News Archive 2005
British Museum display National Heritage Memorial Fund treasures
On the 14 October, a special display will open in the Great Court of the British Museum to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of a unique fund which has helped to enrich the heritage of the UK.
The Mary Rose Trust have received significant help from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and were delighted to have the honour of being chosen to send one of the unique artefacts discovered in the ship to the prestigous National Treasures Exhibition. Rather than chosing some gold coins or a pewter dinner service as our 'treasure', we chose a musical instrument as the shawm we found is the only surviving example of its type. Called a doucaine or still shawm, it was an early form of oboe but with a musical range more like a clarinet. Additional funding has also enabled the Mary Rose Trust to create an accurate replica of the instrument so that we can hear the sound produced by this extinct instrument. This new research showed that it played in the same pitch as other instruments found on Board suggesting they could be played together - thus enabling us to reproduce the sounds of a Tudor band.
When: 14 October – 28 November
2005
Where: The British Museum's Great Court
Admission: Free
British Museum NHMF display website
The Immortal Melody - Songs of Nelson and Trafalgar
performed by David Childs CBE and The Downland Singers (and you_)
at The Royal Marines Museum, Southsea, Saturday 29th October 2005
Doors open at 6.30pm
in tribute to Admiral Lord Nelson, the Royal Navy and the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Please support us: Tickets are sold in aid of
The Royal Marines Museum & The Mary Rose Trust
Tickets £7
Bookings:
The Mary Rose Trust : contact Joanna on 02392-750521
or e-mail: j.coope@maryrose.org
or
The Royal Marines Museum: 02392-819385
or e-mail: info@royal marinesmuseum.co.uk
Oct 17
2005 Dive. Lifting the Bow and Anchor
After a three week excavation of the Mary Rose wreck site, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, the 2005 Dive concludes with the lifting of the vitally important stem timber of the bow and of the large iron anchor. The remainder of the timbers and remains left on the wreck site are being securely buried to ensure their safety over the coming years.
The stem, ten metres in length, will tell archaeologists and historians a great deal about the construction of this revolutionary ship, built at the start of King Henry VIII reign nearly 500 years ago. After recording and conservation, it will go on display, along with the huge iron anchor, in the museum that is to be built over the Mary Rose hull which sits in a dry dock within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. This "Final Voyage" of the ship will ensure that the public will be able to see and enjoy this unique ship - the only one of its era to survive anywhere in the world - together with the tens of thousands of artefacts that were found within her hull. The new museum will be a window into the Tudor Navy, the very start of the Royal Navy, and into Tudor life both afloat and ashore. Details of this museum building will be on our website very shortly.
To complete the conservation and display of this unique piece of our national heritage WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US and click on the "SUPPORT US" in the menu. Thank you!11 Oct 2005
Mary Rose October 2005 Anniversary Lectures
held at: Action Stations Auditorium, Boathouse 6, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
The 2005 programme of speakers were:
- Welcome address: Christopher Dobbs
- The formation of the first Mary Rose Trust: Richard Harrison
- The 2011 museum – concept, design, progress: Martin Knight, Wilkinson Eyre Architects
- A new look at making the timbers from the Mary Rose: Dr Damien Goodburn
- Handweapons – The forgotten armouries of the Mary Rose: Guy Wilson
- Science tells stories from the Mary Rose: Dr Michael Allen. Wessex Archaeology
- Archaeological Oceanography and its application to the Mary Rose: Dr Justin Dix
- The men of the Mary Rose - what have we learnt from the human remains found during the excavation: Dr Ann Stirland
- Boring animals on the Mary Rose site: Paola Palma, The Mary Rose Trust
- The stem, the anchor and reburial - The 2005 Dive Project: Alex Hildred, The Mary Rose Trust
- Future challenges / Closing address: John Lippiett, Chief Executive The Mary Rose Trust
Additional Evening Programme:
Mary Rose ‘Pre-Trafalgar Dinner’ at the Mary Rose Museum with guest of Honour, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson
8 October
MOD FUNDS DIVE TO RECOVER MARY ROSE BOW SECTION
Plans have been announced today (September 21) for the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with English Heritage, to fund for a final archaeological dive on the wreck site of the Tudor warship Mary Rose.
