Nelson & His World

Amidst all the gloom and doom recently, there was some really excellent news, which I think is of interest although it takes us out of Nelson’s period. Earlier this month construction work started on the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth Dockyard as part of the £35 million project for the Mary Rose Trust.

The museum is being constructed around the timbers of the ship in the adjacent dry dock to the Victory as the final stages of the ship’s conservation continue. There was a very informative article in the last issue of the Mariner’s Mirror, and I think the design is truly inspiring. I’m not so sure about the exterior, which looks a bit like a cigar shaped UFO from the 1960’s, but maybe its proximity to the Victory will be one of those juxtapositions of old and new that works. The design of the interior looks amazing. There will be three levels of gallery corresponding to the hold, the gun deck and the castle decks, from which the ship can be viewed A mirror image of the hull will be built into the dry dock opposite the ship’s timbers, where the artefacts will be placed in the context of their actual settings. Visitors will thus be able to view gun decks, cabins, galleys etc. with their contents back in place.

The Mary Rose Trust still has to raise further funds to secure the future of Henry VIII’s flagship. The Trust is tasked with raising a total of £15 million to match fund the £21 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant, one of the largest made, which the new museum project has received. The Trust receives no central funding and is entirely reliant on donations to reach its ambitious final target. It still has a £4 million fundraising target to meet before the museum can be opened to the public in 2012.

It is wonderful to see such expenditure on naval history at this time, and in my mind, to such superb effect.

Mary Rose Trust (and donation pages) here: http://www.maryrose.org/

Tony, That's great news, as a former diver myself I was involved with members of the Mary Rose, including Margaret Rule a number of years ago here on a survey of the Grand Harbour ,in Malta. Are you familiar with any of the team?

Tony,

I agree, a very impressive and thoughtful way of telling the Mary Rose story and 'recreating' the other side of the ship. The exterior does perhaps look rather ufo-like, but I actually don't mind it. I am sure with time people will get used to it and as you say it does create a 'then and now' scenario with the Victory. (I wonder what Nelson would have thought!)

Will have to get back to Portsmouth when its finished! As I am sure most of us were, I was glued to the box when the ship was originally brought up and remember that heart stopping moment when part of the support cradle gave way. At around the same time I attended a lecture by Margaret Rule on the ship and remember she visited the museum where I worked to give advice and help on a ship of about the same period, which had been found in Poole Bay.

Some info on the new museum: