• New exhibition at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum explores the legacy of the world’s most famous ship.
  • Includes genuine artefacts from the Titanic and her sister ships and memorabilia from the 1997 James Cameron movie.
  • Exhibition tells the story of Worcestershire’s connections to Titanic bringing the passenger experience to life.
  • Celebrating the reopening of the Art Gallery & Museums following closure due to the pandemic.

Titanic: Honour & Glory will bring to life the history of the legendary ocean liner Titanic from 17 May – 11 September 2021 as Worcester City Art Gallery and Museums re-opens to the public.

From her conception to her premature demise, Titanic has become the most famous ocean liner in the world.  In Titanic: Honour & Glory see a fascinating collection of rare Titanic and White Star Line artefacts in addition to magnificent props and costumes from the 1997 James Cameron film, Titanic. Discover the story of Titanic through real artefacts and personal stories, from Worcestershire, experience the grandeur of transatlantic travel and step back into the gilded age as you view awe-inspiring examples of the ship’s luxurious interior fittings.

Voted one of the top five exhibitions in the United Kingdom by The Times, Titanic: Honour & Glory will explore her story, and those of her sister ships and their owners, the White Star Line, as well as revealing the local links of some of its passengers.

Titanic: Honour & Glory gathers together an unrivalled collection of genuine and rare artefacts from the Titanic and her sister ships.

Highlights include:

  • Beautiful china dinner plates upon which the first meals were served aboard Titanic
  • A nameplate from one of Titanic’s lifeboats
  • Rare examples of in memoriam tributes made in the aftermath of the sinking, including Titanic relief fund cheques, which were given to support the families of those who were lost
  • Glimpses of the liner’s sumptuous interior and the luxury passengers enjoyed aboard a White Star liner through rare examples from her sister ships, Olympic and Britannic
  • A selection of props from the film Titanic including some of the dresses worn by Kate Winslet and the dazzling ‘heart of the ocean’ necklace.

The exhibition’s showing at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum will also feature a moving display about the Worcestershire connections to the sinking of the Titanic.   These were Francis David Millet, who was part of a group of artists based at Broadway in Worcestershire.  Leopold Weisz, who studied at the Bromsgrove Guild of Art, where he met and married his wife, Mathilde.
Henry John Spinner who was born in 1880 in Arboretum, Worcester and later lived in Claines, Worcester.

Samuel Hemming a member of the crew, a lamp trimmer, and when he signed on gave his place of birth as Worcester.  Ellen Walker who lived in Worcester, was conceived on the Titanic, daughter of passengers Kate Phillips and Henry Samuel Morley.  These stories will add a moving personal resonance to the exhibition for local residents.

The exhibition will also include a letter on loan from Worcestershire Archive and Archelogy Service, written by first class passenger Frank Millet onboard the RMS Titanic dated the day before the boat sank. Frank, an American painter, sculptor and writer had written to Alfred Parsons, a painter and illustrator who lived in Broadway, Worcestershire with some wonderful descriptions of the ship and his fellow passengers.

The exhibition will be supported by an extensive range of themed events including a series of talks, an ‘On Board the Titanic Trail’ available every day, and special events recreating life aboard the Edwardian passenger liner, which will give visitors the chance to meet some of the characters who were aboard as they tell their stories of that fateful night, along with hands-on activities like sending a telegram, recreating the famous shot of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on the deck of the ship in a specially designed selfie station, and a talk by John Hodges, author of Titanic and resident of Worcester.

Titanic: Honour & Glory comes to Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum from Titanic Honour & Glory Limited, a private company founded by Sean Szmalc, historian and lifelong Titanic collector. Sean is delighted to be bringing his unique collection to Worcester saying: “This diverse exhibition appeals to so many people from all age groups. With this exhibition we aim to increase the knowledge of Titanic’s history and that of her sister ships and the White Star Line, which owned and operated many of the finest liners ever to sail the high seas. Each visitor will experience what it was like to have been aboard Titanic, the opulence, luxury and the ultimate survival during the tragedy. The exhibition will take you on a genuine voyage of discovery.”

Deborah Fox, Senior Curator with Museums Worcestershire says: “The Titanic disaster has such a powerful, enduring hold on the imagination we are expecting this exhibition to be a big draw over the summer. The stories of Worcestershire residents who were on board the Titanic make this even more poignant. We look forward to welcoming visitors who are fascinated by this story as well as to welcoming visitors back safely to the Art Gallery & Museum as we reopen to the public following the national lockdown.”

