Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Being asked to write a specific blog can be a bit difficult as all of a sudden I feel all those eloquent thoughts I might have had shrivel up and turn to mush, almost immediately. Hence, I just tend to write on whatever topic comes into my head that week or in the moment that I sit down to write it. So you can almost imagine my reaction when I was asked to write a blog on H.M.S Victory, or more specifically Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It went something along the lines of “oh hec, what in the world am I going to write about this place?” Maritime history, lots of school groups and a weird vibe in our friendship group were all I could really remember of it and I got the feeling it had the makings of a one liner – “you should go, it’s a really great day out, especially if the sun is shining!”…… Not my style though is it and it reeks of cynicism.

Thankfully, I’m one of those people who tends to take a lot of pictures on a day out like this and that actually came in very handy when thinking about this review, because those images prompted my memory. The whole complex is steeped in history – you’ve got the ships, various statues, plaques and memorials, museums, workshops and buildings – the Dockyard really does take you on a chronological tour of the British Navy and of British maritime history. That said, we didn’t necessarily adopt that approach in how we went around the site. Turns out we went backwards in time, when I think actually I’d have preferred to go forwards, but that is personal preference and as a visitor you have the freedom to make that decision.

H.M.S Warrior

Our first stop was H.M.S Warrior 1860 and this ship was pretty good for having a good old poke around. “The fastest, largest and most powerful warship in the world when she was launched. Such was her reputation that enemy fleets were intimidated by her obvious supremacy and deterred from attacking Britain at sea – yet she never fired a shot in anger” reads the website (1)”.  In presenting the ship and its history the Dockyard have tried to re-create areas of the ship and show them as they would have been. For example, the cannons are in situ, swords are placed in the holders and the captain’s cabin is furnished. It gave quite an authentic feel, even if those particular items were not necessarily authentic to the ship and the period. This method of display is a technique I tend to be fond of and actually, looking back I think it was done well. There were also some very helpful guides/volunteers aboard to offer information and insight into the history of H.M.S Warrior, which accompanied information panels around deck. And again, from what I can remember, we were actually invited to ask questions. The guides weren’t passive or inanimate to our experience, they wanted to engage with us and I felt the need to find a question to ask just to respond to this eagerness to impart their knowledge.

Aboard H.M.S Warrior

Captain's Cabin H.M.S Warrior

However, that said, having just taken another look at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard website and the page dedicated to H.M.S. Warrior, I can’t help but feel I failed to take much away from our visit to this ship and that actually, the website has proved to have greater impact. Now I don’t know if this is because of the time that’s lapsed between the visit and actually writing this blog, but reading about how this ship was the “pride of Queen’s Victoria’s Fleet” and how the “combination of iron sides, which offered protection from the exploding shells and the ability to carry large guns, changed the nature of marine warfare” (2), didn’t ring any bells and I can’t say it was something I remember learning on the day; which is a shame because it’s a fact I actually found particularly interesting. I suppose it throws up questions about how effective sites are in educating in the long term. I might well have been engaged at the time, but the retention of information seems a little lacking. Now is that down to me, or the experience I wonder?

H.M.S Victory

Anyway, next stop was H.M.S. Victory and our main reason for going. As the Royal Navy’s most famous warship, and known for her role in the Battle of Trafalgar, H.M.S Victory attracts over 400,000 people a year, most of whom desire to see the spot on deck where Nelson fell. This is marked by a plaque reading, “here Nelson Fell, 21^st October 1805” and again, was something I remember being surprised at on the day. I think my response went something along the lines of “how can they be sure that that is the exact spot?” I’d love to know, so if any readers do, please let me know. I have to admit remembering little else about this ship, which feels like blasphemy, but naval history just isn’t my thing.

"Here Nelson Fell..."

The Mary Rose Museum

You might therefore be wondering, what on earth made me visit if I felt that way. Well, the draw for me had really been the chance to visit the Mary Rose Museum, which had opened in May 2013 and displays both the ship and its artefacts on an unprecedented scale. Costing somewhere in the region of £27 million, the museum retells the story of the Mary Rose, from its crew right through to how it was raised from the bed of Solent back in 1982. It is still experiencing ongoing development, meaning that it is still subject to closures as new work is carried out (as will happen Dec 15 to Summer 2016) but for me, the draw was the fact that while it presents a significant proportion of naval history, it is also hugely significant in terms of marine archaeology and poses important questions about preservation. So it was these bigger, overarching themes that were the real draw for me.

