Portsmouth Museum’s bid for Olympic glory
9th September 2008
The Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is supporting the launch of the ‘Cultural Olympiad’, a four-year celebration of culture in Britain in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympics.
Their model boat collection will be on display on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September as part of ‘Open Weekend’, a nationwide event in which the public will be given the opportunity to see collections and buildings not normally on show.
The Museum has over 50 model boats covering all periods of Naval History and these will be displayed in the Museum’s Princess Royal Gallery between 12 noon and 3 pm.
Richard Noyce, Curator of Artefacts at the Museum, is looking forward to the opportunity to show off his collection. “Ship models take up a lot of space, so it is never possible to display all of our collection in our galleries. We have only done this once before, so it really is a rare opportunity. Ships are such a part of British culture and history that this is a very fitting contribution to the first Cultural Olympiad event”
This event coincides with ‘Model Boat’ weekend which includes a live re-enactment in miniature of the Battle of Trafalgar to commemorate Nelson’s 250th Birthday.
Open Weekend is the start of a four-year journey which marks a celebration of cultures on a scale that has not been done before. It is designed to enable the widest range of people across the UK to take part.
Images are available from the Public Relations Office. For further information please contact: Jacquie Shaw, Public Relations Office, Tel: 023 9289 4550, Mobile: 07775 837912
Email: jacquie.shaw@historicdockyard.co.uk
September 2008