DEVELOPMENT News - National Maritime Museum

DEVELOPMENT News
Welcome to the Winter 2010 edition
of the National Maritime Museum’s
Development team newsletter.
The last six months has been a very active period for both
the National Maritime Museum and the Development team.
Our team has recently grown to include the Membership
department and we are delighted to welcome Rebecca Bristow,
as new Membership Manager, alongside our Membership
Co-ordinator, Monika Turlo.
In October, major on-site activity started on the Sammy Ofer
Wing. Scheduled to open in 2011, the NMM’s 75th year, this
new development will provide an impressive backdrop for the
world-wide coverage that the Maritime Greenwich World
Heritage Site will receive as a venue for the London Olympics
in 2012. In January, everyone was honoured and delighted
that Her Majesty the Queen granted Greenwich the status of
a Royal Borough, to take effect in 2012, the year of her
Diamond Jubilee.
In addition, the Museum scooped the pool at the Visit London
Tourism Awards in November. Not only did our International
Year of Astronomy programme win the Best Tourism Experience
Award, but the Museum also won the top award of Visitor
Attraction of the Year.
May we take this opportunity to thank all our donors, sponsors,
Patrons, Corporate Members and Corporate Loan Holders for
your continued and vital support.
Rosemary Gilbert
Head of Development

Leviathan passenger liner 1915 –1927 © MnM.
Events round-up 2009
Queen’s House Summer Games, 22 July
The launch of our Summer Games event was a
great success. Tournament croquet, quoits and giant
battleships were among the games enjoyed on the lawns
of the beautiful and historic Queen’s House.
Given its success, this event will be returning as one
of the highlights of our 2010 summer programme.
Lunch with Robert Grenier
and the North-West Passage, 28 October
In connection with our recent exhibition, The North-West
Passage: An Arctic Obsession, this was a rare opportunity
for supporters to meet the marine archaeologist Robert
Grenier and hear of his search for evidence of Sir John
Franklin’s expedition of 1845. Our thanks go to Canada
House for making this event possible.
The next Patrons’ lunch will be on Wednesday 19 May at
the Royal Observatory and will allow Patrons the once-ina-lifetime
chance to see the workings of John Harrison’s
‘H2’ chronometer.
Sea Words 2009, 12 November
Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich
Sea Words has established itself as a very special autumn
date in the Museum’s annual diary.
We invite distinguished speakers to read a selection
of British verse and prose celebrating the sea and
ships. We were delighted to have such performers as
the BBC’s Peter and Dan Snow, Lord West and Lord
Norwich, actress Diana Quick, and single-handed sailor
Mike Perham. Regular participants included the actors
Jerry Hicks and Jeremy Nicholas, with the tenor Iestyn
Edwards, accompanied by harpist Louisa Duggin.
We wish to thank all those that attended and contributed
to this fantastic evening and a special thanks to its artistic
director, the BBC’s Libby Purves, and her husband,
Paul Heiney, as master of ceremonies.
We look forward to celebrating the 15th anniversary
of Sea Words with our supporters in autumn 2010.
Corporate Members’ Christmas Party, 2 December
Many thanks to all of you who joined us on a cold and
rainy December night for our annual Christmas event.
Dr Marek Kukula gave a lecture on the Christmas Star
and a selection of carols and other Christmas songs
was performed by the Blossom Street Singers, in the
Great Hall of the Queen’s House.
For more information about our 2010 Events Programme,
please contact the Development team on 020 8312 6509
or development@nmm.ac.uk
New on-line shop
NMM Direct has launched
a new on-line shop, featuring
our great range of books,
home wares, clothing
and accessories, as well
as astronomical,
nautical and
navigational
instruments.
See our
new range at
www.nmmshop.com
Patrons and Corporate
Members, remember your exclusive discount which
entitles you to 10% off every purchase.
Looking ahead to 2010
Toy Boats a new exhibition opening in May 2010
Between 1850 and 1950 the development of ships
underwent a massive change, as steel and steam
replaced wood and sail. This ignited the imaginations
of children and toy makers and was paralleled by an
equivalent ‘golden age’ in the development of toy boats.
