BSL Tour: Amazing Animals in Maritime History

Created by Royal Museums Greenwich

Join historian and guide John Wilson at the NMM, for a British Sign Language (BSL) tour about remarkable animals.

Join historian and guide John Wilson for a British Sign Language (BSL) tour about animals, taking place in the Pacific Encounters and Sea Things galleries at the National Maritime Museum.

Do you think that cats and water don’t mix? Think again! The majority of sailing ships had at least one ship’s cat aboard – sometimes more than one. There are many stories of brave, loyal, funny and legendary cats on ships.

We don’t just talk about cats; discover why Captain Cook always took a goat with him on his expeditions, how birds are teaching humans how to navigate, and more.

You’ll also discover more about the rich symbology used on ship’s badges – some realistic, some mythological. Sometimes it’s obvious why an image was chosen, but sometimes a bit of code-cracking is needed!

Event details

When: Tue 3 Mar 2026, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Format: In-person

Venue:
The National Maritime Museum Greenwich
Romney Road
Greenwich SE10 9NF
United Kingdom

Cost: Free

Access & inclusion

  • BSL interpreters

More access info

This tour is designed for D/deaf people who are BSL users. There is no English voiceover.

Organiser

Royal Museums Greenwich

Sign up to get the latest Deaf and BSL events straight to your inbox.

Sponsored by