Kite and Royal Museums Greenwich
Wrap up warm and join us as we discover more fascinating tales of exploration and adventure on our third journey with Royal Museums Greenwich.
A top-10 UK visitor attraction, Royal Museums Greenwich is home to the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House.
Working together, we have created six new styles that we think you'll love.
Read our blog to discover the story behind the designs.
Pole to Pole
In January 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott flew his sledge flag as he and his team reached the South Pole. However, with much disappointment they found out that they weren't the first ones to get there. They'd been beaten by a Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, who had arrived just over a month earlier.
Amundsen had originally planned to venture to the North Pole. However, when he heard that this had already been reached, he changed his mission and kept it quiet.
Scott and his team embarked on their return journey but, unfortunately, their sheer exhaustion and the cold meant that sadly none of them made it home.
(Image © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
Scott and his expedition party explored Antarctica and documented the trip. As part of their research, they studied wildlife and spent months observing penguin colonies.
Did you know that polar bears and penguins are literally poles apart? Polar bears are found in the Arctic and penguins in the Antarctic. Our special Pole to Pole print, inspired by this incredible story, can be found on a hat, bib, bodysuit and sleepsuit.
Just Nuisance
Have you heard the fun story of Just Nuisance?
Nuisance was a Great Dane who made friends with the sailors in Simon’s Town, South Africa. He began illegally accompanying them on their train journeys to Cape Town until it was threatened that, unless he stopped, Nuisance would be put down. Desperate to prevent this punishment, sailors and locals pleaded with the authorities until it was agreed that Nuisance would be enlisted in the Royal Navy (which also meant he was entitled to free rail travel!).
After his entry to the Navy, Nuisance was issued a certificate of service. With ‘Nuisance’ listed as his surname, ‘Just’ was added as his forename. He then served for five years during World War II at the naval base, HMS Afrikander. Since then, no animal has been able to follow in the footsteps of Nuisance, and so he remains to this day the only dog ever to be enlisted!
(Image © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
We love this tale and couldn't resist featuring Just Nuisance on a t-shirt in our collection. Made from 100% organic cotton, this fab top will wear time and again and has such a great story for your little one to share.
Stargazer
From the beginning of time, sailors have used stars to guide them across the oceans. When there were no landmarks, they would measure the angle between the horizon, the stars, and the moon or sun to work out where in the world they were.
One of the brightest, largest and most important stars in the sky is the Polaris star. It is almost directly above the North Pole and so can be used like a compass to find north.
(Image © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
With this in mind, we designed our thoughtful stargazer t-shirt.
On it you can see three constellations, Ursa Minor in blue, Ursa Major in yellow, and Draco in white.
Did you know? The two stars at the top of Ursa Major point to the Polaris star, which is the tip of the handle in the Ursa Minor constellation.