Borrowing extensively from the collection of the Musée
national de la Marine in Paris and some of Britain’s
foremost collectors, Toy Boats will contain over 100
colourful and imaginative toys which recall the grand
liners, submarines and battleships that defined and
defended the nation.
Exhibition dates: 1 May – 31 October 2010,
admission free
Micro-galleries
The Museum is developing a series of ‘micro-galleries’.
These new galleries will support a rolling programme
of small-scale displays to change twice a year.
The Last of the Tall Ships is a new display of Alan Villiers’
evocative photographs depicting work and leisure aboard
merchant sailing vessels in the 1920s and ‘30s.
Solar Season at the Royal Observatory began on 16
January. The free exhibition, Solar Story: understanding
the Sun, situated in the Astronomy Centre uses striking
images to tell the story of attempts to understand the
nature of the Sun and its effects on Earth. It continues
until 9 May 2010.
New shows at the
Peter Harrison Planetarium
Continuing the Royal Observatory’s Solar Season,
Secrets of the Sun takes an intimate look at the role
of the Sun in our Solar System. Audiences will experience
its power and impact on the planets, and on life on Earth:
from 6 February 2010.
International Year of Astronomy 2009:
events at the Royal Observatory
To celebrate 400 years since Galileo’s first observations
through a telescope, UNESCO and the International
Astronomical Union declared 2009 as International Year
of Astronomy.
The by-line for IYA 2009 was ‘The Universe, Yours to
Discover‘. Here at Greenwich we offered the opportunity
for people to look up at the stars and find out a little more
about the amazing Universe that we live in. As well as a
programme of planetarium shows, stargazing sessions
and public talks by scientists, we also ran a range of
innovative events, including a comedy show and a very
popular sci-fi night in partnership with the Sci-Fi London
Film Festival. The year was rounded off with a festive
planetarium show The Star of Bethlehem and the first-ever
Royal Observatory Christmas Lecture, featuring wellknown
planetary scientist Professor Colin Pillinger.
Sammy Ofer Wing update
The Sammy Ofer Wing will create a new archive area,
a modern reading room and new gallery space within
the shell of the present South-West Wing. The new
addition on the Park side will include an 800 square-metre
special exhibitions gallery at basement level, family-friendly
catering facilities on the ground floor with more formal
dining on the first floor roof terrace. A new main entrance
for the Museum will face directly onto Greenwich Park.
Preparatory work has been on-going since spring 2009
and the main construction team, Bovis Lend-Lease,
was appointed in August. On-site activity began in
earnest at the end of October with the demolition of the
Regatta Restaurant and kitchen. In November work
started to excavate the buried foundations of the former
Royal Hospital School swimming pool (built in 1833,
a century before the school buildings became those
of the Museum). It is expected that basement excavation
for the new special exhibitions gallery will be complete
by the end of March 2010.
Astronomy Photographer of the
Year Awards
September 2009 saw
the awards ceremony for
the Royal Observatory’s
inaugural Astronomy
Photographer of the
Year competition.
Marek Kukula, Public
Astronomer at the
Observatory, and Chris
Lintott, co-presenter of
the BBC Sky at Night
television programme,
presented the prizes for
the winning images, chosen from over 540 entries
from 25 different countries.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009 Awards Winner:
Horsehead Nebula by Martin Pugh (UK)
The judges were astounded by the quality and range
of the submissions from all over the world. The superbly
detailed winning image, taken from the photographer’s
back garden in Canberra, Australia, was of the
Horsehead Nebula.
This year’s competition was launched in mid-January.
Once again, we have Sky at Night Magazine on board
as our official media partner and the judging panel will
include Sir Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott, the artist Dan
Holdsworth and the editor of the Sky at Night Magazine.
The winning images will be announced in September
2010 and displayed in a free exhibition at the
Royal Observatory. Visit nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/
astronomy-photographer-of-the-year/
Please remember us through a gift in
your Will
We are extremely grateful to those individuals who have
made, or expressed an intention to make, a gift to the
NMM in their Will.
Such generosity is among the most far-reaching
contributions a supporter can show, directly benefiting
future generations of Museum visitors. A gift can reflect
your particular interests and passions, and can be
directed to specific areas of the Museum’s work – such
as vital collections care, acquisitions, research activities,
or learning and community programmes.