This year the team of divers, directed by the professional diving archaeologists at the Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, hope to raise an anchor and section of the bow of Henry VIII’s flagship which foundered in the Solent off Portsmouth in 1545. Diving begins on Friday (September 23) and will continue until October 14. It is hoped to raise the bow section on October 11, the anniversary of the recovery of the hull in 1982.
MOD-funded dives on the wreck site began in the summer of 2003 and were linked with plans for the basing in Portsmouth of the Royal Navy’s new generation of much larger aircraft carriers.
The chosen option for a newly dredged, deeper channel is now unlikely to directly affect the wreck site, but the previous dives had left vulnerable timbers on the seabed. This last MOD-funded dive on the Mary Rose will fulfil English Heritage requirements for the long-term management of the site. The most important timbers, particularly the ship’s stem, the major timber in the bow, will be brought to the surface for conservation together with an anchor from the warship uncovered in 2003-4. Other sensitive but less exposed remains, whose extent has not yet been established, will be re-buried on the seabed to preserve them from decay and the ravages of marine organisms.
Commenting on the MOD decision to fund this latest dive, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, John Lippiett, said: “I am delighted with this news. It will be an exceptionally important dive for the Mary Rose and the recovery of two vulnerable items from the seabed – the stem timber and the anchor – will mean that we can rebury the remaining timbers to keep them safe.”
“Future generations will no doubt return for further excavations, but the site will be well protected. The stem is of huge significance and will help historians, archaeologists, and our many visitors, to have a far greater understanding of the Mary Rose as a ship. The dive illustrates that the Mary Rose project continues to capture the imagination and with plans imminent for the building of a new Mary Rose Museum in the Historic Dockyard our need for public support remains critical.”21 Sept 2005
BP to Fund International Centre for Maritime Conservation at Mary Rose
On 20th June, at an unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the opening of the Conservation Laboratories at the Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth, the Chief Executive of BP Shipping announced a £300,000 grant to the Trust to develop its educational programme.
The new laboratories, which have been funded as part of a major conservation grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, give the Mary Rose the opportunity to educate and inform students, over a great range of ages and skills, about the scientific elements of maritime conservation.
Since Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose was raised from the seabed of The Solent in 1982, the conservation team, led by Dr Mark Jones, have established a world-wide reputation as experts in maritime archaeological conservation. So renowned has the Trust become that it is actively conserving objects, ship and boats from the Scilly Islands to Sicily as well as the famous Sea Henge timbers from Norfolk. In addition, the Trust's advice is requested around the world including in the preservation of Sweden's most famous ship Vasa.
Now the Mary Rose Trust is equipped and in a position to impart its knowledge in a number of ways. Working with the Government's Science Learning Centre at Southampton, the Trust is developing a programme to encourage more youngsters to follow a science career through sixth form and university. It is also developing an MSc course on maritime archaeological conservation which should have a global appeal. In addition the conservation team are involved in science weeks and research work with all the local universities. The science of conservation has also been well publicised in a book by Mark Jones which forms part of the five volume publication that is being issued as the definitive work on the recovery of the Mary Rose.
BP became involved with the Mary Rose Trust at the very start of the project to excavate, raise and conserve the ship. Since that time it has provided a wide range of items from diving platforms to the chemicals needed for conservation, and including educational publications and guide books. The generous grant announced yesterday will further consolidate the relationship between the Company and the Trust. It will also become a major part of BP's aim to be active in the field of conservation and scientific education with a maritime aspect.
