A splendid day of history investigation took place down at the Mary Rose Museum in Historic Dockyard, in Portsmouth. Jackie Shaw, Head of Communications, introduced me to the site and explained exactly what is on offer to look at and the purpose behind the amazing exhibits at the all important historic dockyard.
The Mary Rose is based in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Built between 1509 and 1511, she was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a firm favourite of King Henry VIII.
After a long and successful career, she sank accidentally during an engagement with the French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology.
There are on display hundreds of fascinating and personal items from the wreck of the Mary Rose and I met up with the delightful and extremely knowledgeable Paul Clare, who despite being dressed as a Tudor Carpenter, took me on a journey around the fabulous museum and informed me not only on the mysterious sinking of the Mary Rose but showed many of the nineteen thousand finds that had been discovered from the sunken vessel when it was raised in 1982.
Fiona Harvey is in charge of the fund raising for the Mary Rose 500 Appeal. This project is one of the most important heritage-charitable endeavors undertaken in the UK. Designed by Wilkinson Eyre, Pringle Brandon, Gifford and Land, the stylish building will be a breathtakingly futuristic, yet sympathetic addition to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.