News Archive 2007
25th anniversary of raising of the Mary Rose highlights exciting future
October 11th marks the 25th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose, the Tudor warship famously raised from the Solent. Celebrations will be especially significant as The Mary Rose Trust awaits a decision from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) expected in January 2008, on the outcome of a bid for £21 million to complete the conservation of the ship, her contents and to build a new museum to house them.
Over 60 million people worldwide watched as the hull of the ship, a favourite of Henry VIII, broke the surface after 437 years underwater. It remains the world's largest maritime archaeology project ever and the hull and rich collection of Tudor artefacts have been visited by some 7 million visitors since.
The Mary Rose Trust's President HRH The Prince of Wales said of the anniversary:
" It hardly seems possible that twenty-five years have passed since the Mary Rose was raised from the seabed. I remember being there on the day, watching spellbound – and anxious! – as this historic ship returned to the surface and I know that millions more watched it on live television worldwide. As President of the Trust, I wish to congratulate all those who have contributed to the search, discovery, excavation and salvage of the ship, as well as the achievements of the last twenty-five years. The vital process of conservation of both the ship and the vast collection of priceless artefacts has continued with painstaking professionalism and everyone associated with this remarkable project should feel proud of what they have achieved. I look forward with eager anticipation to seeing the project completed and the fully conserved ship recombined with her artefacts in a new museum.As one of those who dived on the site during those amazing years of the excavation, I am so sorry that I cannot be there in person to celebrate the occasion with the volunteer diving team. However, I do send my warmest best wishes and congratulations to the original dive teams and to past and current volunteers, staff and other friends of the Trust at all levels. I wish them well and congratulate them on reaching this great anniversary."
A three day long lecture programme featuring famous names from TV and history will highlight how important the ship is, how she has enriched our understanding of Tudor history and how her excavation changed the face of maritime archaeology.
Key speakers include TV historian and media personality Dr David Starkey and well-known actor and long bow expert Dr Robert Hardy. They join a line-up of well known and highly regarded historians, curators, divers, researchers and maritime archaeologists who will all be speaking on the impact of the Mary Rose across a number of areas of interest.
Invitations have been extended to almost 600 divers who helped to discover and excavate the wreck site to join together over the weekend 12 th/13th October to mark the anniversary.Over the last year, Mary Rose staff has been working exceptionally hard to finalise the plans for the final conservation programme and new museum; the revised application went to the Heritage Lottery Fund in June.
John Lippiett, Chief Executive of The Mary Rose Trust explains: "The bid is most impressive and shows the improved exhibition and enlarged learning facilities which are at the heart of the Trust's activities."
He continued: "The vision has been refined and is now: 'To create a sensational and sustainable museum in which the Mary Rose and her artefacts tell their unique stories'. "
Considerable work has been put into researching the new audiences the Trust intend to reach with the new museum. This is a vital element of its engagement with the community and there are many exciting opportunities ahead.
The design of the museum building, to be built over the dry dock in which the ship sits, remains largely the same as before, but the concept for interpretation of the exhibition has changed considerably. The display will be based on the moment-in-time just before the ship sank in 1545. This unique time-capsule will show some 14,000 stunning objects close to the position where they were found in the ship. They will be displayed to tell the stories of the individuals who owned them; the admiral, the sailor, the cook, the pilot, the barber surgeon, the archer, the carpenter. Their personal and professional belongings will be brought together for the first time for us to understand how they lived and worked onboard. As the eminent Tudor historian, Dr David Starkey recently said: "The Mary Rose is the English Pompeii, preserved by water not fire. All Tudor life is there; it is like stepping inside a Holbein painting".
John Lippiett, Chief Executive of The Mary Rose Trust said: "The raising of the Mary Rose was a truly significant event and it is right that we celebrate it. But in so doing, we must also look forward to the next 25 years and beyond to secure the long term future of this unique ship and her collection of wonderful artefacts. We must ensure the Mary Rose is retained for the Nation and is fully accessible for the enjoyment and enlightenment of millions more in the future."
Oct 10 2007
Mary Rose Trust Submits New Bid to Heritage Lottery Fund
Staff from the Mary Rose Trust have completed their detailed work on a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a major grant of £21 million to complete the conservation of the ship and her contents, and to build a new museum to house them. The application was delivered to the HLF at the end of June. The detailed work was itself made possible through an initial Project Planning Grant that the Mary Rose Trust was awarded by HLF in January 2007.
