Ship models of exquisite craftsmanship have been made in Europe since the sixteenth century, when shipbuilding reached a new level of sophistication, and there are models to reflect almost the entire range of shipping since then. In the seventeenth century, models of all major Royal Navy warships became a standard requirement, and new techniques and the use of plans enabled models to evolve into accurate, detailed and decorative versions of the great vessels they represented. The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich houses one of the most celebrated collections of ship models in the world, and its riches are presented here, from the Magnificent Navy Board models of Samuel Pepys’ day through replicas of frigates, steamships, clippers, battleships, cargo and passenger ships, to the aircraft carriers and submarines of today. Models made by French prisoners of war are examined, as are the marvellous “builders’models” made in the golden years of British shipbuilding, from 1860 to 1960, as well as models of ports, lighthouses, ship and dockyards, and ships’ fittings.

The book starts with a discussion of the various types of models and their uses; other chapters cover their techniques of construction, the craftsmen who made them, the history of their collection, the craftsman who made them, the history of their collection and display, and their conservation. While casting fresh light on the role of ship models in maritime history, the new research in this study also brings them out of the museum showcase, to provide inspiration for the modelmaker, historian and collector of today.

It celebrates the ship model as a remarkable and hitherto undervalued form of applied and decorative art, and one that both aids and enriches our understanding of the complex story of human endeavours on the seas. The book concludes with the first comprehensive catalogue of ship models in the collection of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

Brian Lavery is Curator of Ship Technology at the National Maritime Museum. He is the author of numerous books including THE SHIP OF THE LINE and NELSON’S NAVY. He has worked as historical consultant on two modern replicas: THE SUSAN CONSTANT 0f 1605, built in Virginia, and Cook’s ENDEAVOUR, built in Fremantle, Australia.

Simon Stephens worked for ten years with the NMM’s ship Model Collection before becoming its Curator in 1988. Having lectured and published widely on the subject, and visited almost all the world’s major collections, he is now pursuing research on ship models’ constructional techniques. Organisations that he advises on ship models include The National Trust, The National Heritage Memorial Fund, and a number of shipping companies.