Appointment to the new post of Head of the National Historic Ships Unit
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the National Maritime Museum (NMM) are very pleased to announce the appointment of Martyn Heighton to lead the National Historic Ships Unit (NHSU) as Head of Secretariat to the newly-created Historic Ships Advisory Committee.
The Historic Ships Advisory Committee will advise the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the development of a policy for national historic ships, including funding priorities, preservation, interpretation and public access, and identifying professional and technical support for the national historic fleet, which is in both public and private ownership.
Martyn Heighton has extensive experience in maritime heritage. A former Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, his earlier career includes responsibility as Director of Leisure for Bristol’s Historic Harbour, the Matthew project, and the first international ‘Festival of the Sea’ which Bristol hosted in 1996. He also led the Merseyside Maritime Museum development in the early 1980s as part of the regeneration of the Albert Dock, Liverpool. After Mary Rose, he joined the Management Board of the National Trust, where in addition to a portfolio covering the Trust’s extensive holdings in Wales and Western England, he coordinated the Trust’s national programme to celebrate SeaBritain 2005. Most recently, he has been championing a comprehensive range of projects throughout the South West to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s birth in 2006.
Martyn Heighton said
“The direct funding of the Unit and the Advisory Committee is a clear demonstration of DCMS’s commitment to the national historic fleet. We now have a superb opportunity to build on the vital work carried out over the past thirteen years by the National Historic Ships Committee which has built up a comprehensive picture of the important vessels which remain in the United Kingdom. I am looking forward to working with the new Advisory Committee, and the wide variety of agencies and individuals engaged in this exciting and challenging heritage sector.”
Stephen Riley, Director of Maritime Heritage at the National Maritime Museum said,
“The National Historic Ships Committee, under the more recent chairmanship of Captain Richard Woodman, has made great strides in promoting the interests of historic ships and encouraging government to create a new policy with associated funds. This represents a hugely valuable legacy for the new Advisory Committee. We are delighted Martyn Heighton will be leading the new Unit at this important stage in its continuing development. He brings a wealth of experience and personal enthusiasm for the historic ships fleet and will speak with authority on behalf of ship and boat owners throughout the UK.”
Notes for editors
The National Historic Ships Committee was launched at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, in 1992 with the aim of securing the long-term preservation of a sample of ships to reflect the UK’s maritime history. In pursuit of this aim, it has had the following objectives to:
- work towards a national policy on historic ships, to establish ways in which the historic fleet can be supported and sustained and to keep abreast of legislation as it affects historic ships.
- provide owners, government departments and other bodies with information on the national importance, condition, maintenance and preservation of historic ships.
- provide guidance on the selection of ships for preservation.
- provide advice on the allocation of funding for the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of historic ships.
- help codify and publish acknowledged standards on the technical aspects of restoring, preserving and maintaining historic ships.
The NHSC has created the National Register of Historic Vessels, a database containing information about 1,200 vessels in the UK and identifying those of outstanding national importance: for more information go to www.nhsc.org.uk
In February 2005 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced that funding had been secured for the setting up of an Advisory Committee on Historic Ships, to become operational from April 2006. The new Advisory Committee will be lodged at the National Maritime Museum and will provide independent advice to the Secretary of State on national ship preservation and funding priorities.
For further information, images and interviews please contact:
Sheryl Twigg, Gaby Wilson or Lisa Pender
National Maritime Museum Press Office
Tel: 020 8312 6790/6732/6545 | 07903 547 284
Email press@nmm.ac.uk
Stephen Riley, Director of Maritime Heritage
National Maritime Museum
Tel: 0208 312 6766
Issued 28 October by the National Maritime Museum Press Office.