No.1 Smithery
No. 1 for Treasures, No. 1 for Enjoyment, No. 1 for Everyone!
No. 1 Smithery: National Treasures Inspiring Culture – a brand new museum experience and all-round treasure house for the whole family!
From 24th July, National Treasures and Magnificent Art will be revealed and on show for the first time under one roof - as we celebrate the greatest 'launch' at Chatham since HMS Victory!
An amazing treasure house, No.1 Smithery: National Treasure Inspiring Culture is a joint project between Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, the National Maritime Museum and the Imperial War Museum. It showcases unique and previously unseen maritime artefacts, national and international touring art, and the kind of education areas and interactive family learning and entertainment spaces that inspire all age groups.
National Museums: Maritime Treasures is a brilliant new gallery displaying world-class maritime models, art and other objects from the collections of the National Maritime Museum and the Imperial War Museum as well from The Historic Dockyard’s own collection. Families can treat their children to a “My Gallery Sticker Book” activity - an original idea that gives children the freedom to explore the collections and create their very own guide to these wonderful Treasures on display. With a great value annual ticket that allows families to return as many times as they like for a year, children can use the specially designed reusable stickers to create a new version of the guide every time they visit. (Additional price applies to the sticker book activity).
The Gallery
These enormous canvases, filled with characters going about their daily work will really capture the imagination of children. The whole gallery will have plenty of appeal for families, including a creative children’s activity walk that allows them to produce their very own, very long “Stanley Spencer-Style Masterpiece” as they visit the rest of the dockyard and catch a detailed glimpse into the world of another age through Spencer’s eyes. (Additional price applies to the children's activity walk).
Younger visitors especially will relish the opportunities on The Pipebending Floor – which was used to heat up metal pipes and bend them round pegs in the floor to make them the right shape for ships. Now it is an interactive area where visitors can discover how that was done.
The Courtyard is in the heart of the building and will be the focus for a range of family activities during school holidays beginning with Pirate Play Days running from 26th July until 30th August.
