MBE for Pieter van der Merwe in New Year Honours

THE NATIONAL Maritime Museum’s Pieter van der Merwe has been awarded an MBE.

The recognition for the museum’s General Editor was announced in the New Year Honours list.

He has been given the award for his “services to heritage and the local community of Greenwich.”

Pieter told Greenwich.co.uk: “It was an unexpected shock but as Sir Thomas Beecham used to say ‘one should try everything once except incest and folk dancing’ so, unaccountable as it is, I’m getting used to it and mainly enjoying the pleasure it is giving to others: and at least it put Greenwich in the Jubilee New Year list!”

Pieter has worked at the National Maritime Museum since 1974.

NMM’s new Sammy Ofer Wing opens to the public

THE National Maritime Museum’s new £35 million  Sammy Ofer Wing has opened to the public.

The major development, the largest in the NMM’s history, was made possible thanks to a £20 million donation from shipping magnate and philanthropist, Sammy Ofer.

The new building, which creates a new main entrance to the NMM from Greenwich Park, was officially opened by the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (pictured below) on Tuesday.

It includes a special exhibitions gallery, a permanent gallery called Voyagers which introduces the story of Britain and the sea, a new state of the art library and a new café and brasserie with views over Greenwich Park.

The Sammy Ofer Wing opens with a new six-month special exhibition called ‘High Arctic‘ – an immersive experience set in the Arctic 0f 2100 AD.

Lord Sterling, Chairman of the National Maritime Museum, said: “In the Sammy Ofer Wing, our new exhibition space will introduce new generations of visitors to the many rich narratives bound up in our maritime story. This visionary transformation would not have been possible without the support of Sammy Ofer and the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

Kevin Fewster, National Maritime Museum Director, said: “The Sammy Ofer Wing creates a spectacular, contemporary environment in which more people can appreciate the wonders of our world-class collections and their stories of human endeavour and discovery.”

Sammy Ofer died just a few weeks before the completion of the project.

Daily Photo: 30/03/2011 – NMM’s new wing

Thanks to Gordon for sending me this today –  workers were removing some of the boards as he walked past which allowed him to get this photo of the National Maritime Musuem’s new Sammy Ofer Wing. The new wing is expected to open this Summer.

Royal Observatory to introduce £10 charge

Accessing parts of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park will cost visitors £10 from March, it has emerged.

The new charge is being introduced from March 8th this year and applies to Flamsteed House and the Meridian Line. Adults will pay £10 and those that qualify for a concession will pay £7.50. Once paid, the pass will enable free returns for 12 months. Children aged 15 and under will continue to get free access.

The Astronomy Centre with its three interactive galleries will remain free.

Charging was abolished at the museum in 2001, when free entry was introduced at national museums in England, Scotland and Wales, but a spokesperson for the National Maritime Museum says it “needs to look at generating more of its own revenue” after a “a prolonged period of limited investment”.

Lord Sterling, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Maritime Museum said, “After thorough deliberation, Trustees have taken the decision that the only responsible and practical course of action we can adopt is to return to charging for the Meridian Line and Flamsteed House at the Royal Observatory.”

When asked if the Royal Observatory would be considering discounted entry for holders of the council’s “Greenwich Card” scheme, the NMM spokesperson commented, “It is something we are looking into.”

Additional coverage at the Greenwich Gazette, Greenwich Phantom and 853.

Daily Photo: 05/08/2010 – National Maritime Museum

As the title says, a photo of the National Maritime Museum. With some people walking towards it. Not much more to say about it than that, is there?

If you have taken a more interesting or noteworthy photo in Greenwich recently and wish to share it via the Daily Photo section, do please email it to rob@greenwich.co.uk

Daily Photo: 16/11/09 – King William IV Statue

Statue of King William IV, surrounded by working taking place relating to the new wing of the National Maritime Museum.

Greenwich Strikes Gold At Visit London Awards

Greenwich was the star of the show at last night’s BT Visit London Awards 2009 ceremony.

The National Maritime Musuem picked up Gold in the prestigious Visitor Attraction of the Year category. It was Gold again in the Best Tourism Experience category for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival took first place in the Best Consumer Event category.

It has also just been announced that Greenwich has been named as the “New Capital of Industry” representing Tourism in a new list produced by the Association of Colleges (AoC) ahead of Colleges Week (9-15 November), a national celebration of the role colleges play in providing opportunities for communities, businesses and individuals.

