The Society's Annual Lecture 2011

Sunday, 6 November was a bright morning and for the second time in a couple of months, members of the Society used the new entrance to the National Maritime Museumto walk to the lecture theatre. By 11am, the theatre was nearly full and Dr Pieter van der Merwe, the museum’s General Editor and long term member of the Society’s Executive began the Annual Lecture.

This year’s subject Edward Hawke Locker (1777 - 1849) took us firmly back toGreenwich. Edward was the youngest son of  the Napoleonic-era naval captain

William Locker and named him after his patron,  Admiral Edward Hawke. In his later years, William Locker a noted patron the arts became Lieutenant-Governor ofGreenwichHospital. It was his idea to establish a national gallery of maritime art, ideally inGreenwich.

Young Edward Hawke followed his father into the Royal Navy and developed into a talented water colourist. In 1819, he also moved toGreenwichas secretary, becoming civil commissioner in 1824. This role gave him the ability to carry forward his father’s plans for a maritime art gallery with a gift of 31 paintings from King George 1V. These pictures originally hung in the Painted Hall became the nucleus of theNationalMaritimeMuseum’s collection when it was formed in 1934.

Edward Hawke Locker also worked with the Scottish engineer, John McAdam, the inventor of ‘macadamisation’ and brought new roads to theGreenwichHospitalsite. The new road building process was very helpful toGreenwichHospital, owners of coal mines inNorthumbria. As Pieter told the audience, Edward Hawke Locker was the man who created the Greenwich town centre we know today. Sadly, he did not die inGreenwich, but his legacy lives on.

A lively Q&A session followed the lecture, prior to the customary drinks reception held outside the lecture theatre. Since the lecture, Pieter was recognised in the New Year’s Honours List as a Member of the British Empire for his  services to heritage and the local community ofGreenwich.

 Helen McIntosh