London Sights
- Overview
- Itineraries
- Places to Explore
- Sights
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Travel Tips
- Features
- Fodor's Choice
- Deals
- Guidebooks
Guidebooks
National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum Review
From the time of Henry VIII until the 1940s Britain was the world's preeminent naval power, and the collections here trace half a millennia of that seafaring history. The story is as much about trade as it is warfare; the "Atlantic Worlds" gallery explores how trade in goods-and people-helped shape the New World, while "Voyagers: Britons and the Sea" focuses on stories of the ordinary people who took to the waves over the centuries. One gallery is devoted to Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain's most famous naval commander, and among the exhibits are the uniform he was wearing, complete with bloodstains, when he died in 1805. Temporary exhibitions here are usually fascinating; those in recent years have included the Arctic convoys of World War II and the history of piracy. The museum has a good café with views over Greenwich Park. The adjacent Queen's House is home to the museum's art collection, the largest collection of maritime art in the world, including works by William Hogarth, Canaletto, and Joshua Reynolds. Construction was granted by Queen Anne only on condition that the river vista from the house be preserved, and there are few more majestic views in London than Inigo Jones's awe-inspiring symmetry. Completed around 1638, the Tulip Stair, named for the fleur-de-lis-style pattern on the balustrade, is especially fine, spiraling up without a central support to the Great Hall. The Great Hall itself is a perfect cube, exactly 40 feet in all three dimensions, decorated with paintings of the Muses and the Virtues.
- Address: Romney Rd., Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF | Map It
- Phone: 020/8858--4422
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Daily 10-5; last admission 30 min before closing
- Website: www.nmm.ac.uk
- Tube: DLR: Greenwich.
- Location: Greenwich
Contact Information
Travel Deals in London
- Europe & Iceland from Seattle (R/T, incl. Tax) Icelandair
- England Experience IExplore
- 5-Night Mediterranean Cruise w/Free Hotel Stay Priceline.com
- Europe & Iceland from NYC (R/T, incl. Tax) — $595-$915 Icelandair
· Forums Trip Reports
-
If you are looking for a place to quench your thirst and experience a true local Irish pub while in Belfast then a visit to The Glory Hole Bar may be a treat for you.
Located in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, Read more -
The howling wind makes for great scenery and white capped crashing waves as I begin my early morning drive from Port Stuart to Belfast along The Coastal Causeway Route.
With stops at Dunluce Castle, The Read more
·United Kingdom Forum
-
I will have a 10 hr layover, passing through London on my way home from Nairobi to California...Can I leave the airport? (I will have checked all my bags through to San Diego) My credit card travel service Read more
· Travel Blog
-
Practical Travel Tips
With London revving up to host the 2012 Olympic Games, following closely on the heels of the Queen's Diamond Read more
-
Travel Tip of the Day
Find out how to get the best deals on diamonds in London... Read more
-
Practical Travel Tips
London is one of our top 21 places to go in 2012—and with the opening of the Belgraves London earlie Read more