Figureheads Collection Project: National Museum of the Royal Navy

The National Museum of the Royal Navy holds a significant collection of figureheads from the Age of Sail, dated between the 1700s and early 1900s. With over 70 figureheads in total, this national collection can be found scattered across the United Kingdom and even as far as Europe.

Figureheads were carved as bow decorations for the front of wooden naval vessels (common also amongst mercantile ships) and have a history that can be traced back as far as Ancient Egypt. Believed to hold the soul or spirit of a ship, they were well respected and cared for by sailors who believed a ship without a figurehead was bad luck.^[2]

Numerous individuals and carving families operated throughout the UK, namely the Dickerson family of Devonport, Plymouth and Hellyer & Sons of Portsmouth and Robert Hall of Rotherhithe, London. Other figureheads were carved in Bombay (modern day Mumbai) under the British-controlled dockyard. Construction and decoration was carried out dominantly by the Wadia family of Parsi shipbuilders, though their names went unrecorded.^[3]

Figureheads could take the form of animals, Greek mythological characters, naval heroes, members of the royal family, political figures and other notable members of high society. A figurehead in female form was particularly common, especially with one or both breasts bared; a design trait that was believed to hold the power to calm treacherous seas.^[4]

Much of the collection has been held on site in Portsmouth, with many on display in the Figureheads Gallery. Others, however, remain inaccessible to the public, either in storage or "behind the wire" within HMNB Portsmouth Dockyard, exposed to the elements and lacking preservation.

Fourteen of the National Museum of the Royal Navy's collection were loaned to The Box, Plymouth when they transformed from Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and reopened in 2020. These received full conservation and can be seen on display in the South Hall.^[5]

Others are still held at various European dockyards that once supported the Royal Navy, either through allied relationships or as former states of the British Empire.

Other notable collections of figureheads can be found at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, who hold sixty figureheads respectively, making up another national collection.^[6]

Several others can be seen housed within Devonport Naval Heritage Centre in Plymouth.

The project was greenlit by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Pilgrim Trust in 2023 who funded grants of £249,000 and £15,000 respectively.^[7] Three figureheads received full conservation: HMS Seaflower (1873), HM Brig Martin and HMS Queen Charlotte (1810) A further two - HMS Asia (1824) and HMS Madagascar (1822) - were identified for re-interpretation. Vast numbers of the collection were also researched in-depth for the first time, with new knowledge being shared with visitors and other interested parties through the Bloomberg Connects website and app; ArtUK and Wikipedia.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy created a team of curators, conservators and community producers to work on the project over the course of two years, and employed Orbis Conservation and Lincoln Conservation to carry out the restorative and analytical work to the five figureheads. The museum also worked with numerous community groups to better understand the nuances of accuracy with portrayal and culturally appropriate representation, and to direct the research.