The exhibition is free and runs from 17 May until 11 September – more information can be found here.

Please note that social distancing measures will continue to be in place when the exhibition opens and we will be managing visitor numbers, reminding visitors to remain socially distant and to wear a face mask for a safe and happy visit. Plan a visit to Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum here.

-ENDS-

Press contact:

Helen Annetts, PR on behalf of Worcester City Art Gallery on 07779026720 or email HelenLAnnetts@hotmail.co.uk

Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on 01905 25371 or email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk

 

Exhibition Details:

Titanic: Honour & Glory
17 May – 11 September 2021

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, Foregate St, Worcester WR1 1DT.
Open Monday to Saturday: 10.30am – 4.30pm

FREE

 

Notes on the exhibition:

Worcestershire Connections:

The scale of the Titanic disaster ensured that news quickly travelled around the globe.  People across the world were affected by the sinking, including families in Worcester.  Amongst those travelling on the ship were a number of local people.  Here are some of their stories.

Francis David Millet: First Class Passenger.

Francis David Millet, an internationally famous painter born in the United States, Millet was part of a group of artists based at Broadway in Worcestershire. He drowned when the Titanic sank, and his body was later recovered and buried in Massachusetts.

Leopold and Mathilde Weisz: Second Class Passengers.

Leopold Weisz, born in Europe, he later studied at the Bromsgrove Guild of Art, where he met and married his wife, Mathilde.  They sailed for the USA on the Titanic, with their life savings in gold sewed into the lining of Leopold’s coat.  Mathilde survived the sinking, Leopold did not, though his body was recovered and the money hidden in the coat was returned to his widow.

Henry John Spinner: Third Class Passenger.

Henry John Spinner who was born in 1880 in the Arboretum, Worcester and later lived in Claines, Worcester.  He boarded at Southampton as a third-class passenger and died in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

Samuel Hemming: Crewmember: Lamp Trimmer

Samuel Hemming was a member of the crew, a lamp trimmer, and when he signed on gave his place of birth as Worcester.  He was one of the first people to realise the ship was sinking after striking the iceberg.  He recalled hearing air being pushed out of the forepeak tank.  Samuel Hemming was picked out of the water after the sinking by lifeboat number four.

Kate Phillips and Henry Samuel Morley: Second Class Passengers (Assumed named Mr. and Mrs. Marshall)

Ellen Walker who lived in Worcester, was conceived on the Titanic, daughter of Kate Phillips who was a shop assistant in Morley’s high class confectionery shop, located in Foregate Street Worcester and Henry Samuel Morley, who was the owner of Morleys high class confectionery shop.  Both he and Kate had eloped on the Titanic as second-class passengers under the assumed names of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall.  Kate survived the sinking and sadly Henry was lost.

Notes for Editors

Titanic: Family Activities

Pre booking essential – spaces limited, social distancing measures in place. To book visit www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk Cost £4 per participant

Tuesday 1 June
11am – 12pm

Boat building – drama activity

Use your imagination to create a seafaring vessel, inspired by the exciting Titanic exhibition.

Thursday 3 June
11am – 1pm
Titanic 3D collage

Create your own version of the Titanic story with a raft of collage materials.

Bite size talks – Stories from the Titanic
8 June
Online via Museums Worcestershire YouTube

Museums after hours
28 May

Online via Museums Worcestershire YouTube
With solo cellist Rebecca Rose. Check website for details.

Summer holidays
Drop-in Wednesday Workshops
11am – 1pm £4 per child, no booking required

Themes to include:

  • 3D Titanic Collage
  • Titanic Print Poster (advertising the maiden voyage)
  • Through the Porthole (a scraptastic art activity)
  • Stick Puppets from the oceans deep
  • Titanic Memory Box
  • The Story of the Titanic (in comic strip form)

About Museums Worcestershire
Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, the Commandery in Worcester and The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

The collections and exhibitions at our sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.

www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Titanic Honour and Glory is produced by Titanic Honour and Glory Limited, based in Scotland, a leader in providing high quality, state-of-the-art educational family experiences, educational outreach experiences for schools and groups and produces exhibits in collaboration with more than 200 leading museums and galleries throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe and America.
www.titanichonourandglorylimited.com