A gallery room is an enclosed balcony or projection on both sides of a wooden sailing ship towards the stern, with various uses depending on the ship’s function and captain’s choices. In the 17th century, it played a role in naval combat, while in the 18th century, it was mainly used to let light into the cabins and provide extra space. The quarter galleries were also used as small private offices or bedrooms and as latrines.
On a wooden sailing ship, a gallery room is an enclosed balcony or projection located on both sides of the hull toward the stern. It is usually connected to the aft gallery. The name derives from the fact that the sides of the ship towards the stern are known as quarters, while the term “gallery” originates from domestic architecture, where a gallery was an enclosed or partially enclosed interior balcony.
A gallery room was an external projection, with the wall or bulkhead separating it from the main cabin actually being the hull of the ship. Slots in the hull supported the beams that formed the gallery frame. Together with the aft gallery, the quarter galleries formed a projection box that encircled the stern of the vessel.
A gallery room had a variety of uses, depending on the ship’s function and the choices of its captain. The role of the room gallery also changed over time, and the 18th and 19th century vase room galleries were very different from those of their 17th century predecessors. Severe galleries played a role in combat, sanitation, and accommodation.
Sailing ship quarter galleries in the 17th century played a role in naval combat. During a battle, snipers armed with muskets could stand in these galleries and shoot at enemy ships. The quarter galleries of ships such as the Swedish warship Vasa, which sank in 1628, have narrow windows to offer maximum protection to musketeers firing from them. By the end of the 18th century, however, this seems to have changed. The quarter galleries of HMS Victory, launched in 1765, have rows of glazed windows that would not be a suitable position for snipers.
However, the great rows of glass windows in Victory’s quarter galleries would let light into the cabins at the stern of the ship. In the 18th century, this seems to have been the main function of the gallery of rooms. Since space was at a premium aboard ship, even the minimal amount of extra space a room gallery offered was invaluable. Galleries can be used as small private offices or bedrooms, especially on a ship that carries passengers. It was also very common for one of the quarter galleries attached to the captain’s quarters to be used as a latrine, especially on smaller frigates and vessels with only one level of galleries.
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