School visits

Improve students’ motivation and skills across the curriculum with a visit to the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.

See thousands of amazing Tudor artefacts rescued from the seabed alongside the ship’s hull. Discover life on board ship for key characters including the Surgeon, Gunner, Carpenter, Archer and Navigator.

Find out about cutting-edge science at the Mary Rose and the amazing engineering achievement of raising this unique Tudor time capsule.

Workshops in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Learning Centre allow students the opportunity for hands-on learning in our classroom or laboratory.

Encourage positive attitudes to learning and museum visiting. Have fun! Inspire and surprise students!

One hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £6.50 per pupil

Two hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £8 per pupil

All groups are subject to a minimum charge for 15 pupils

Teachers and helpers free (up to a ratio of 1:8 children)

One hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £6.50 per pupil

Mix and Match two One hour workshops for £8 per pupil (includes museum visit)

Choose from:

Henry’s Heroes                        

Curriculum Links: History - Rich and poor, Tudor exploration - Step back in time! Discover life above and below decks on Henry VIII’s favourite warship. Just how different was life for the officers and the men? Handle a wide range of replica artefacts to investigate how the officers and crew lived, worked and played at sea. Dress to impress with our replica Tudor clothing – don’t forget the camera!

Fighting Fit     

Curriculum Links: Science – KS2 Nutrition in humans, skeletal system, muscular system - Dive back in time and dispel some of those myths about Tudor life. Was everyone short? Did they all suffer from scurvy? Solve the puzzle for yourself: what does your skeleton say about you?  How does the Tudor diet really measure up? A series of hands-on activities allow you to decide for yourself: are we fitter and healthier than our Tudor ancestors?

Tudor Gun Drill           

Curriculum Links: History - Discover the difficulties and dangers of life for a Tudor gunner. Find out if you’ve got what it takes as you work as a team to load and fire our full-size replica gun. Decide what skills are required to be a successful gun captain or team member. Watch a short film showing archaeologists firing replicas of our Tudor guns – be amazed by the power!

Materials of the Mary Rose      

Curriculum Links: Science – KS2 Properties of everyday materials - Get interactive with our collection and discover what the Tudor world was made of and why. Put your scientific skills to the test and investigate the secrets of the deep. How can objects survive 437 years at the bottom of the sea? Identify materials and see how they have changed thanks to their time underwater.

The Navigator’s Apprentice (supported by Trinity House)          

Curriculum Links: History - Tudor exploration, Geography  - Do you have the skills to become the Navigator’s next apprentice? Find out how our unique collection of navigational equipment transformed our knowledge of Tudor seamanship.  Steer clear of the dangers in the Solent.  Use Tudor maps and charts to plot a safe course for the Mary Rose into Portsmouth Harbour.   Use the traverse board to track your course and speed. Don’t lose your bearings!

The Practical Navigator (supported by Trinity House)

Curriculum Links: Science (compasses and magnetism, speed), Maths, History - Could you make it in a world without SatNav, telephones and sonar?  Make your own compass and log reel, inspired by the Mary Rose collection. Use your scientific skills to assess just how good Tudor navigational instruments really were.

Portsmouth’s Tudor Past  

Curriculum links: History, Geography - Investigate life ashore in the home port of the Mary Rose.  Look at maps, handle replica artefacts, dress up and play games to build up a picture of life in Portsmouth 500 years ago. Discover what life was like for the men, women and children of our City’s past.

 Special Needs

Curriculum links: History - A trip back in time not to be missed! We love our visitors to get interactive and immerse themselves in Tudor life. Artefact handling and dressing up activities will be adapted to suit your group’s needs and learning levels.

Self- guided Museum Experience (no workshop)   £3.55 per head

Hampshire County Council Primary Schools

Thanks to a Service Level Agreement, Hampshire County Council local authority primary schools can enjoy one free workshop per class (up to 35 attendees including adults) at the Mary Rose Museum. Discovery visit charges £3.55 per head apply.

Two hour primary workshop and museum experience £8 per pupil

Choose from:

The Tudor School of Navigation (supported by Trinity House)

Curriculum Links: History - Tudor exploration; Science; Geography - In this cross-curricular experience you will enter the world of the Tudor Navigator. Discover the unique collection of navigational artefacts found on board the Mary Rose. Could you make it in a world without SatNav, telephones and sonar?