The bid is the result of a huge amount of work which went back to the basics of why the Mary Rose is so significant and what it is the trust must do to display the ship and its collection to the full advantage of the public. Since the disappointing news a year ago that their earlier bid did not fully satisfy the HLF Trustees, the Mary Rose team have heeded all the constructive advice they have received from the HLF and have considerably improved the planned exhibition and enlarged the learning facilities that will be at the heart of the Trust’s activities. The vision has been refined and is now: ‘To create a sensational and sustainable museum in which the Mary Rose and her artefacts tell their unique stories’. The Trust firmly believes that the resulting plans are exceptionally exciting.
Facade of the proposed new museum
The design of the museum building, to be built over the dry dock in which the ship sits, remains largely the same as before, but the concept for interpretation of the exhibition has changed considerably. The display will be based on the moment-in-time just before the ship sank in 1545. This unique time-capsule will contain some 14,000 stunning objects, with many of them on show close to the position where they were found in the ship. They will be displayed to tell the stories of the individuals who owned them; the admiral, the sailor, the cook, the pilot, the barber surgeon, the archer, the carpenter. Their personal and professional belongings will be brought together for the first time for us to understand how they lived and worked onboard. As the eminent Tudor historian, Dr David Starkey recently said: “The Mary Rose is the English Pompeii, preserved by water not fire. All Tudor life is there; it is like stepping inside a Holbein painting”.
The galley of the Mary Rose brought to life for visitors to the new museum
The new museum is at the forefront of the plans to improve Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (PHD) as a large visitor attraction. The Historic Dockyard already attracts around half a million visitors a year to its celebrated collection of historic ships and museums including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860 and the Royal Naval Museum. It is expected that not only will this number increase but new audiences will come for the first time. Much work has been done to research how this can be achieved and the new museum will engage with members of the local community far more closely.
Interpretation panels tell the story of the Mary Rose in the new museum
Learning and education is at the heart of the Mary Rose Trust’s activities and all ages will be catered for. The space for accommodating schools and groups will be quadrupled to meet the ever-growing demand to join the highly popular programmes that cover both heritage and science. At long last the Trust will have the necessary facilities to look after their visitors.
The overall project covers the completion of the conservation, the building and fitting out of the museum, the repair of the dry dock and the landscaping of the arena between HMS Victory and the museum. It will cost £35 million and building work is expected to commence in 2009. The aim is to open the new museum by the end of 2011, which is the 500th anniversary of the ship’s maiden voyage.
The reconstructed decks of the Mary Rose with original artefacts
John Lippiett, the Chief Executive of the Trust said: “We have been working very closely with the Heritage Lottery Fund over the last year to address all the issues they raised last time. We are confident we have a first class bid that will provide a museum of national and international importance. Furthermore, the end of the conservation programme will at last be reached.” The HLF is currently assisting the funding of the second phase of conservation and has contributed to both research and the costs of the preparation of this new bid. John Lippiett added: “Without HLF support in the past, there would be no Mary Rose today. We receive no core government funding so we are very dependent on this fund. The new museum will make the Trust fully self-sustaining, so it is vital that we complete our project in this timescale”.
The Mary Rose Trust will hear in mid-January 2008 whether or not the first stage pass has been approved by HLF Trustees. They will then have a year to develop the plans still further before final approval is forthcoming. Meanwhile the trust is pressing ahead with its plans to raise £14 million as its expected share of the costs.
The sinking of the Mary Rose interpreted in the new museum
3 July 2007
“The Warship Mary Rose” by David Childs
The raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 made headline news. As an archaeological event it ranked alongside Schliemann’s excavations at Troy or Arthur Evan’s work at Knossos, and so much information has since been gleaned from the wreck and its contents that there is an overwhelming tendency to treat the ship as a ‘time-capsule’, like some Tudor burial site. But the Mary Rose is not just an archaeological relic. She is a warship that was revolutionary in her time and, despite being most famous for her loss in battle, a ship that served her monarch for thirty-four years, almost the length of his reign. This book tells the full story of the construction and career of the ship, placing it firmly within the colourful context of Tudor politics, Court life and the developing administration of a permanent navy. However, it also brings the story down to the present day, with chapters on the recovery and the new ideas and information thrown up by the massive programme of archaeological work since undertaken. Written by a Development Director of The Mary Rose Trust and heavily illustrated from the massive resources of the Trust, this is a book for general reader and specialist alike. 20 July 2007 |
Mary Rose Battlefied Tours - To celebrate 25th Anniversary of the Raising of the Mary Rose
15th July 2007
Memorial Service
Memorial Service being held at St Thomas Cathedral, Old Portsmouthfrom 11.00 am - 12.15 am and the Purbrook Archers will be holding a vigil in costume over the grave stone of one of the sailors from the Mary Rose. FREE, no booking necessary.