Interactive Screens

The Mary Rose is the only 16^th century warship on display anywhere in the world and you get a clear sense of the unique nature of the ship and its history from the level of care and standard of work that has gone into the exhibition. It felt fresh and modern, but importantly, also attempted to tackle some of the big questions and themes that had remained somewhat hidden from the ships narrative in the past. The dominate image we have of the Mary Rose is as the favourite war ship of Henry VIII, not necessarily as the place of work for a huge crew or for having impact on 16^th Century science. So the fact this museum attempts to readdress that is a great thing.

The galleries themselves make great use of technology and merge modern and traditional museum display techniques together to create an interactive and informative learning environment. For example, there were a number of touch screens where you could select specific artefacts to see them close up and 3-dimensionally, but alongside those enlarged images, there were also video reconstructions to show the items in use. They became animate objects to interactive with and not those merely to be observed. There were also sensory activities, where visitors were encouraged to feel the hammer and chisel marks on a cannon ball for example, or to remove the stop from a jar that once contained menthol and so to get a sense of the smell. There were also eye catching “Did you know” and “Don’t Miss” panels – which enticed the attention of those who might not be as drawn to great lumps of text. I got the impression that the museum had tried to cater for a wide audience, with different learning styles in mind and that was a nice thing to see.

Multi-Sensory Activities

Of course, you are also able to see the wreckage of the Mary Rose and view each of its decks, while the techniques for the preservation of the ship are also explained. (3) The Mary Rose has led to significant developments in the field of conservation, preservation and maritime archaeology that to see it in the flesh is something else. It’s a really special moment when you first lay your eyes on it.

The Mary Rose

I think what has to be my favourite part of the whole museum however, was the emphasis placed on ‘The men of the Mary Rose’ – an attempt to weave real ordinary lives into the narrative of the ship and remind visitors that it was ordinary men who had served aboard and who died when the ship sank. The layout of the museum allows visitors to follow the lives of particular craftsmen aboard ship and answers all sorts of questions about what they might have experienced.

The Men of the Mary Rose

And to do this, the museum has made great use of forensic science.  For example, in the case of the  Carpenter an artist has reconstructed the face of a man found on the orlop deck with a number of woodworking tools next to him; the assumption being that as the carpenter he would have been as close to the action as possible so as to make the necessarily repairs to the ship as soon as possible. They’ve also done a lot of analysis on the skeleton of this individual and are able to inform people about him in more detail, such as that fact that he suffered with arthritis in his spine and ribs. This technique is used for a number of other people employed aboard ship not just the carpenter, and includes the master gunner and surgeon. They’ve attempted, and I’d argue rather successfully, to give visitors an idea of daily life and routine aboard ship, from what you would eat, to “keeping the faith” and what medical treatment you might get if needed. By attempting to put life stories back into the narrative of what happened to the Mary Rose, the museum are telling a largely untold story to a wider audience and I was really impressed by that approach.

Reminding myself of the trip and the history the site has to offer has actually renewed my enthusiasm for it. It has lots to offer visitors and makes the annual pass ticket price worth it. Maritime history might not be my thing, but Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is definitely worth visiting, even just for the Mary Rose Museum.

(1)    http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/site-attractions/attractions/hms-warrior-1860

(2)    http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/site-attractions/attractions/hms-warrior-1860

(3)    http://www.maryrose.org/discover-our-collection/

Åland Maritime Museum: An ethos to aspire too!

Is it possible to love a museum that you’ve never actually been too? Well that was how I felt after hearing the director of Åland Maritime Museum, Hanna Hagmark-Cooper, speak at the recent Rhul Public History Alumni Seminar. I found her talk completely fascinating and decided I’d take the time to share a summary of it and its key themes with you.

Maritime industry is a key part of the island’s history and both national and cultural identity are tied to this historic relationship with sailing ships. The Museum began in the 1920s as a private collection, and as a reaction to a decline in the maritime industry. Soon after, a club emerged to support this private collection, the purpose of which was to create a dedicated museum to preserve the maritime industry and its part in the Island’s history. Exhibits were collected through donations, but club members also petitioned for donations – there was, and still is, a strong level of personal investment in the museum. It was run as a private enterprise until the 1980s when it became a charitable trust as it remains today.

