The Maritime Museum on the New North Quay, St Helier houses the best of the Jersey Heritage Trust's nautical collections. We have chosen to group the collections into three galleries representing the sea, the ships and the people relating to the maritime history of Jersey. There are touch screens and "hands-on" exhibits inspired by the movement of wind and waves and local legends.

In the nineteenth century Jersey was the fourth biggest centre of shipbuilding in Britain, and we hold a fine collection of tools from local shipyards, many of which are displayed in the museum. There is also an extensive collection of ship painting by local artists like P J Ouless. Ship owners frequently commissioned models of ships in the nineteenth century, and the Trust holds a small collection... you can see some of them at the museum. We also have several half models of local ships. Navigational instruments, and several fine historic charts of local waters demonstrate Jersey mariners' relationships with the sea over the centuries. There is also a collection of various objects brought back from the coast of Newfoundland in the nineteenth century, where many Jersey sailors went to seek their fortunes in the cod trade. Finally, we have an extensive collection of material from the wreck of HMS Havick, which sank in St Aubin's Bay in 1800. Some of this material is on display in the Maritime Museum and the rest is currently undergoing treatment in the museum's open-access conservation lab.

For general enquiries regarding the collections of the Jersey Heritage Trust contact Val Nelson
e-mail: curators@jerseyheritagetrust.org