MUSEUM PROFILE
Through the Main Gate of Portsmouth' s Historic Dockyard, the visitor will find the Royal Na val Museum , HMS Victory and other unique maritime exhibitions. The gate was constructed in 1711 and the Dockyard was commissioned in the 12th century .
by Joseph Callo he British Royal Navy has a history that challenges belief, and Portsmouth's Royal Naval Museum provides fascinating evidence of how that legendary institution has earned-and maintained-its prominence. The Museum's visitor booklet promises "a seafaring adventure-a voyage of discovery through galleries filled with action-packed stories, battles, glories and tales of the people who shaped England's history. " And that promise is kept.
T
The Basics Appropriately, the Museum is located within the walls of Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, which dates from 1194, and which adjoins the home of today ' s Royal Navy. Five main galleries (Lewin, Wyllie , Douglas-Morris , Lambert McCarthy and Victory) are located in three adjacent Dockyard buildings. The galleries cover the major periods of the Royal Navy ' s development: the beginning and early history, the age of sail , the Victorian years , and the 20th century. Rare paintings , detailed ship models, graphic dioramas , dramatic figure-
30
heads , unique documents , medals, weapons and the small stuff of sailors ' everyday lives are just some of the items that create an evocative picture of Britain 's "senior service."
Focus on People Throughout the museum, there is strong focus on the men and women who were and are the Royal Navy . For example, in the Lewin Gallery , there is an oral hi s-
"a seafaring adventure-a voyage of discovery through galleries filled with actionpacked stories, battles, glories and tales of the people who shaped England's history." tory section where visitors hear Royal Navy sailors tell the stories of their service in the Royal Navy. For those with particular naval interests, the Museum can , with prior notice, make oral history materials on a special subject area available. For example, the Museum ' s oral history collections contain arguably the largest assemblage of ma-
terial about the renowned WRENS (Women' s Royal Naval Service). The emphasis on the people who have given the Royal Navy its exceptional character is al so demonstrated in an exhibition called "Images of the Sailor. " There, the public image of the Royal Navy sailor is shown in pottery, film, fashion , and other items that were part of the British popular culture. It ' s interesting to compare the public image of the sailor reflected in these items with the reality of naval life projected in the oral history interviews.
Focus on Admiral Lord Nelson Now thatBritain has declared the Nelson Decade in anticipation of the Battle of Trafalgar's 200th anniversary in 2005 , the Royal Naval Museum ' s impressive collection of Nelson-related items takes on special timeliness. Included in the Nelson materials is the state barge that transported his body from Greenwich Hospital to Whitehall prior to his state funeral in January of 1806. The barge, suspended in the Victory Gallery, is exhibited in a way that makes it possible to view nt closely from many angles. Also displa,yed in the Victory Gallery is the dramaitic panorama of the Battle of Trafalgar painted by W.L. Wyllie in 1929. SEA HISTORY 76, WINTER 1995-96