Sea-Fever: Britain's maritime heritage
Great Britain, the principle island of the British Isles, is the eighth largest in the world. For centuries the sea surrounding these islands has provided livelihoods for thousands of people, and maritime trade was the basis for the nation's expansion into the world's largest empire. The empire is no longer, but the sea continues to exert a powerful influence.
This year sees the 200th anniversary of Admiral Lord Nelson's naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, marked by SeaBritain 2005, a nationwide series of events celebrating our maritime heritage. We have selected collections relating to Trafalgar itself, and to lighthouses and piers, marine scientists, shipbuilders and fishermen, and writers and artists. The title for this month's feature is from the 1902 poem by John Masefield (1878-1967).
Southport Pier.
Collections
- Graeme Spence (around 1758-1812): maritime surveyor to the Admiralty
- W Epworth (fl 1806): corresponded with polar explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) about Franklin's experiences as a midshipman on HMS Bellerophon at Trafalgar
- Arthur Williams (died 1917): researched his family history, including John Williams who served on HMS Victory at Trafalgar
- Lighthouse Advisory Committee: developed out of the 1858 Royal Commission
- Great Orme Lighthouse: constructed near the seaside resort of Llandudno, North Wales, in 1862
- Miss Great Britain: seaside entertainment
- Concert parties and Pierrot shows: end-of-the-pier entertainment
- Scottish Marine Station: founded near Edinburgh in 1884
- Cambridge University Underwater Exploration Group: a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club
- George Howard Darwin (1845-1912): mathematician and astronomer who studied tidal systems
- Sir Alister Hardy (1896-1985): marine biologist and religious thinker
- Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907-1988): animal behaviourist who studied seagulls and sticklebacks
- Sydney Wignall (fl 1963-1974): marine archaeologist who investigated Spanish Armada (1588) wrecks off the coast of Ireland
- D Cecil Jones (fl 1975-1986): researcher on maritime history and marine biology of the North Wales coast
Alister Hardy (centre) on the research vessel George Bligh, 1920s. Copyright © 2004 Sir Alister Hardy Foundation For Ocean Science.
- Aberdeen Shipmaster Society: founded in 1598 as the Seamen's Box of Aberdeen
- Richard and Robert Thomas: boat builders, Conwy
- Vickers Ltd: engineering company and shipbuilders founded in Sheffield in 1867
- Portmadoc Sailmakers: records of Messrs. Jones and Morris of Portmadoc, 1872-1919
- Scott Lithgow: shipbuilders esablished in Greenock in 1970
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859): engineer; designer of the SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going iron-hulled ship
- Christian Agerskaw (fl 1935-1949): Hull trawler skipper
- Virginia Woolf (1882-1941): author of To the lighthouse (1927) and The waves (1931)
- Sir Compton Mackenzie (1883-1972): author of nautical novels Whisky galore (1947) and Rockets galore (1957)
Related links
- Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science
- Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
- National Marine Biological Library: founded in 1887 to support Marine Biological Association
- Southampton Oceanography Centre
- Centre for Applied Oceanography (University of Wales, Bangor) [requires frames]
- Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science & Management (University of Aberdeen)
- SS Great Britain (Bristol) [requires frames]
- HMS Victory (Portsmouth)
- National Piers Society: founded in 1979 under poet Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984)
- Royal Naval Museum (Portsmouth)
- Historic Dockyard (Portsmouth)
- HMS Warrior (Portsmouth)
- Mary Rose Museum (opening May 2013)
- National Maritime Museum (London)
- Scottish Maritime Museum (Irvine, Ayrshire)
- National Waterfront Museum (Swansea)
- Nautical Archaeology Society: charity to further interest in our underwater cultural heritage.
- Maritime Britain: maritime heritage preservation campaigns [requires frames]
- Marine Conservation Society: UK charity dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its wildlife
- SeaBritain 2005: national maritime celebration, with events throughout 2005
Southport Pier, which opened in 1860. Copyright © 1995 Vincent Kelly.
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