Mary Rose Museum facts for kids
The New Mary Rose Museum in 2018
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | Portsmouth, United Kingdom |
| Type | Maritime museum |
| Key holdings | Mary Rose warship |
| Collection size | 19,000 artefacts |
| Visitors | 364,295 (2017) |
| Owner | Mary Rose Trust |
The Mary Rose Museum is a special museum in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. It is located at the Historic Dockyards. The museum is managed by the Mary Rose Trust. It tells the amazing story of the Mary Rose, a famous warship from the 1500s.
What is the Mary Rose Museum?
The museum is all about the Mary Rose, a warship from the Tudor navy. This ship sailed during the time of King Henry VIII. The museum opened in 1984. It shows many items found on the ship. It also has a special hall where you can see the ship itself. Over a million people have visited the museum since it first opened.
How the Museum Was Built
In September 2009, the original ship hall closed. This was to make way for a brand new museum building. The new museum opened in May 2013. It was designed by architects WilkinsonEyre and Perkins+Will. The building work was done by Warings.
Building the museum was a big challenge. It had to be built right over the Mary Rose ship. The ship was in a dry dock, which is a protected historical site. While the museum was being built, the ship was kept safe. It was inside a sealed "hotbox" where it was being preserved.
Preserving the Mary Rose
For many years, the Mary Rose was sprayed with a special liquid. This liquid, called polyethylene glycol, helped to preserve the wood. In April 2013, the sprays were stopped. The ship then began to dry slowly using controlled air.
In 2016, the "hotbox" walls were removed. This meant visitors could see the ship more clearly. At first, it was behind a wall of glass. Later in 2016, the museum closed for nine months. During this time, a £5.4 million project took place. This project allowed visitors to view the ship without the glass wall separating them.
