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Blog Conservation 21st Century Museum behind the scenes

See History In The Making

HMS Victory is entering one of the most important chapters in her conservation story. As part of the £42m The Big Repair, Victory’s remaining…

A black and white image of a man with a mousache
Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Spy or tourist? The curious case of Captain Trench

History is often told through dates, battles and treaties. But sometimes the most compelling stories are about people: their curiosity, their courage…

Article Conservation Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Love, war and a wedding gift

It wasn’t lace, or silk, or something borrowed. Instead, it was stitched from a flag. White fabric, once flown at sea, carefully cut and sewn…

Historic Painting of ships in the sea
Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Victory in diversity

Imagine standing on a lower gun deck so crowded you can barely stretch your arms, surrounded by 820 men from every corner of the globe. This was the…

Article Conservation Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

The bell that survived three generations of Hoods

Among the many objects preserved in the collections of Royal Navy Museums is a simple ship’s bell. Like all naval bells, it once rang through the…

A knitted toy in the shape of sailor being held in purple gloves
Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Ernie: A Sailor’s Lucky Charm Beneath the Waves

Gus Britton didn’t just carry orders with him when he went to sea. He carried a small version of himself. Somewhere inside the tight, oil-scented…

Article Conservation Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

The Captain’s Cabin on HMS Caroline

The Captain’s cabin was a private sanctuary, a place to think, a temporary relief from the burden of command. Complete with a desk, a bed and even a…

A historic image of an aircraft flying from a carrier
Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Flying into Fire: Eugene Esmonde and the attack on Bismarck

The wind over the Ark Royal’s deck didn’t just bite; it bruised. Eugene Esmonde stood by his Swordfish, the fabric of the wings shivering in the gale…

Figurehead statue of a woman with red hair and a blue dress
Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

Surviving the storm: The Tale of HMS Eurydice

Benjamin Cuddiford was one of only two survivors onboard HMS Eurydice (the other was Sydney Fletcher) when it capsized with more than 300 people…

Article Collections Museum Story Museum behind the scenes

A Remarkable Woman's Voyage Home

The journey begins not with a ship, but with a life-changing loss.

Dinnie Jay a Shipwright for the National Museum of the Royal Navy stood in front of HMS Victory
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Keeping the craft of traditional rigging alive: Meet Dinnie Jay, rigger at the National Museum of the Royal Navy

At just 30 years old, Dinnie Jay has already built a career that bridges centuries of marine heritage. Originally from Boston, USA, Dinnie studied…

HMS Victory covered in Victory Live scaffolding.
Article Conservation Napoleonic Museum behind the scenes

Icon article: Inside ‘The Big Repair’: An Archaeological Block-Lift of a Hull Fragment from HMS Victory

In December 2025, after months of material testing and research, members of HMS Victory: The Big Repair’s Conservation Team undertook an…

Emily Stokes hard at work onboard HMS Victory
Article Museum Teams 21st Century Museum behind the scenes

I became a boatbuilder at 45!

Emily Stokes swapped a successful career in environmental science for boatbuilding - and never looked back.

Remains of Fairey Barracuda being rebuilt at the Fleet Air Arm Museum
Press Release Museum Teams 21st Century Museum behind the scenes

Remains of a Fairey Barracuda being reassembled at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) has announced today (Thursday 14 August) that it has been awarded nearly £50,000 from The National…

Mother, father, and teenage daughter enjoying a visit to HMS Victory.
Press Release Museum Teams 21st Century Museum behind the scenes

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard wins five 2025 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, the Mary Rose Museum, and Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower have all been awarded a…

Children having fun exploring HMS Victory's gun deck.
Press Release Museum Teams 21st Century Museum behind the scenes

Oh Ship! Prices at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard drop for a limited time, to offer families the perfect day out this summer

Responding to recent research on the pressure on family budgets, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has dropped its family tickets by more than 20%, its…