Take part in a range of activities in the classroom and laboratory to assess just how good Tudor navigation really was:

• Compare Tudor and modern maps
• Find out how magnetism helps us find our way. Use this knowledge to create your own compass
• Make and test your own log reel to work out speed
• Use Tudor maps and charts to avoid dangers and plot a safe course for the Mary Rose into Portsmouth Harbour.
• Use the traverse board to record your course and speed.

Tudor Maths

Curriculum links: History, Mathematics, STEM - Problem-solving activities based on the crew of the Mary Rose. An ideal opportunity to build on existing mathematical skills and investigate new ideas.  The aim is to make each activity accessible to all while providing enrichment and extension opportunities for the more able.

The Cook’s Conundrum - Estimate, weigh and measure out the sailors’ rations.

Skills: weighing and measuring, conversions, volume, calculation

The Purser’s Problem - Think logically to work out the most efficient storage of ship’s biscuits. Test your ideas practically.

Skills: calculation, estimation, capacity, spatial awareness

The Gunner’s Gauge - Help the gunner to find the right size cannon-ball.

Skills: estimation, relationships between spheres and circles, measuring, key vocabulary

The Watchkeeper’s Worry - Discover how to tell the time Tudor style.

Skills: Data handling, use of the 12hour and 24hour clock

Post-visit maths activities available.

 

Power Poetry

 Curriculum Links: History, English Explore language and develop your powers of expression using the unique context of the Mary Rose. Hands-on experience with replica objects and role play inspire a guided writing session. Options include:

• Take part in the Tudor Gun Drill and compose your own tanka
• Handle a wide range of replica artefacts from the ship and produce your own kenning
• Meet the Tudor Surgeon and write your dramatic monologue ‘My last operation…’

Share your poems in a performance at the end of the visit.

Post visit poetry activities available.

Improve students’ motivation and skills across the curriculum with a visit to the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.

See thousands of amazing Tudor artefacts rescued from the seabed alongside the ship’s hull. Discover life on board ship for key characters including the Surgeon, Gunner, Carpenter, Archer and Navigator.

Find out about cutting-edge science at the Mary Rose and the amazing engineering achievement of raising this unique Tudor time capsule.

Workshops in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Learning Centre allow students the opportunity for hands-on learning in our classroom or laboratory.

Encourage positive attitudes to learning and museum visiting. Have fun! Inspire and surprise students!

One hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £6.50 per pupil

Two hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £8 per pupil

All groups are subject to minimum charge for 15 pupils

Teachers and helpers free

One Hour workshop and self-guided museum experience £6.50 per pupil

Mix and Match two One hour workshops for £8 per pupil (includes museum visit)

Choose from:

Tudor History Mystery               

Curriculum Links: History - ‘It is impossible to know what life was like in 1545’ Students test this hypothesis by examining a range of evidence including contemporary pictures, letters, records and replica artefacts.  Themes include warfare, everyday life, medicine and religion. Pupils discover the amazing breadth of the Mary Rose collection and how one moment, frozen in time, illuminates the period.

Biology, Polymers & the Mary Rose

Curriculum Links: Cells, polymers, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, using microscopes, solubility.- In this workshop, students will look inside the cells of the ship herself and discover how science has been used to save her for future generations. They will discover the structure of the cell and how it is attacked by microorganisms even in the absence of oxygen and investigate the changes that 437 years under the sea has caused in the cell structure. Getting their hands on real samples of Mary Rose wood pupils will uncover the structure and properties of Polyethylene glycol the amazing designer polymer that has given Mary Rose back her strength. This is a unique chance to see real chemistry and biology at work in our museum.

Strictly Tudor Surgery             

Curriculum Links: KS3 History - Just how bad was Tudor medicine? What could the Tudor Surgeon do for you on board the Mary Rose? Using costumes and replica artefacts as props, students role-play the surgeon and his patients in scenarios based on the Mary Rose crew. Medical practice must be strictly Tudor!

Special Needs

CLASSROOM Curriculum links: History - A trip back in time not to be missed! We love our visitors to get interactive and immerse themselves in the life of Tudor seamen whatever their needs. Artefact handling and dressing up activities can be adapted to suit your group’s needs and learning level.

Two hour workshop and museum experience £8 per pupil

 Choose from:

What sank the Mary Rose? (Supported by Trinity House)

Curriculum Links: KS3 History and Science (Physics) - So why did the Mary Rose really sink? In this two part cross-curricular workshop students will explore this continuing mystery.  Was it sunk by French gunfire? Was it a sailing accident? Were the crew to blame? Was the ship unstable or overloaded?

