The Royal Naval Exhibition 1891
The Victorian era saw a rise in many things from free time, to increased education and travel. The Victorians loved an exhibition and really threw themselves into making it bigger and better.
The Exhibition took place in the Summer of 1891 and was open to the public for almost 6 months, and the public came with over two million visitors. They travelled from all over the country to visit the exhibition in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The Royal Hospital had hosted an army exhibition in 1890, and the Admiralty had a benchmark.
The Admiralty built galleries, collected equipment and artefacts, made a lake, and had life-size replicas built. They celebrated and promoted the Royal Navy and its achievements, and its world supremacy.
Franklin Gallery
including the Artic Sub Section
Nelson Galley
Blake
Benbow
including the Arts Section
Howe
Including a miscellaneous section portraying life at sea.
Cook
including the Navigation and Models section
Seppings Gallery
Including more models
St Vincent Gallery
Ordnance (Weapons and projectiles)
Armstrong Gallery
More Ordnance
Camperdown Gallery and Verandah
More Ordnance, shipbuilding and internal communications
Machinery Gallery
with state-of-the-art technology, distillers and electric lighting.
Kiosks
with models, machines and weapons
And then most exciting of all The ground with full-size replicas
HMS Victory
Eddystone Lighthouse
40-ton Ketch the Heroine
One of the things I like about this guide is the illustrated adverts, many of which are for Naval outfitters or for products such as mobile telescopes.