If you would like further information, please contact
Lucy Cooke on +44 (0) 208 312 8625 or Rachel Harrison
on +44 (0) 208 312 8629.

60 seconds with our Astronomer
Dr Marek Kukula
Our Public Astronomer, Dr Marek Kukula, tells us about his current research
projects and his role at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
Q. What led you into
astronomy and your
chosen area of research?
I grew up in the Yorkshire
countryside and I was always
fascinated by the natural
world – animals, plants,
rocks, stars – you name it.
So I suppose it was inevitable
that I was going to become
some kind of scientist.
Luckily my parents always
encouraged me to ask questions and pursue my interests,
and it was a trip to Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire
which finally convinced me to choose astronomy.
Q. Did you ever consider becoming anything other
than an astronomer?
My first love was dinosaurs, so I would have quite liked
to be a palaeontologist. But I also really enjoyed history
at school so it was a tough choice. I can never understand
people who are only interested in the humanities or only
in science. For me both subjects are about understanding
the world and our place within it.
Q: What research projects are you working on at
the moment?
I’ve been so busy with the International Year of Astronomy
that my own research has taken a back seat for a while.
But there’s still plenty to discover out there so I’m sure
there’ll be lots for me to do in future.
Q. What do you do in a typical working day?
The great thing about my job is that I don’t have typical
working days! I could be attending a seminar about the
latest news from Mars, talking to a school group about
black holes, being interviewed by a journalist or planning
next year’s programme of astronomy events here at
the Observatory.
Q. What is your favourite part of your job?
Finding out about the latest discoveries in space and then
getting to talk about them.
Q: What has been the most exciting moment in your
career so far?
Using the Hubble Space Telescope was pretty exciting.
Knowing that a huge machine up in orbit was pointing
where I told it to and gathering light from galaxies billions
of light years away was a really amazing experience.
Q. What do you do when you’re away from
the Museum?
There are so many things to do in London and I love
travelling too, so I’m always busy.
Q. And lastly…what is your favourite planet?
Earth. It’s amazingly beautiful and it’s also the only place
in the Universe where we humans can survive. We need
to take better care of it.
SUPPORTER NEWS
Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust
A generous grant of £250,000 by the Lloyd’s
Register Educational Trust has enabled the Royal
Observatory to develop the Excellence in Science
Initiative. This supports two new posts, the
Excellence in Science Manager and Coordinator and
the expansion of our learning programmes, which will
deliver a range of secondary school provisions
addressing the needs of ‘Gifted and Talented’
students. This will include study days, enhanced
secondary programmes, and teachers’ resources.
Honorary Commodores
In 2009, the title of Honorary Commodore was
awarded to each of the people listed below in
recognition of their outstanding support and
commitment to the National Maritime Museum:
Sammy Ofer KBE
Dr Mortimer and Mrs Theresa Sackler
Lord Wolfson of Marylebone FRS FBA
Corporate Membership
We were delighted to welcome Clarksons as
Associate Corporate Members of the Museum
in October. Clarksons have enjoyed sending the
participants of their graduate recruitment scheme
for a tour of the Museum and Observatory.
Patrons’ Programme
We are delighted to welcome two new Patrons of the
Museum: John Manser and David Wells. We thank
them both for their continued and generous support.

COLLECTIONS NEWS
This year we formally acquired a shaving table of about 1787,
which is said to have belonged to Horatio Nelson and which
he presented to his secretary James Augustine Brown.
The table is indicative of the type of furniture used by naval
officers to furnish their cabins: it is small and portable, yet
based on the latest fashions. The table had been on loan
to the Museum since 1962.
Rosemary Gilbert
Head of Development
rgilbert@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6701
Leander Feltham
Corporate Membership
and Loans Manager
lfeltham@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6603
Lucy Cooke
Individual Giving
lcooke@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 8625
Melissa Ernest
Trust and Statutory
Grants Manager
mernest@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6674
Rachel Harrison
Individual Giving
rharrison@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 8629
Rhian Alexander
Development Coordinator
ralexander@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6509
Rebecca Bristow
Membership Manager
rbristow@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6678
Monika Turlo
Membership Co-ordinator
mturlo@nmm.ac.uk
020 8312 6733