The Mary Rose

 Shop   Phone: 01705 861512  The Mary Rose Website

The Mary Rose, built in around 1511, was Henry VIII's favourite warship. She was one of the first ships to be built with gun ports that enabled broadside attacks, and is the only preserved 16th century warship in the world.

Over 35 years, the Mary Rose had a distinguished career, but was sunk accidentally in 1545 during a battle with the French.

Fortunately, the Mary Rose sank into a layer of silt, which had remarkable preservation qualities. Wood, cloth, bone, longbows, leather and even tiny objects such as seeds and insects were preserved for 450 years, until she was raised in 1982.

The Mary Rose was rediscovered in 1968 due largely to the efforts of the late Alexander McKee. Using side-scan sonar, he discovered an unusually shaped mound in the sea bed that could be attributed to just one thing - the Mary Rose. Several years of excavation, surveying and catlogueing of artefacts took place over the following years, until in 1982, after years of expectation and planning, her remains were finally raised to the surface.

The job of conserving the Mary Rose continues today, and it is anticipated that the vessel will have to be sprayed with a wax solution for a further 20 years, which will eventually replace the water in the timbers.

In the Museum you can see some of the 20,000 artefacts recovered from the vessel. The Mary Rose can be seen from the viewing gallery and is accessible to wheelchair users.

Other Museums that may be of interest are: HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Flagship Portsmouth And Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth, Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, Fort Nelson in Fareham, Beaulieu in Beaulieu, Lymington St Barbe Museum in Petworth.

Attractions near The Mary Rose include Cascades in Portsmouth, The Bridge Shopping Centre in Portsmouth, South Parade Pier in Southsea, Thackeray Mall in Fareham, Flamingo Park Waterfowl & Water Gardens in Seaview, The Meridian Centre in Havant, Greywell Shopping Centre in Havant, The Isle Of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet, Morton Manor in Sandown, Isle Of Wight Zoo in Sandown.