Time to resume (fairly) regular blogging! The recent hiatus has been due partly to various commitments, but also to a sense that I had nothing new to blog about. Recently, though, I’ve done a little travelling, the first in six months, and also realised that I have a huge bank of material which is perfect for the present situation, especially as we go into winter. Over the years, I’ve been privileged to visit and photograph many places connected to naval and/or general history, some of them far off the beaten track or usually inaccessible to the public. So over the next few weeks, maybe months, I’ll present a selection of images from these places in the hope that they’ll provide some escapism, and maybe give you a few ideas for places to aim for once travel problems ease.
To kick off, I recently paid a visit to Portsmouth in my capacity as chair of the Society for Nautical Research. The SNR’s first major achievement was to save HMS Victory for future generations, and we still administer the Save the Victory Fund, the first donation to which came from King George V. I was given a personal tour of the new and much more efficient system of props underneath the hull, as well as of the work on the nearby Victory gallery, which will reopen in 2021 after extensive refurbishment, partly funded by SNR. So here are some views of HMS Victory from bow to stern as you’ve never seen her before!