Andrew Gilligan: Like Having the Builders Round… Forever

I was struck by a comment from a reader called Paul on last week’s column about Greenwich Market, and think it deserves a wider circulation. He wrote of the danger that in the run-up to that longed-for event of which we all dream, the Olympics, Greenwich will become little more than a series of building sites.

As well as the market, there’s the Olympic development in Greenwich Park, the Ofer Wing of the Maritime Museum (which will also affect the park), the foot tunnel, the old Village Market site, the new pier, the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Reach. As Paul says, “no tourist will want to walk around a load of building sites for the next three years and it won’t be long before word gets out that Greenwich is closed. In the rush to celebrate the Olympics fortnight, it seems that a long-term overview has been thrown out of the window.”

There are plenty of places that are unattractive, provide inadequate public amenities and need lots of work doing to them. But Greenwich isn’t one of them. I think (I’m biased, of course) that it’s one of the nicest areas in London. It just doesn’t need “regeneration,” especially not the airport-terminal kind that awaits us in the market.

Naturally, there are grotty bits – in the town centre, I’d nominate that bland, faceless block which houses Somerfield. But those aren’t the bits they’ll be tearing down. Those are the bits they’ll be copying.

So why has everyone suddenly, it seems, decided that what Greenwich needs is a complete rebuild – all at once? As Paul suggests, the Olympics must have something to do with it. One of the worst things about the Games is the way that a single fortnight has come to dominate, even monopolise, official thinking, as if it is somehow more important than all the months and years which go before it and after it.

It isn’t, of course. The Olympics will be with us for two weeks. The new market could be with us for a century. But the way it’s looking, the priorities of the two weeks will mean that the project for the century is rushed through the planning process without proper scrutiny, then thrown up in months – and is, as a result, far worse than it should be.

We need to stop. We need to take our time. We need to tell ourselves that in the long run, the Olympics simply do not matter. Within months of the closing ceremony, they will be all but forgotten by almost everyone. The market, however, will be in our faces for decades. The short-term goal of a shiny Olympic fortnight is not remotely a good enough reason to compromise Greenwich’s long-term future.

We need to tell ourselves that even during the fortnight, the Greenwich end of the Olympics will not matter. The centre of attention will be on the athletics and the swimming, seven miles to the north. The horse events will get half an hour on TV. There won’t be many Olympic-related visitors to Greenwich – they’ll all be heading for Stratford. Greenwich Council may want to put on a show, but not many people will be coming.

Building white elephants at Stratford is bad enough. But at least some people will want to see them, and they will be safely out of sight of the rest of us. Building white elephants in the middle of a successful town centre is far worse – and the error is compounded by the fact that not many of the people the “improvements” are supposed to attract will even be interested.

PS: I forgot to give the address for objections to the market planning application last week. Emails should be sent to david.gittens@greenwich.gov.uk, quoting reference numbers 09/0829/F and 09/0830/C. Gittens’ postal address is Crown Building, 48 Woolwich New Roas, SE18 6HQ.

Act soon – you only have until 26 May.

National Maritime Musuem Extension Unveiled

Pictures of the proposed extension to the National Maritime Musuem have been unveiled. Designed by architects, C. F. Møller, the extension will house a large gallery for special exhibitions, as well as a new cafe and restaurant. The designers say that the introduction of a new east-west pedestrian route will bring the NMM into a “seamless integration with Greenwich Park”. Much of the new space will be below ground, and its roof will become a terrace overlooking the park.

The new wing has been made possible with a large donation by shipping magnate, Sammy Ofer, who also stepped in to help with funds for the Cutty Sark.

The Evening Standard has labelled the new wing a “toast rack” but that do you think of the new design?

Hat tip: Londonist

Daily Photo 06/02/09: Snowy Greenwich Pictures Day Five

I wasn’t planning to run any more snow pictures this week, but then Stephen sent me a batch of gorgeous photos taken in Greenwich Park this week, so I thought I’d share a couple here and save the rest for when the snow is but a distant memory.

 
Wow, stunning blue sky and that cold white floor below.

One of the best views in London, but with a dusting of snow added.

Thanks Stephen, for sharing your excellent pictures.

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