they’ve done that. The quiet alone with minimal lighting but still the sounds made in a giant ship at it’s mooring!