Next month, the National Maritime Museum will be presenting the largest new development it has ever had the privilege of undertaking – the Sammy Ofer Wing. This state-of-the-art wing included a £35m capital project, of which Sammy Ofer, of the Ofer brothers, donated £21 million.
As part of the Sammy Ofer Wing, the Voyagers gallery will act as an introduction to the Museum’s collection. In addition to the 200 objects that will be displayed there, many of them on display for the first time, it will have a 30-meter object wall that tells stories from the sea. This wave-like structure will introduce visitors to the life at sea with its video projections and its soundscape.
Moving further into the new Sammy Ofer Wing, visitors can access the expanded archive and digital lounge and see everything from Captain Cook’s handwritten journals to Robert Maynard’s log book. The new wing, with the Ofer family assistance, will have key archives stored at the Greenwich location for the first time. This will allow professional researchers, students and others to access these important sources.
The Sammy Ofer Wing will have a number of permanent galleries with a detailed schedule of major exhibitions. The first of these exhibitions will be Traders: The East India Company and Asia. This exhibit will examine the history of England’s trade with Asia.
In the next few years, the Museum will also be opening a Royal Navy gallery, a new Maritime London gallery and a new children’s gallery as well.
As Lord Sterling, the Chairman of the National Maritime Museum, said: “Our maritime story is Britain’s national story. And understanding the way the past has shaped the present never been more important in enriching our understanding of the world and providing inspiration for the future. 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.”
