It is free to enter but some of the side-gallery temporary exhibitions are chargeable, with these having pieces supplied on loan from other museums.
History
It came into being when opened by King George VI, accompanied by daughter Princess Elizabeth, on 27th April 1937.
Greenwich has long been associated with the sea. The Romans landed there, and Henry VIII lived there, and The Royal Navy has historical connections there. Charles II commissioned the Royal Observatory in 1675 to find “the longitude of places.”
Greenwich has long been a centre for astronomical study and since technology has negated the need for stargazing to understand the direction you are travelling whilst at sea. The early mariners depended upon the knowledge gained at places such as Greenwich for their security and safety, to ensure that they were effective in their maritime jobs and arrive safely with all of their fellow crew members. It is also the case that all modern mariners take their time and position from the imaginary line called the prime meridian, which is 0 degrees of longitude and hence divides the world into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
The Greenwich collection houses more than 2 million items from maritime art (both British and 17thcentury Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments and devices for timekeeping and astronomy. The whole history of Britain at sea could easily be said to be contained here.
There is a desire for the museum to gain a better understanding of British economic, cultural, social, political and maritime history, and therefore a comprehension of the consequences that it imparts in the world today.
Somewhat controversially, the museum has, on display, some pieces of work taken from the German Naval Academy Murwik after World War II. Included here are ship models, paintings and flags. The museum regards these as “war trophies” and took them under the provision of the Potsdam Conference.
There were items, that became available for purchase in late August2018, from the RMS Titanic, that were an asset of the bankrupt Premier Exhibitions. Eventually, the National Maritime Museum joined with Titanic Belfast, Titanic Foundation Ltd and National Museums Northern Ireland to raise money to buy 5,500 artifacts.
The group originally intended to keep the items in one place as a single exhibit but the bid system was criticised by the various interested parties. It materialised that the Bankruptcy Court in Jacksonville Florida set a figure for the purchase of the memorabilia, that was out of the reach of the gathered groups and the 5500 artifacts, recovered from the titanic, ended up being primarily kept in a secure warehouse in Georgia, with the exact location kept a secret for security reasons. While some items are put on display in touring exhibitions, most remain in storage due to their fragility. There is a hefty cost in preserving the items, since climate control and conservation present issues regarding exposure and transportation, particularly for some of the more sensitive items, if the pieces are ever to be put on public display.