Maritime museums · London
HMS President
In or near Covent Garden.
HMS President in England London, United Kingdom.
Paul Gillett — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 2 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Blackfriars · 0.3 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
HMS President is located in the City of London, postcode EC4Y 0HA, and the nearest railway station is Blackfriars, which is 0.3 km away. Entry information is not provided, but please note that wheelchair accessibility is limited.
About
HMS President is a preserved museum ship in England London, United Kingdom — a vessel of historic significance preserved as a public visitor attraction. Britain's museum ships span Tudor warships (Mary Rose), tea clippers (Cutty Sark), Victorian battleships (HMS Warrior) and 20th-century submarines.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2026
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
From the Wikipedia article
HMS President (formerly HMS Saxifrage) is a retired Flower-class Q-ship that was launched in 1918. She was renamed HMS President in 1922 and moored permanently on the Thames as a Royal Navy Reserve drill ship. In 1988 she was sold to private owners and, having changed hands twice, served as a venue for conferences and functions as well as the offices for a number of media companies. She has since been moved to Chatham on the Medway in Kent since 2016, where she was abandoned in 2022. She had the suffix "(1918)" added to her name in order to distinguish her from HMS President, the Royal Naval Reserve base in St Katharine Docks. She is one of the last three surviving Royal Navy warships of the First World War. She is also the sole representative of the first type of purpose built anti-submarine vessels, and is the ancestor of World War II convoy escort sloops, which evolved into modern anti-submarine frigates.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
HMS President was built as an Anchusa-type . These were built between 1916 and 1918 as submarine hunters disguised to look like merchant ships, while carrying concealed 4-inch and 12-pounder naval guns. U-boats would dive at the sight of a naval warship, and the success of the Q-ships, or 'mystery ships' – converted merchantmen with hidden guns – led to the building of these specialised naval vessels for the same purpose. It was intended that a U-boat captain, unwilling to expend a precious torpedo on a small coastal merchantman, would surface to sink it by gunfire. As the submarine closed for the kill, the Q-ship would reveal her hidden guns and counterattack while the U-boat was at its…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5106, -0.1083
- District
- City of London
- Parish
- City of London, unparished area
- Postcode
- EC4Y 0HA
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
- Nearest railway station
- Blackfriars — 0.3 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q5633856 (CC0)
- wikipedia: HMS President (1918) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Taxi
Public art & sculpture · 0.2 km
Taxi!
Public art & sculpture · 0.2 km
Inner Temple Garden
Gardens · 0.2 km
National Submarine War Memorial
Public art & sculpture · 0.2 km
7, King's Bench Walk
Historic houses · 0.2 km
2 King's Bench Walk
Gardens · 0.2 km
Bridewell Palace
Palaces · 0.2 km
Monument Queen Victoria visits The City
Memorials & monuments · 0.2 km
6, Kings Bench Walk Ec4
Historic houses · 0.2 km
Middle Temple Gardens
Gardens · 0.2 km
Temple Stairs Arch
Memorials & monuments · 0.2 km
5, Kings Bench Walk Ec4
Historic houses · 0.2 km
Nearby
📷 5Public art & sculpture · London
Taxi
Taxi — Public artwork (statue) by J. Seward Johnson, Jr..
📷 5📷 5Gardens · London
Inner Temple Garden
Inner Temple Garden — Grade II registered garden in London.
📷 5Public art & sculpture · London
National Submarine War Memorial
National Submarine War Memorial in England London, United Kingdom.
📷 5Historic houses · London
7, King's Bench Walk
7, King's Bench Walk — a Grade I-listed historic house in england-london, United Kingdom.
📷 5Gardens · London
2 King's Bench Walk
2 King's Bench Walk — a garden in england-london, United Kingdom.
Where to eat & stay near HMS President
Places to stay
📷 5
📷 7Hotels · London
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars — a hotel in england london. 5-star. Brand: Hyatt Regency.
📷 7Hotels · London
Apex Temple Court Hotel
Apex Temple Court Hotel — a hotel in england london.
📷 5Hotels · London
Bankside Hotel Autograph Collection
Bankside Hotel Autograph Collection — a hotel in england london.
📷 5Hostels · London
YHA London St Pauls
YHA London St Pauls — a hostel in england london. Brand: Youth Hostels Association.
📷 5Hotels · London
Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul's
Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul's — a hotel in england london. Brand: Leonardo Royal Hotel.
Places to eat & drink
★ Iconic📷 12Historic pubs · London
The Black Friar
London's only complete art-nouveau pub, with bronze friars and 1905 mosaics.
.jpg?width=1200)
📷 5Historic pubs · London
The Blackfriar
The Blackfriar — Historic pub — listed building or notable heritage status.
📷 7
📷 5
📷 5
📷 6More places in this region
📷 5
📷 5
📷 5
📷 5Maritime museums · London
Golden Hinde
Golden Hinde in England London, United Kingdom.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is HMS President?
- HMS President is in London, United Kingdom (postcode EC4Y 0HA), in the parish of City of London, unparished area.
- What is HMS President?
- HMS President in England London, United Kingdom.
- How do I get to HMS President?
- The nearest railway station is Blackfriars, about 0.3 km away. Drivers can use postcode EC4Y 0HA.
- How do I get to HMS President?
- The nearest railway station is Blackfriars, about 0.3 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode EC4Y 0HA.