National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum is part of a larger Greenwich based complex that also includes The Queens House and the Royal Observatory, we will deal with these three venues separately as they are all steeped in history and deserve their own page!

King George VI formally opened the National maritime Museum in 1934 but it had been a place of public interest long before then. In the early 18th century visitors began flocking to Greenwich to view James Thornhill's Painted Hall in what was then the Royal Hospital for Seamen (now the Old Royal Naval College). Then when a National Gallery of Naval Art was created in the Hall a separate Naval museum was established in the hospital buildings.

In 1934 the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich was relocated to Suffolk freeing up the Queen's House and its surrounding buildings. Since the official opening of the museum all the buildings have been redeveloped and were reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

Today the Maritime Greenwich is recognised as a World Heritage Site and welcomes thousands of visitors to its parklands and beautiful buildings every year. It has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea. The collection comprises of 2.48 million items, although many are on loan to other museums around the UK.

This huge collection of artefacts is made up of charts and maps, coins and medals, flags, ship models, naval portraits, weapons and uniforms. The museum also holds the largest collection of Nelson artefacts including rare documents and personal items. The museum also houses the world's largest maritime historical reference library that features thousands and thousands of texts including ancient 15th century books.

There are also a number of special and temporary exhibitions some of which are free but some do charge an admission fee. There are also family events taking place throughout the year, you can find out more about these in our Exhibitions and Family sections.

The National Maritime Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm excepting Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The museum also closes early on New Year's Eve and opens late on New Year's Day, and London Marathon Day.

Find out more about the National maritime Museum.

How to get there

The closest station is at the Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich on the DLR line. If travelling by bus the 129, 177, 180, 188, 199, 286, 386, D3 and D7 all serve Greenwich.