For photos or further information please call:
Mary Rose: Christopher Dobbs 02392-750521
BP: Captain Simon Lisiecki 01932-771662
22 June 2005
Team Appointed to Design Museum for Mary Rose
Over twenty years since the Mary Rose was raised from the seabed of The Solent, a design team has been appointed to create a permanent museum for Henry VIII's flagship in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The team, appointed by the Mary Rose Trust, comprises Wilkinson Eyre Architects - architect, Pringle Brandon - interior architect and Land Design Studio - exhibition design and interpretation.
The hull of the Mary Rose, built between 1510 and 1511, requires constant and complex conservation within highly specialised environmental conditions. As the scheme will be required to provide flexibility as the story of the conservation unfolds over the coming years, the opposing needs of the development of a visitor experience and the conservation of the hull are being addressed by designing the museum 'from the hull out'.
This 'inside out' approach, adopted by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and Pringle Brandon, cradles the hull at the centre of an arena that re-unites the original artefacts with the ship by placing them in context within a virtual glass hull representing the missing section. Deck galleries run down thelength of the ship in layers, corresponding to the original deck levels and lead into further gallery space at the end of the dry dock in Portsmouth, where the hull has lain since she was raised from the seabed in 1982.
These museum galleries will display and house the remainder of the collection and will also provide interactive exhibition opportunities. Wrapping around the dock, a long introductory space will set the scene and control the access of visitors into the newly restored ship hall. It is proposed to enclose the dry dock on either side with additional museum, educational, conservation and support spaces as well as a shop, restaurant and café. The building will be roofed by a low shell structure that will be prefabricated and lifted over the existing ship hall.
The design team will initially work with the Mary Rose Trust to RIBA Stage C and a Stage 1 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The museum is expected to open in 2011, the 500th anniversary of the first voyage of the Mary Rose.
Further details of the team
Project Team
Architect - Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Interior Architect - Pringle Brandon
Exhibition Design - Land Design Studio
Structural Engineer - Gifford
Quantity Surveyor - Davis Langdon
M&E Engineer - Gifford
Client - Mary Rose Trust
Wilkinson Eyre Architects, with its portfolio of national and international award-winning projects, is one of the UK’s leading architectural companies. The practice has been awarded the highly prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize two years in succession: in 2001 for the Magna science adventure centre in Rotherham, Yorkshire, and in 2002 for the much-acclaimed Gateshead Millennium Bridge which spans the River Tyne in Gateshead. The Mary Rose Museum project represents the latest in a series of successful lottery-funded cultural projects which the practice has completed within sensitive heritage contexts.
www.wilkinsoneyre.com
Pringle Brandon, specialists in interior architecture, has been designing from the ‘inside out’ since 1986. The practice has a wealth of experience creating showcase spaces and integrating art and technology into buildings. Chris Brandon, a founding partner of Pringle Brandon, past chairman of Nautical Archaeological Society (NAS) and research associate at the Research Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, comments: “Finally I can unite my two passions in life - architecture and marine archaeology. We have a truly unique opportunity to reunite all the artefacts of the Mary Rose.’’
www.pringle-brandon.co.uk
Land Design Studio has focused, since its formation in 1992, on the convergence of architectural space, narrative interpretation and the use of communication media. In particular the studio has built a reputation investigating sensory space and intuitive digital interfaces. Recently it completed the UK pavilion at the Japan Expo commissioned by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
www.landdesignstudio.co.uk
The Mary Rose Trust are the guardians of the Mary Rose and the incredible collection of 19,000 objects raised from within the hull during the world's largest underwater archaeological excavation. The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s favourite warship and had a successful career for 34 years, before sinking in 1545. Chief Executive, Rear Admiral John Lippiett announced: "We are delighted to have appointed the Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon team to design the building that will at last enable us to do justice to the Mary Rose collection. It has always been the Trust's intention to display the stunning contents together with the ship, and this purpose-built museum will allow us to do this for the first time".