Students weigh the conflicting historical evidence scrutinising the provenance of key sources. Pupils will gather their own scientific evidence to support or refute the theories. Working with scale models, students test the stability and load-bearing capacity of the ship and use their scientific knowledge to assess the design of the Mary Rose.

Each student will decide for themselves why they think the ship sank.

Science in Action STEM Day

Curriculum Links: KS3 Biology, Chemistry & Physics. Polymers, cell structure, organisms, adaption and respiration, changes of state, pressure, reactivity series, using microscopes - Pupils spend a day uncovering the science behind the scenes at the Mary Rose Museum and find out how we used cutting edge science to become a world leader in conservation of waterlogged artefacts.

In a series of eye-opening activities they will:

• Use a real scanning electron microscope to investigate the organisms that have led to the degeneration of the Mary Rose and her artefacts and decide for themselves how to prevent further damage.
• Assess the effectiveness of the designer polymer Polyethylene glycol for the preservation of wood cells.
• Investigate the physics of freeze-drying and work out how this could help us to more effectively preserve waterlogged artefacts.
• Find out how the reactivity series of metals plays a vital part in the preservation of some of our most important artefacts.

This challenging science activity day is also suitable for GCSE students.

GCSE Schools History Project: The History of Medicine, 1545 – 1871        In conjunction with HMS Warrior

An active study day designed to enable students to work out the degree and nature of change in surgery from Paré to Lister. The role of war and individuals are the focus of this two centre day. Suitable for any stage of the examination course.

At the Mary Rose Museum, they will revise ancient and medieval history of medicine to put the Medical Renaissance in context. Pupils will:

• See the unique collection of Tudor medical equipment
• Assess the extent of knowledge and skill of the surgeon of the Mary Rose
• Investigate the evidence of illnesses and injuries from the human remains found on the ship
• Role-play using replica artefacts and costumes. Students play the surgeon and his patients in scenarios based on the Mary Rose crew. Marks awarded for historical accuracy!

On board HMS Warrior, pupils will:

• Conduct an inspection of the ship’s sickbay and challenge the ship’s doctor over his practice
• Interview Florence Nightingale in a hot-seating exercise
• Assess the degree of progress in key elements of surgery 1545-1871

A-Level Tudor History Experience Day

A unique opportunity to immerse students in the Tudor world. See thousands of real artefacts all dating from 1545 during your museum visit. Dr David Starkey calls it “England’s Pompeii” – one moment in time preserved for ever.

Workshops include:

• a conflicting evidence case study
• a short talk on the intriguing evidence of religious practice from the Mary Rose
• replica artefact handling with opportunities to dress up

 A-Level Archaeology & Chemistry Experience Day

Students receive a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the application of chemistry and archaeology to overcome the challenge of conserving archaeological objects. Students will:

• Visit the laboratory of the Mary Rose Archaeological Service and see first-hand, conservation chemistry in action. With giant freeze dryers, treatment tanks and much more, it is an opportunity not to be missed and will open students’ eyes as to where chemistry may take them.
• Talk to experienced conservation chemists about their work on this historic project and discover how we have become a world leader in conservation science for waterlogged artefacts.
• Handle real objects from the Mary Rose and discover how they were protected using advanced scientific techniques and designer polymers.

A-Level Physics Experience Day (for students considering Architecture or Engineering)

Building our extraordinary museum posed a series of challenges for the architects and engineers who worked on the project. In this fascinating look at the structure and design of our museum, students will gain unique insight into the unexpected physics problems posed by building on top of a listed dry-dock and find out just how creative an engineer needs to be.  Students will:

• Uncover the serious challenges faced by our architects and discover how physics and precision engineering provided the solutions.
• Meet some of the key personnel behind the project and hear their story first hand.
• Take a tour behind the scenes to see the hidden structure and workings of this extraordinary building.

A-Level Biology & Physics Experience Day

Students work with our experts and use the cutting edge equipment, utilised by our team of museum scientists, to investigate the structural and physical properties of traditional rope such as was used aboard the Mary Rose. Students will:

• Work with a master rigger to produce rope samples for testing and discover the physics behind the production of a rope.
• Use the light and scanning electron microscopes to scrutinise the physical and cellular structure of animal, plant and synthetic fibres and compare and contrast their properties to assess their suitability for purpose.
• Use the INSTRON apparatus to gather statistical and graphical data on each sample to work out the breaking strength, load-bearing capacity and young’s modulus of each piece of produced rope.
• Bring together their findings to assess the best composition and production method for the most effective load-bearing rope.