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Watched by Henry VIII, the Mary Rose sank in the Solent,
19 July, 1545 |
During the summer I visited the Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth to see the Mary Rose. I last saw her in 1987 when I went with my then boyfriend, and now-husband of 24 years. All I remember from back then was a large damp (I was courting and worried about frizzy hair!) shed, and I could just make out a huge lump of wood behind a veil of mist.
This summer's visit was very different! The timbers of the Mary Rose are drying out and a clever display recreates what conditions were like within each corresponding deck of the ship. There are also traditional displays of artefacts, and in this week's blog post, I share some of my favourite items.
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The ship's bell.
Author's own photo. |
It's astounding to think of the history associated with this bell and the number of Tudor sailors who would have seen or heard it. The bell was made from brass, in Antwerp at a foundry that specialised in bells. It was one of the few artefacts present on the Mary Rose throughout her 33 year career from launch to sinking.
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Wooden plates and bowls
Author's own photo. |
One of the reasons I'm interested in history is the fascination of how people lived. There is no better illustration of this than the beautiful wooden plates and bowls found on board the Mary Rose. The crew would have eaten from them, and individuals marked their property by carving their initials - as seen in the picture above.
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The Mary Rose - August 2013
Author's own photo |
Having walked through the first exhibition hall, the visitor enters a long viewing gallery overlooking the actual Mary Rose. The pipes are no longer spraying the wreck with polyethylence glycol, although it can still be difficult to make out details. However, on the opposite side of the walkway, the museum have recreated what the deck would have looked like - including placing actual artefacts in the scene.
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A dog - found outside the carpenter's door.
Author's own photo. |
Any ship would have been rife with rats and vermin, and perhaps that is why a dog was on board. The skeleton of a whippet type animal, aged around 18 - 24 months was found outside the carpenter's door. (On the way out of the museum, passing through the gift shop, I was amused to see a plush toy replica of the dog! )
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Paw print on a tile found in the galley.
Author's own photo. |
Sticking with the dog theme, another item that caught my imagination was this clay tile. It was found in the galley area, one of hundreds of tiles packed around the large cooking cauldron to protect the ship's timbers from the fire beneath. How extraordinary is it, to think nearly half a millennia ago a dog ran across wet clay, and that tile found it's way onto the Mary Rose and then lay under the sea for hundreds of years...
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One of the many cannons found on board
Author's own photo.
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Of course the Mary Rose was a warship and so no post would be complete without a mention of her armaments. What struck me about the many cannons recovered, was how each had beautiful casting and engravings - each obviously created with reverence and pride. Far from being mere functional, they are art works in their own right.
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Another of the Mary Rose's cannons.
Author's own photo |
And finally... this made me chuckle on the way out through the ubiquitous gift shop. How about remembering your visit to the Mary Rose by purchasing a plush toy rat?
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| Author's own photo |
Have you visited the Mary Rose? What did you make of your experience?
Wonderful pics! Salvage and restoration/storage of marine antiquities has come along way over the years. My father-in-law had a lot to do with raising the money for the Mary Rose project. It's looking good now and worth all the effort. The castings on the cannons are absolutely amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi Francine, lovely to hear from you!
DeleteWow, how interesting. What is your father-in-laws connection - does he live in the area or is he naval in some way?
I loved what they'd done at the museum, and hope that one day we can get closer to the actual wreck itself.
G x
He was at the Admiralty! He owns the second largest collection of antique longbows in the world, dating back centuries.
DeleteWow! Just wow!
DeleteI suspect your father-in-law would get on with my hubs (ex-naval officer)who has a fascination with arrows. While we were on holiday (the same one mentioned in this post) I let him loose for half an hour and he came back with a crossbow! I blame my youngest son whose care he was in at the time - son was supposed to keep an eye on him and not let him do anything rash!
G x
Ooh, a crossbow. Yes, I like the idea of those: lethal! I hate grey squirrels. Almost got engaged to a naval officer in my youth and then married a special forces officer. Hardly surprising, my dad was a Royal Marine.
DeleteI never visited the actual Mary Rose in the UK, but I was fortunate to see items retrieved, in an exhibit, that came to our local art gallery many years ago. I was fascinated by personal items and items of clothing, that were retrieved. I remember in particular, a velvet hat, shoes, gaming pieces and highly decorated combs. I was amazed, that such delicate things still survived after hundreds of years under water.
ReplyDeleteI never visited the actual Mary Rose in the UK, but I was fortunate to see items retrieved, in an exhibit, that came to our local art gallery many years ago. I was fascinated by personal items and items of clothing, that were retrieved. I remember in particular, a velvet hat, shoes, gaming pieces and highly decorated combs. I was amazed, that such delicate things still survived after hundreds of years under water.
ReplyDelete