May 2005
'BECAUSE SHE'S OURS'
MARY ROSE APPEAL FOR PERMANENT MUSEUM STARTS IN PORTSMOUTH
Local residents and the regional business community have been urged to support the ambitious appeal to create a world-class museum as the permanent home of Henry VIII’s favourite warship, the Mary Rose, famously raised in 1982 from the Solent and now on display in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The appeal, 'Because She’s Ours' was launched on Thursday 10th March, at an evening reception held in the Mary Rose Museum, home to thousands of artefacts that were recovered with the hull in 1982. The appeal coincides with SeaBritain, a national initiative featuring a yearlong programme of events that explore the nation’s rich maritime heritage.
The launch celebrated the fact that the Mary Rose is a Portsmouth ship. She was built in the dockyard between 1509 and 1511, a short distance from where she is now displayed, manned by local sailors, sank in The Solent in defence of Portsmouth and was recovered and returned to Portsmouth. Supporters were urged to publicise their support by displaying stickers and donating funds towards the appeal. Guests included Mrs Mary Fagan, the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and Councillor Fazackarley, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth. Other guests represented the MoD and leaders of local businesses. The event was generously sponsored by Wightlink, whose Chairman Michael Aiken is a Trustee of The Mary Rose Trust.
Since 1982 the ship has being undergoing conservation through spraying and some 6.5 million people have visited her. The spraying programme will end in 2010 after which the hull will be dried out and the public will be able, for the first time, to approach the ship without having any physical barrier in between. The plans for a museum will allow for the Tudor artefacts to be presented alongside the hull in a more appropriate way. They are currently on display in Boat House 5, a short walk from the ship hall. There will also be room to show many more items and the space to mount major exhibitions not only on the Mary Rose, but on the whole of the Tudor Navy. The museum will also feature areas devoted to Maritime Archaeology and Conservation, both disciplines in which the Mary Rose Trust leads the world.
It is estimated that the project, due to open in 2011, the 500th anniversary of the first voyage of the Mary Rose will attract an additional 150,000 new visitors a year to Portsmouth as well as enhancing the City's international reputation for excellence.
The Mary Rose is the earliest example of the skill of Portsmouth craftsmen which, for hundreds of years, were to lead the world in shipbuilding in both wood, iron and steel. Portsmouth was, for many years, the largest industrial complex on earth and its products internationally renowned and feared. The new museum for the Mary Rose will show how all that tradition began. It will show the expansion of England from a small offshore Island to the greatest Empire that the world has ever seen.
The Mary Rose Trust’s Chief Executive John Lippiett explains: "Nowhere else in the country is better placed to tell this amazing story and nothing symbolises the start of this great nationaladventure as much as the Mary Rose. She is a Portsmouth ship and we hope that the people and businesses of Portsmouth and the Southeast will really support the appeal - 'Because She's Ours'."
11/3/05
Mary Rose wins Business Excellence Award for Community Service
On the 13th January the Mary Rose won The News Business Excellence Award for Community Service. The award, which is sponsored by EADS Astrium, was presented at a dinner in Portsmouth Guildhall attended by over 500 members of the local business community. It was given for the Mary Rose Outreach Programme, which was funded by DCMS, and enabled staff to take objects from the ship, along with costumed interpreters, to groups in the local area who were, for some reason or other, unable to visit the museum themselves. This included the elderly, disabled, reluctant school attendees, ethnic minorities and asylum seekers and many others. All who were able to use the service were enthusiastic about the benefits they had received and the interest aroused in them through their involvement.
Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust John Lippiett said "I am delighted that the excellence of our Outreach Programme has been recognised by this important award. We continually strive to fulfill our original objectives that outlined how our work here at the Trust is being done ‘for the education and benefit of the nation’. This programme is an example of how we try to reach out into the wider community and include people who would not normally visit the museum".
Mary Rose at the Boat Show
The Mary Rose has a presence at the Schroders London Boat Show from 6 - 16 January. We have a small display on the Lewmar Stand in the North Hall. Come and see us if you are at the Show.
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