28/03/2008 06:24:00
The National Maritime Museum has received a £20m donation from a shipping magnate, in what is to be the largest single donation to a British cultural project ever made.
Sammy Ofer, an 86-year old Israeli billionaire, gave the money to fund a new wing for the London museum, the Times reports. The money will go towards the £35m construction plans for a wing in the southwest corner of the site - resulting in up to 1000 square meters of exhibition space for the museum.
It is hoped that the new wing will be ready to open to the public in time for the London Olympics in 2012 and the museum's 75th anniversary.
The National Maritime Museum is the largest of its kind in the world and boasts historical holdings and materials numbering over 2.5 million. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 and attracted 1.7 million visitors last year alone.
Mr Ofer, a self made business man, is based in Monaco but also has homes in Tel Aviv and London - from which a significant part of his shipping fleet operates.
Speaking to the Times, Lord Sterling of Plaistow, the museum's chairman and a close friend of Mr Ofer's, described him as a "very generous man" who has made several hefty donations to various hospitals and other causes in the last few years. In a statement about concerning his gift Mr Ofer commented:
"I look forward to helping this hugely exciting project and believe it will be a great step forward for the museum."