Explosion! taken over by NMRN
National Museum of the Royal Navy takes on museum
Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower, at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport, has been taken over by the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth, it was announced this month.
Nick Hewitt, curator at Explosion! said he was “thrilled” about the prospect of being part of the bigger organisation.
He said that the association with the National Museum of the Royal Navy had already brought benefits because it is part of the Ministry of Defence group of museums.
“Being part of larger group means we have more influence and profile and we are already seeing the benefits in terms of loans,” said Hewitt.
He said there had been no impact on staff so far as a result of the takeover but that it was an ongoing process.
Hewitt added that there would be no change to the public offer and that in future he hoped that the museum would be able to resume its temporary exhibitions programme.
Dominic Tweddle, director general of the NMRN said Explosion! would be an exciting addition to the organisation.
"It is our ambition to be the most respected naval museum in the world and I feel that we are now well on our way to achieving this.
"We aim to represent the heritage of the Royal Navy on the sea, under the sea, in the air and on the land. The Explosion! museum fits into all of these categories as it tells the story of the fighting Royal Navy."
Explosion! was an independent trust owned and operated by Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, a property development agency that manages historic buildings in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
There is currently a link between the dockyard and the museum via a waterbus service, and some joint ticketing arrangements for Explosion! and other museums in the dockyard already exist.
Explosion! opened in 2001 and was initially run by Gosport Borough Council. It faced the threat of closure in 2007 before being taken over by the trust.
Nick Hewitt, curator at Explosion! said he was “thrilled” about the prospect of being part of the bigger organisation.
He said that the association with the National Museum of the Royal Navy had already brought benefits because it is part of the Ministry of Defence group of museums.
“Being part of larger group means we have more influence and profile and we are already seeing the benefits in terms of loans,” said Hewitt.
He said there had been no impact on staff so far as a result of the takeover but that it was an ongoing process.
Hewitt added that there would be no change to the public offer and that in future he hoped that the museum would be able to resume its temporary exhibitions programme.
Dominic Tweddle, director general of the NMRN said Explosion! would be an exciting addition to the organisation.
"It is our ambition to be the most respected naval museum in the world and I feel that we are now well on our way to achieving this.
"We aim to represent the heritage of the Royal Navy on the sea, under the sea, in the air and on the land. The Explosion! museum fits into all of these categories as it tells the story of the fighting Royal Navy."
Explosion! was an independent trust owned and operated by Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, a property development agency that manages historic buildings in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
There is currently a link between the dockyard and the museum via a waterbus service, and some joint ticketing arrangements for Explosion! and other museums in the dockyard already exist.
Explosion! opened in 2001 and was initially run by Gosport Borough Council. It faced the threat of closure in 2007 before being taken over by the trust.