Battlefield Tour by Foot
Departing from St Thomas Cathedral, Old Portsmouth.
A themed walk around Henry VIII’s Portsea, to see scenes of the sinking of the Mary Rose, including a tour of Southsea Castle, where there will be an archery display by the Purbrook Archers.
Cost of ticket is £10.00 per person. All proceeds to go the Mary Rose Trust.
Please call 023 92 750521 to book a place.
19th July 2007
Battlefield Tour by Sea 5.00pm -7.15pm
The anniversary boat cruise will be leaving from the jetty opposite the Mary Rose Museum to visit the sights of the Battle of the Solent. There will be a commentary about the battle back in 1545 as we sail out to the wreck site. We will then be laying a wreath on the site to commemorate the sinking which will be followed by the Purbrook Archers who will be firing off arrows over the wreck site after the wreath is laid.
David Childs will be launching his book ‘The Warship Mary Rose’ and signing copies whilst on the site.
Cost of the ticket includes a glass of wine to toast at the site, there is also a bar available on board to purchase your own drinks. Tickets cost £15.00 per person
All proceeds to go the Mary Rose Trust. Please call 023 92 750521 to book a place.
At all these events there will be an opportunity to enter a draw for a full size colour tinted reproduction of the panoramic Cowdray Engraving depicting the scene of the sinking in 1545.
Monochrome detail from Cowdray Engraving
Leading Experts Contribute to Mary Rose Bid for a Permanent Home
The vision to create the permanent museum building for the Mary Rose and the priceless collection of objects discovered by divers inside the ship achieved another milestone this week. On Monday 16 January, a panel of experts met in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to hear the views of the Mary Rose Trust on why the collection is significant enough to be worthy of lottery funding. They were also taken behind the scenes to see the extent of the collection including the extraordinary number of objects that are not yet on display. Although the experts added important new insights and suggestions to the study of the significance of the Mary Rose, the Trust were delighted that these reinforced the views of the Trust.
Historian and broadcaster Dr David Starkey enthusiastically endorsed their views “The Mary Rose collection reveals an incomparable collection of stories – starting with Henry VIII and going all the way down to the carpenter. Seeing the Mary Rose collection is like stepping inside a Holbein Painting”. He said “The Mary Rose reveals to us more about Henry VIII than almost any state paper I can think of. It shows us where he is spending his money. It shows us where his interests are”.
Other leading experts at the seminar included: Dr Ian Friel, Maritime Historian and Museum Curator; Martyn Heighton, Director of National Historic Ships; Dr Edward Impey, Director of Research and Standards, English Heritage; Professor Sean McGrail, Leading Maritime Archaeologist; and Dr Robert Prescott , Chairman of the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships. Dr Colin White at the Royal Naval Museum and Naval Historian Professor Nicholas Rodger had previously submitted written comments to the Mary Rose Trust.
Rear Admiral John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Trust said “We are putting together a new bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant towards creating the permanent museum and complete the conservation. This bid has started with a fresh look at the basic importance, and one of first actions has been to examine the true significance of the ship and its collection, from a historical perspective and also from its value to the community. This seminar, involving some key national figures, has hugely reinforced the fact that we hold one of the most important collections of sixteenth century objects anywhere in the world. “Incomparable” was a word that was frequently used by our visiting experts.”
Head of Collections, Dr Mark Jones explains “We can only display a fraction of our collection in our present exhibition and the new building will allow us to show so much more to our visitors and to illustrate many more aspects of Tudor life. ”
Christopher Dobbs, the maritime archaeologist who gave the presentation to the experts comments “What is particularly important about the Mary Rose is that as well as having this ship of immense historic importance, we also have an incredible cross-section of objects that were found by divers inside the ship. They give us a glimpse into the past that can’t just be obtained from documents or paintings.”
Doctors David Starkey, Edward Impey and Robert
Prescott get a close-up look at some of the treasures that make
up the 19,000 strong collection of items contained in the Mary Rose
Collection. Mary Rose Chief Executive John Lippiett and Dr Mark
Jones, Head of Collections, are providing the background information
to the visitors.
Photo: P.Crossman, Mary Rose Trust
21 January 2007
Back to top