| You
enter Portsmouth Historic Dockyard by Victory Gate. Constructed
in 1711, the gate comprises two tall limestone pillars, each topped
with a golden globe. Immediately to your left is the ticket office
for all the attractions in the dockyard, hurry up and purchase your
ticket and I will meet you by the exit.
As you come out of the
door, look to your left and you will see HMS Warrior. This low,
black hulled ship was the first British ironclad, and her introduction
in 1860 made all wooden line-of-battle ships obsolete, including
those of the British Navy!
The Mary Rose Museum is
the green wooden building to your right. This was a 19th century
boat house, built to replace the earlier mast house on the same
site. You can tell it is the Mary Rose Museum as the entrance is
marked by a life size statue of
Henry VIII.
Right, let's go into the
museum where you will see another full sized model of Henry dressed
in full Tudor costume. This part of the museum also contains two
areas where parties of school children can get hands-on experience
of Tudor artefacts and carry out a Tudor gun drill with a replica
iron gun.
Ahead of you is the reception
desk. Show your ticket at the desk and come through to the main
body of the museum.
On your right is a presentation,
shown on a wide screen TV, telling the dramatic story of the sinking
of the Mary Rose. |