National Maritime Museum Cornwall facts for kids

NMM Cornwall, Falmouth

The National Maritime Museum, Cornwall is a cool museum in Falmouth, England. It's right by the harbour! A talented architect named M. J. Long designed the building.

This museum started in 1992 as a team effort. The big National Maritime Museum in Greenwich worked with the old Cornwall Maritime Museum. The new museum opened its doors in February 2003. It's a charity, so it doesn't get money directly from the government.

The museum's main goal is to help people understand boats. It shows how boats have been important in people's lives. It also shares the amazing sea history of Cornwall. Plus, it keeps a special list of small boats called the National Small Boats Register.

Amazing Boats on Display

The museum looks after a huge collection of small boats. Many of these came from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. They also have their own collection of boats from Cornwall and other places. Here are some of the famous boats you can see:

• Waterlily: A steam boat from the River Thames, built in 1866.
• Fricka: A fancy sailboat designed by William Fife.
• Champion boats:
  • Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (or Superdocious for short): This Flying Dutchman dinghy helped Rodney Pattisson win a gold medal at the Mexico Olympics.
  • Rita: The Finn dinghy Ben Ainslie used to win Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
• Thunder and Lightning: This International 14 was the first boat to use a trapeze in a race.
• Early versions of popular sailing dinghies: Like Mirror No.1, Firefly No.1, and Dart No. 1.
• Curlew: A Falmouth Quay Punt that Tim and Pauline Carr sailed all the way to the Antarctic.
• Britannia: The rowboat John Fairfax used to row across the Atlantic Ocean in 1969.
• Wanderer-W48: A Wayfarer (dinghy) that Frank Dye sailed to Iceland and Norway from Scotland. He even survived four capsizes and a broken mast in a big storm!

This museum is the best place in the country for boats. It keeps the National Small Boat Register (NSBR) for boats under 33 feet long. Boat owners with historic boats can register them here.

Cornwall's Sea History

Three special areas in the museum are all about Cornwall's history with the sea. You can learn about:

• Fishing in Cornwall.
• Trading by sea.
• How boats were built.
• Famous shipwrecks.
• People leaving Cornwall by sea.

The Falmouth gallery also shares stories about:

• The Packet ships: These ships carried mail from Falmouth to the growing British Empire from 1668 to 1851.
• Falmouth in the late 1800s: Back then, many ships from all over the world came to Falmouth harbour.
• The 1900s: Falmouth was a starting point for D-Day. It was also the first and last port for famous sailors. These include Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo around the world. And Ellen MacArthur, who broke the solo round-the-world sailing record.

Explore the Main Galleries

The museum has many exciting areas to explore:

• The Main Hall: This area has the "Survival Zone."
• The Hold: Here you'll find new exhibitions every six months.
• Look-out: Enjoy amazing views over Falmouth harbour.
• The Quarterdeck: This space is for temporary exhibitions. It also has the "Treasure Island Play Zone" for younger visitors.
• The Bridge: Another spot for changing exhibitions.
• Boat Building: Learn all about how boats are made and their history.
• Tidal Zone: See underwater views of Falmouth harbour.
• Waterfront: An indoor lake where fans create wind for model yachts.
• Pontoon: See different boats displayed on the water.
• Maritime Cornwall: This section includes:
  • Falmouth Gallery.
  • Cornwall and the Sea.
  • Cornish Quayside.

Cool Exhibitions

"Monsters of the Deep" exhibition (July 2020 – January 2023)

The museum often has new and interesting exhibitions. Some past ones include:

• 2004: The Will to Win – about Olympic and racing boats.
• 2005: Team Philips and Surf's Up – about a round-the-world project and surfing history.
• 2006: Endurance and Survival.
• 2008: Under the Sea – about diving and working underwater.
• 2009: Titanic, Honour and Glory.
• 2010: Lighthouses – Life on the Rocks.
• 2012: Search and Rescue – about rescue services.
• 2015: Viking Voyagers.
• 2017: Tattoo: British Tattoo History Revealed and Bligh-Myth, Man and Mutiny.
• 2018: Titanic Stories.
• 2020: Monsters of the Deep: Science fact and Fiction.
• March 2023: Pirates: Explore Beneath the Surface.

They also have many other temporary shows, talks, and fun activities.

Other Museum Features

The museum has a nice café right by the water, where you can look out at the harbour. There's also a shop and a lecture theatre for talks.

Bartlett Library

The Bartlett Library is a special place for research at the museum. It helps experts and people who just love maritime history find answers. It has over 16,000 books. It also holds many original records from Falmouth's port.

Awards and Recognition

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall has won many awards! Here are some of them:

• 2005: ADAPT Trust Awards for making the museum easy for disabled people to access.
• 2013 & 2014: Silver Award for Best UK Heritage Attraction at the British Travel Awards.
• 2014: Best Museum in Cornwall from Cornwall Today Awards.
• 2014: Winner of The Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award.
• 2015 & 2021: Winner of the Sandford Award for excellent education work.
• 2017: Best Gallery at the What's On Cornwall Awards.
• 2021: Silver in the Cornwall Tourism Awards.