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The Golden Hinde’s Guide to London!

Once you’ve made it through the January blues, February half-term feels like a small but very welcome win. The days are starting to stretch out, the city feels a little more alive again, and it’s the perfect excuse to get the kids out of the house and back into London.

Too often, a family day out in the capital turns into a whistle-stop tour of landmarks. Monument to monument, ticking off the classics, proudly showcasing London’s incredible history… until everyone is cold, tired and hangry. Suddenly, Big Ben loses some of its sparkle.

So what if we told you there was an easier way?

This May half-term, The Golden Hinde set sail on a brand new voyage - one filled with sea monsters, ship-shaking stories, and more than a little Shakespeare. With a newly expanded Visitor Experience team brimming with creativity and passion, we wanted to create something special: half-term programming that combined hands-on fun with rich, engaging history.

And judging by the sounds of laughter echoing off the decks and the bright, glitter-speckled sea monster masks bobbing through the ship - it worked.

Long before the concept of a museum ship existed, the Golden Hind was put on public display for all to see. This International Museum Day, we explore how a 16th-century galleon became one of history’s earliest examples of public heritage - and how its legacy lives on aboard The Golden Hinde today.

The Golden Hinde proudly raised the winning flags of its Flag Design Competition, celebrating the creativity of young artists.

The winner of our Flag Design competition was announced earlier this week.

What an exciting, busy May half-term!

It was full sail ahead for the refit of The Golden Hinde when the final mast - out of a total of three - was craned into position.

The winner of our Marvellous Mizzen Mast art competition was announced earlier this week.

The Golden Hinde’s shipwright team has been busy caulking.

The shipwright team has just completed the planking on the foredeck marking another significant step in the ongoing restoration of The Golden Hinde. 

The Golden Hinde has received a significant boost with the approval of a £700 grant dedicated to replacing its Mizzen Mast.

To celebrate World Book Day, the team at The Golden Hinde have recommended books related to the ship and its history.

The Golden Hinde was delighted to welcome the Dean of Southwark Cathedral, The Very Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, on board yesterday, Tuesday 5 March.

On 28th November 2023, The Golden Hinde took a trip to Deptford. No, we didn’t sail up the Thames (!) but rather we (the Community Engagement team) took the tube to deliver a special version of Drake’s Circumnavigation tour to the wonderful “Meet Me at the Albany”.

A new bitt has just been fitted by our expert shipwright team.

Our shipwright team has discovered a love heart made by the crew that sailed the Atlantic in 1980s. 

The Golden Hinde was delighted to welcome Kate Willard, Thames Estuary Envoy and Chair of the Thames Estuary Growth Board, on board the ship on Thursday 25 February. 

Thanks to everyone who joined us on Sunday, 23rd of July when The Golden Hinde was taken over by female pirates. Using resources from Kids in Museums Youth Takeover day, we invited Coin Street’s Good for Girls, a local community group for young women aged 11-16 to work on a project inspired by the ship. 

On the 5th April, a day of festivities marked the 50th Anniversary of The Golden Hinde. A full programme of events and activities showcased the dual histories of the ship; both its active sailing life in the 20th Century, and the adventures of Francis Drake in the Elizabethan era. It was a day of high spirits, and reminiscing of the ship’s time on the high seas.

Another essential part of a ship’s rigging are blocks. They can sustain a significant load, which is why you can spot so many of them in the rigging system. 

The 5th of April marks the 50th anniversary of The Golden Hinde’s launch. To commemorate 50 years of this historic ship, we have launched a campaign to raise funds that will help preserve this special landmark and support our educational programming. 

Dead eyes are an integral part of the ship’s rigging. Take a look at the photos; what do they remind you of?

A ship of two histories. The Golden Hinde is better known for its 16th century history and the 50th Anniversary of the ship’s launch gives us an opportunity to celebrate its modern history.

Drake’s influence on Elizabethan England is a recurring Edexcel and OCR examination topic. It touches on a range of features of Elizabethan Life. With this in mind, the Education team at the Golden Hinde have been working to enrich the educational programmes. Our KS3/4 Circumnavigation programme is designed congruent with the national curriculum to facilitate in-class learning. The programme features an interactive retelling of the Golden Hinde’s Journey across the globe. Our Education Officers have considered Drake’s earlier voyages with John Hawkins to give added context to his circumnavigation in 1577.

