Major donation to National Maritime Museum

This substantial gift has been made by the shipping magnate and philanthropist Sammy Ofer and is believed to be the largest single donation by an individual to a cultural project in the UK.The £35 million project will play a key role in driving the Museum’s strategic vision going forward, enabling it to make a quantum leap in illustrating how Britain’s relationship with the sea has fundamentally shaped histories, cultures, economies, and identities across the globe. It will transform the Museum’s capacity to develop and engage with a new generation of audiences, both on site and online. The custom designed exhibition spaces and highly accessible archives will drive a step change in the way the Museum present its collections and exhibition programme to an ever-growing volume of visitors, both from within the UK and internationally.

Sammy Ofer has strong links with Britain and served in the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during World War II. The international shipping group which he founded operates a significant part of its fleet from London with over 90 vessels flying the Red Ensign. Through his continued relations with London and its shipping community Sammy Ofer has developed a deep appreciation for the maritime traditions of the UK. Confirming his support for the new wing, he said, ‘I look forward to helping this hugely exciting project and believe it will be a great step forward for the Museum.’

The National Maritime Museum enjoys the strong support of its sponsoring department, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

NMM director Dr Kevin Fewster said, ‘Over the last decade our audiences have grown fourfold. The completion of this ground breaking scheme will undoubtedly increase the number of visitors we reach with our programmes and collections, both at Greenwich and through our digital resources. Thanks to the generosity of Sammy Ofer, the new wing will be completed in time for the 2012 Olympics during which Greenwich will be in the world spotlight.”

The new wing features five key elements; a substantial new space for special exhibitions, an open archive centre, new learning spaces, a new south entrance, a restaurant, café and shop.

The 800m² exhibitions hall will enable the museum to build on its programme of major exhibitions. These have included, Armada (1988), Henry VIII (1991), The Wreck of the Titanic (1994) South: the race to the Pole (2000), Elizabeth (2003) and Nelson and Napoleon (2005).

The archive will provide new context rich learning and research spaces, unlocking the treasures of the Museum and revealing the stories of people and the sea in the world’s most important maritime collection. In the learning centre, visitors will be able to engage with the Museum’s collection informally and explore its unique resources for themselves.

The south entrance from Greenwich Park will create a stronger linkage between the Museum and Royal Observatory, Greenwich, bringing a greater unity to the National Maritime Museum site. The restaurant and café will feature attractive terraces and views over the park. The enhanced visitor facilities and shop will transform a currently underutilised area of plant and storage at the back of the museum and improve visitor orientation and flow throughout the site.