Now when the decision was made to rebuild the museum, I was surprised to learn that it faced no opposition – I can’t imagine a similar attitude necessarily being adopted here in the UK, for I don’t think a single museum is seen as that important to our national or cultural identity. But people from the Åland Islands wanted this redevelopment and were happy for investment to be diverted from other sectors towards the museum project.

Hanna began work at the museum in 2004 at which time the focus was very much on the display of sailing ships. However, since it’s re-opening in 2012 and under the instruction of Hanna, the museum has now introduced topics which broaden its scope, including the impact of steam engines, ship building and safety at sea. From what was described, it is no longer just a showcase for old boats, but has more substance and narrative for visitors to experience. 

It was this element that originally caused slight resistance, for there was a fear of what modernism might mean for the museum. Museum staff and supporters were aware of the need for a new approach to draw in new visitors, however at the same time they didn’t want to alienate the core visitor group. This led to what I have to admit finding most fascinating – the strong sense of shared authority between museum staff and specialist groups invested in museum. Huge emphasis appears to have been placed on consultation, staff being acutely aware of the ‘strong local commitment’ to seeing the museum be a success, both in terms of its original goals and what would draw in visitors.

With only a core staff of 5, this emphasis on shared authority has also been beneficial in other ways. Museum staff have been able to call on specialist groups, those with expertise in ship building, mechanical engineers and sail makers for example, for help during the redevelopment. Hanna described how a sense of mutual respect has developed between museum staff and specialist groups, because they each have knowledge of their own ‘trade’ and appreciate the limits to their own abilities. By working together, sharing ideas and exchanging information, they’ve created a productive and effective environment in which the redevelopment has been able to prosper. And amazingly this relationship continues, currently three years on, with no sign of that ending soon. The community spirit and shared investment in what is clearly such an important part of their shared heritage, is something I found really inspiration and evocative.

Also particularly interesting, and in fact the intended main focus of the talk, was the museum’s use of social media to create and research new and interesting exhibitions. In this case Hanna referred to a Facebook exhibition, which successfully broadened the museum’s reach by presenting a topic of greater interest to people beyond the core group of visitors.

Hanna recalled how she had first been invited to a closed group on Facebook where people involved with the maritime industry, exchanged photos and stories of their experiences. I’m sure we are all part of a similar group, perhaps a school reunion group, or local history? Anyway, Hanna described her interest in watching this develop over time and the end result was a temporary exhibition. The Museum took just 14 of the thousands of images uploaded to the group, and displayed them, together with accompanying comments, in a temporary exhibition in the museum. The group was consulted throughout this process and was involved in, from what it sounds like, most decisions. It had the community element right at its heart and I just think it’s such a fantastic idea. Again, the museum is enacting the principle of shared authority and I just think a lot could, and should be learnt from this example and it's methods adopted by other museums.

Hanna speaks with a degree of pride about how this exhibition made marginal histories central to the narrative told by the museum, if only temporarily, and drew in a new audience demographic. We were told how usually objects are what survive from ships and therefore are displayed, not the stories of the people who served and sailed upon them; and in fact thinking of examples of ships I’ve visited, at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the  S.S Great Britain, this is true. I can remember clearly some of the objects, but nothing particularly about the people. And so as you would expect, by displaying these stories, interest in the museum increased and people’s perceptions of the museum were dramatically altered.

I came away from this talk with two key phrases in my mind – community collaboration and shared authority and I just so impressed to hear how well the Åland Maritime Museum has invoked these principles. Hearing of how this one temporary exhibition has changed the museum’s outlook and opened up further opportunities for collaborative projects, including the collection of items and inclusion of photos and comments from Facebook in the archive, reinforced my belief in the importance of Public History and the emphasis that should be placed on community/visitor involvement.

Having been so UK-centric in my studies, it was really interesting to hear how the Public history philosophy is carried out in a European context and I think it would be really interesting to see some of the UK’s museums adopt some of these approaches and the resulting impact it might have on their appeal and level of visitor engagement.

Trip to the Åland Islands anyone?