THE NEW ROYAL NAVAL MUSEUM GALLERIES

The RNM has opened three new galleries as part of the first phase of a two-part refurbishment. Almost £3m of the £5,3m project was funded through a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Between them, the three galleries cover the period up to about 1860, under the themes: The Sailing Navy (life on a warship in the 18th and 19th centuries); Horatio Nelson: the hero and the man; and, in a separate building that overlooks HMS Victory itself, a gallery that covers the battle of Trafalgar and the story of HMS Victory (Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar).

The galleries, designed by Robin Wade and Partners, combine hands-on and interactive multimedia and audio-visuals with displays of objects. The gallery about Trafalgar and HMS Victory, for example, includes the following elements, in addition to objects displayed in cases:

• Trafalgar! - A multimedia walk through experience, designed by Sarner International, that allows visitors to experience events from the gun deck of Victory during the battle'
• A large panorama of the battle painted in 1929-30 by the artist W L Wyllie
• A small display of Wyllie's life and art
• A hands-on area at the centre of the main Story of Victory displays. Interactives cover, for example, signalling, knots, sailing and wind direction
• An audio-visual introduction (in English and French)
• Multimedia interactives on, for example, firing ship's guns and the Trafalgar quiz (the quiz can be used to collect data to guide staff about visitors' level of knowledge)
• Works on paper in pull-out racks
• Panels illustrating individuals who sailed on HMS Victory
• An oral history display on the restoration of HMS Victory, including recorded testimonies by the people who worked on the restoration, and explanations by experts in various disciplines of why they think it is important to conserve the ship.

Throughout the galleries, museum staff has tried to make the displays and interpretation appeal to a wide range of non-specialist visitors. As an example, panels refer to `people' or `crew' rather than `men' and make a deliberate point of referring to the fact that there were women on board some ships.

Interpretation is designed to prompt visitors to think and reach their own conclusions. The overriding aim is to stimulate a general interest in history (which visitors might be encouraged to take further), rather than present very specific messages or an authoritative authorial voice.