Discover Greenwich: The new portal for understanding and appreciating
Maritime Greenwich, opening Spring 2010

Discover Greenwich is a new £6 million contemporary cultural venue in the heart of Maritime Greenwich. It will use state of the art interpretation involving artefacts, artwork, film and stories of lives past and present to tell the story of Maritime Greenwich and the Old Royal Naval College, from its origins as the site of Henry VIII's Tudor Palace, its naval past as the Royal Hospital for Seamen and Royal Naval College to its present day significance as a heritage visitor destination. A new micro-brewery with a bar, restaurant and café will open on the site of the Royal Hospital's original 1717 brewhouse - where beer was brewed and piped directly to the wards of the Royal Hospital for Seamen as a 'restorative drink'!

At the centre Discover Greenwich is a permanent exhibition that unlocks the history of Maritime Greenwich through eight themes charting the development of the area through the lives of people living there. Objects include personal items from Henry VIII's palace and pieces of Tudor armour, while stories from ghostly figures recount life in the Royal Hospital for Seamen. Modern day replicas and models bring to life the Tudor palace that lies less than a metre below the surface of Greenwich's soil. A temporary exhibition space will focus on different aspects of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site while a new education suite will provide a dedicated learning resource for schools and adult community learners.

The project will also include a newly refurbished shop and Tourist Information Centre.

The exhibition displays will include:

• Tudor objects from Greenwich Palace which have been stored at Nottingham University since the remains of the palace were excavated in 1971. These will be shown to the public for the first time at the exhibition and will include: gold coins from the reigns of Edward IV and Henry VII; lead Tudor rose ceiling decorations; an ivory knife handle engraved with Tudor roses and foliage; combs and bone dice and counters which people might have played whilst waiting at court.
  
  
• A "witch bottle" - a 17th-century Bellarmine jug, found near the site of Greenwich Palace, containing fingernails, a lock of hair, iron nails, navel fluff and urine which was intended to ward off a witch's curse.
  
  
• Architects' models and trial pieces from the design of the hospital.
  
  
• A reconstruction (complete with music and incense) of the Royal Chapel where Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves, which was discovered in 2005, throwing new light on the plan of the whole Palace.
  
  
• A display on The Royal Hospital for Seamen which will include reconstructions of the cabins in which the pensioners lived - one will include a Pepper's Ghost of a pensioner.
  
  
• A re-construction of a Tudor window from Henry VIII's Palace using original stonework from past archaeological excavations of Greenwich Palace. Stained-glass designer Alfred Fisher has been commissioned to glaze the window.
  
  
• Displays depicting life at the Royal Naval College including: film footage showing WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service) on parade, Trafalgar Night Dinner and the Greenwich Pageant; uniforms, personal artefacts and a display case with a place setting for dinner, 1955 Trafalgar Night menu & seating plan and a dinner service.
  

The permanent exhibition will appeal to a wide range of audiences from schools and community groups to families and adults. The displays will be complemented by an exciting range of hands-on activities including games, building kits, puzzles and dressing-up clothes. There will also be a range of trails and activities especially for families during weekends and holidays.

For further information on Maritime Greenwich and the Old Royal Naval College please visit www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org

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Press information
Press releases and pictures for the events and activities can be downloaded from http://www.kallaway.co.uk/discover-greenwich.htm

For further information please contact:

William Kallaway
020 7221 7883
william.kallaway@kallaway.com