Port Cities website launch

PortCities UK, a new website covering the history of UK port cities was officially launched on Monday 22 September. The site explores the history of five ports, the events and people who shaped them and the communities that developed around them.

The interactive website allows public access to images from the historic archives, museums and libraries of the five partners. The online collection follows the digitisation of over 60,000 photographs, paintings, drawings and documents, some of these displayed for the first time.

Box UK  implemented Amaxus, its XML Content Management System, for three of the five partners: National Maritime Museum, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services and Hartlepool Borough Libraries.

The Port Cities project was a European Union tender, and is funded by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF). Amaxus was selected from over 120 content management systems.

Notes for editors:

1. Box UK was established in 1998 to provide Internet development, design and consultancy services to a broad range of clients. Since its inception it has moved heavily into creating dynamic, database-driven applications using the latest cutting-edge technologies.

2. Clients include the National Maritime Museum, DfES, BECTa, Chubb, Corus Rail, UB40, Royal Observatory Greenwich, the Basic Skills Agency, the Port Cities Consortium, McCann Erickson and Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

3. The company is known for its expertise in all areas of application development, including the implementation of high-level content management systems.

4. More details on Amaxus are at www.boxuk.com/amaxus.

5. PortCities explores the significant impact of the maritime world on UK culture. It is a partnership of websites supported by the New Opportunities Fund to give access to the collections contributed by heritage organisations in five key maritime cities around the UK – Bristol, Hartlepool, Liverpool, London and Southampton. More information is available at http://www.portcities.org.uk.