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The Greenwich Heritage Centre holds all the collections of the former Greenwich Borough Museum in Plumstead and the Local Studies Library at Woodlands. This includes maps, photographs, paintings, archaeological material, natural history specimens, and social history objects.
We hold the records for the London Borough of Greenwich, as well as its predecessors. Highlights of the museum collection include material from the Roman Temple in Greenwich Park, tools used in the Royal Arsenal, an Egyptian mummified cat, and a range of 19th and 20th century watercolours.
Our permanent exhibition includes many objects relating to the Arsenal, but most of the collection is not on display. These objects may be viewed by appointment with the Collections Manager or through Search Room staff. We also use the collection in temporary exhibitions and education programmes.
Collections News
Recently acquired;
Interesting artefacts that were made in the Woolwich Arsenal towards the end of the WW1. Made from shell casings, bullets, and scraps of metal and reshaped into ashtrays, cigarette holders, and decorative objects.
Francis Barnett motorcycle made by the Associated Motorcycle (AMC) Company of Plumstead. Trials 85 model, 249cc from 1960.
The Greenwich Heritage Centre takes its unusual and quirky logo from this jug. It was excavated in the 1970s from the old Woolwich Dockyard and was made in a large kiln there in the 17th century. ‘Bellarmine’ jugs were first made in Germany and are also called ‘Bartmann’ or ‘bearded-man’ jugs because they were stamped with a stylised man’s face on the neck.
Their popularity quickly spread across northern Europe so local producers began making their own. The stamp below, showing a man holding a staff, was the local branding for the Woolwich pottery kiln.
We actively collect objects and documents about the Borough of Greenwich. If you are interested in donating something, please contact the Collections Manager.
It's not necessarily the age of an object that makes it interesting, it's the stories around it, so if you have an object that tells a unique story about life in Greenwich and you want to share it more widely, then please get in touch.
Please note that there are limits to what we collect based on size, condition, and provenance of objects. We are unable to accept costume, natural history, or very large objects at this time, but please get in touch if there are exceptional circumstances.
Other Collections of Interest
We are happy to suggest other museums that may be interested in objects that do not fit our own collecting policy. The following may help you get started:
