World Museum

Gallery meeting at 8.00.

The lift at 7.59.

On the night of 14 April 1912, RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Approximately 2,200 passengers and crew were on board. 114 years later the story of Titanic continues to fascinate.

While Maritime Museum is closed for a major refurbishment their team are joining us for special day bringing talks, live performance and object handling to create an intriguing overview of the world's most famous ship.

⭐Spotlight Day: Titanic⭐
▪️Saturday 27 June
▪️11am
🎟️https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/world-museum/event/spotlight-day-titanic

We're proud to see research from World Museum featured in this year's State of the World's Plants and Fungi report from Kew Gardens. The project provides assessments of our current knowledge of the diversity of plants and fungi on Earth, the global threats that they face, and the policies to safeguard them.

This year’s report highlights the digital revolution that is underway in the herbaria (collections of preserved plant specimens and their records, often collected over centuries) across the world. As these collections are digitised and shared online, they're becoming powerful tools for conservation, because they are like time capsules, capturing where, when and by whom plants were collected.

The report features the work of World Museum's botany curators Dr Geraldine Reid and Wendy Atkinson who have been working on the Fern Flora of Honduras project with a team of botanists in UK, Europe and Honduras, led by Dr Sven Batke, Edge Hill University. Their work has shown how we can safeguard nature by using accurate data contained in herbarium specimens.

The team studied the diversity of 713 Honduran ferns and lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses and quillworts) and used digitised herbarium specimens contained around the world to uncover a surprising gap: many species recorded in historical collections were missing from conservation management plans for protected areas in Honduras.

Their work demonstrated the need for conservation management plans to take into account the information held in herbarium specimens to ensure that areas are protected, improving the conservation planning process. The team were then able to use this research to create a strategy for ensure that highly biodiverse areas are more protected.

Amongst the tales of loss that surround the Titanic, this item marks a tale of survival.

This first class ticket for the Titanic's maiden voyage belonged to Reverend J. Stuart Holden, a renowned preacher and Anglican minister. He had purchased it in order to attend a religious convention in America.

Holden, who was born in Liverpool, cancelled his trip just before the voyage because his wife was taken ill. After this lucky escape Holden framed his boarding card adding a passage from Psalm 103.4 expressing gratitude for God’s mercy.

The item was donated to National Museums Liverpool via Reverend Holden’s family in the 1970s. A copy of the ticket (presented incorrectly as an original) sold at auction in 2000 for $8000.

Explore this object and more in National Museums Liverpool at 40, now on display at World Museum.

Discover the wonders of the natural world, one page at a time 🌍📚

From exploring our planet's most extraordinary habitats to uncovering the fascinating lives of insects, these beautifully illustrated books make the perfect gift for curious minds of all ages.

June brings some exciting sights for skywatchers! 🌙✨

Our latest Astronomy Round-Up from the Planetarium's very own Patrick explores what to look for in the night sky this month, including the best times to spot the planets and other celestial highlights. 🔭

This month, early risers can spot a spectacular gathering of planets before sunrise. Brilliant Venus shines in the eastern sky, while Jupiter, Saturn and even elusive Mercury make appearances throughout the month. Keep an eye out on 19 June when a thin crescent Moon sits close to Venus in a beautiful pre-dawn pairing!

On 21 June, the Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official start of astronomical summer 😎

Read the full round-up on our website via the link in bio. 🔭

📸 © Pete Carr

Painted by Walter Sickert around 1902, Bathers, Dieppe is one of six large works originally commissioned for the Hôtel de la Plage in Dieppe.

The hotel’s proprietor famously disliked the series so much that foue (including this one) were sold on instead.

In 1935, the same year a major Sickert exhibition was held at the Walker, this vibrant beach scene entered the collection.

Sickert’s composition feels spontaneous and snapshot‑like: bathers cropped at the edges, no horizon, and a viewpoint that looks down onto the beach from a promenade.

But behind that apparent casualness is meticulous design - from the triangular grouping of striped bathers to the contrast between bold vertical figures and the looser, wave-like strokes inspired by Monet.

The striped bathing suits worn here were standard Dieppe beachwear, hired from the local casino. Sickert himself was photographed wearing one during his stays, a detail that may have helped shape this work.

See this object and explore the breadth of National Museums Liverpool's collections at National Museums Liverpool at 40, currently on display at World Museum.

⭐Step aboard the story of Titanic⭐

Spotlight Day: Titanic will bring the drama, innovation and human stories of the world's most famous ship vividly to life.

While Maritime Museum is closed for a massive redevelopment project we are hosting this immersive event, blending talks, live performance and object handling to offer a rich and accessible overview of a ship that continues to fascinate more than a century on.

▪️Saturday 27 June
▪️11am
🎟️Book your place now:https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/world-museum/event/spotlight-day-titanic