We recently went on a trip to Greenwich where we were taught about some of the history within it.
My group started off the day at the Prince Phillip Maritime Collections centre. We were taken around the facility where we met the people behind different stages in the preparation of items for exhibition at the Maritime Museum. We began with a quick overview on just how many jobs it takes to run The Royal Museum of Greenwich as a whole, before being shown the unloading area in which items are transported in and out of the facility. We learned that it isn’t all that simple due to how many precautions must be followed to avoid bringing in harm such as pests into the facility. Next, we were taken to a restoration room where we were taught about just how much work goes behind preparing paper items for exhibition. We were then shown around the archives area where we observed shelves of historical items kept under strict conditions to ensure their longevity. We were shown up close some Ship’s biscuits and a teddy bear named ‘humphrey’ which belonged to Tracy Edwards and was the mascot of the first all-female crew to sail around the world. We then made it to the photography area where images of items are taken. Finally, we saw some oil painting archives and were lucky enough to see the famous Battle of Trafalgar painting up close due to repairs being undertaken at the Maritime Museum.
We then went to Greenwich park and by the Royal observatory, we learned about the statue of General James Wolfe. We then walked to the Maritime museum and looked at a few exhibitions. In the Atlantic Worlds gallery, we learned about the ways attitudes are changing towards how the Transatlantic slave trade is depicted in Britain and how the Museum aims to reflect this within their exhibit.
I found this trip very interesting having grown up visiting the Maritime Museum very often, and not being aware of the work that goes behind putting it together for the public view.