445 years ago today, five small ships sailed out of Plymouth Sound in Devon, England at five o’clock in the afternoon. Leading the fleet was a 120 ton racing galleon named The Pelican, later to be renamed The Golden Hinde. Supposedly on a diplomatic mission to Alexandria, Egypt, the ships’ true destination was a mystery. Why would a diplomatic mission equip their ships with heavy armament guns? More importantly, why was such a mission headed by the notorious Francis Drake?

Halloween looked very different in Tudor times. It was believed that on All Hallows Eve (Halloween) barriers between the living and the dead were weakened and departed souls could walk the earth. To ward off these spirits, churches rang their bells and priests would make house calls to protect homes from malevolent beings. 

As we approach the end of the school year, we wanted to reflect on what an exciting 12 months it’s been for Learning and Engagement aboard The Golden Hinde.

In the spring of 2017 the initial preparations for a major renovation project started.

Discover the astonishing endeavours that brought The Golden Hinde to its current home at Bankside.

For National Marriage Week, we look back at the adventures of Jilly and Roddy - and their wedding aboard the ship.

Discover the rigorous process we follow to ensure our Education Programmes are the best possible resources for schools around the world.

It’s time to Meet the Crew: our series of blogs where we introduce you to members of the crew of an Elizabethan galleon. Next up, the Pilot…

Why did The Golden Hinde set up a shipyard in the centre of London?

With deep-rooted associations of adventure and new horizons a sailing ship is a romantic venue for a wedding.

This International Women’s day, we want to celebrate Zelia Nuttall: the incredible historian whose work provided us with a window into life aboard the Golden Hinde. Despite her achievements, we’d guess that many readers might not know much about her. So, here’s ‘Nuttall in a Nutshell’ – 10 facts about Zelia…

The Golden Hinde back to what it does best: welcoming children aboard the ship. In this article, we take a look at our new and updated Education workshops.

Welcome to Meet the Crew: a series of blogs where we introduce you to the crew of an Elizabethan galleon! First up, the boatswain…

Christmas in times gone by meant a party on the frozen river! Join King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth - and an Elephant - for fun on the ice!

CW: Slavery, racism

Throughout the 16^th Century, groups of escaped slaves formed large and powerful communities in Central and South America which were able to pose a serious challenge to Spanish colonial rule. At their peak, these ‘Cimarrons’ numbered in the thousands, outmatched the Spanish in military might and formed mutually beneficial alliances with English and French pirates.

CW: Slavery, racism

Francis Drake is often celebrated as an English national hero. But Drake existed in and contributed to a violent colonial age. Like so many of his contemporary European mariners, he engaged in colonialism, slavery and piracy. These are vital elements in Drake’s story.

What became of Drake's ship? In our article we examine the most unusual (and wonderful) places the original Golden Hinde has ended up!

There's more to PIRATES than "Arrrrrr me hearties", parrots and treasure maps (although that's all true too)! In our article we examine the types of pirate to plunder the high seas. As well as examining what makes this iconic profession so powerfully compelling to us today... Weigh anchor and set sail here!

Our special exhibit 'Me and the Sea' invited visitors from around the world to share their memories, thoughts and dreams of the ocean. Tied into the fabric of the ship; these notes, poems and images have built up a spectacular, poignant tapestry of our relationship to the sea: past and future. In this article we explore the contributions and how they make us reflect on our dynamic with the world's waters...

From decorating a tree to roasting chestnuts on an open fire, there are all kinds of weird and wonderful traditions associated with celebrating Christmas in the 21^st century. Despite the religious upheaval of the Reformation, many Tudor Christmas traditions survive to this day, and can be traced back through the centuries to Roman, Norse and Pagan sources and celebrations...

This year, the Historical Environment section on the AQA GCSE paper is centred around the Spanish Armada - a topic which also continues to be central to Edexcel and OCR examinations. At The Golden Hinde, we’ve been getting excited about taking a fresh look at the evidence surrounding 1588 and adding even more colour and detail to our KS4 Armada programme.

Did the Golden Hinde crew drink rum? Were there any women on the ship? We debunk 8 myths about the Golden Hinde!

As she approaches her 50th birthday, the reconstruction of The Golden Hinde is almost old enough to be considered a historic ship in her own right. Representing a milestone in naval architecture and with over 100,000 miles under her belt, her past is very nearly as rich and filled with adventure as that of Francis Drake's ship which circumnavigated the world over four hundred years ago.

Much like the reconstruction, the original ship became a museum once her life at sea was over. In fact, Drake's Golden Hinde was potentially the first museum ship in the world. She attracted visitors from all over the country who were excited to see the remarkable vessel which had not only sailed the circumference of the Earth, but also taken on the Spanish Empire in the New World and returned with unimaginable riches.