» Hidden Treasures from the Mary Rose
A spectacular time capsule of Tudor life comes to Croydon
Hidden Treasures from The Mary Rose is one of the major exhibitions in celebration of the quincentenary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne. It is the very first time that a major part of this world-class collection has left Portsmouth.
The Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship, sank in 1545 at the Battle of the Solent. Raised in 1982, her collection is unique and is one of the world’s most precious heritage icons. The artefacts found on board provide a fascinating insight into the daily life of officers and sailors, as well as the military equipment of the ship.
The exhibition shows over 250 of the finest Tudor artefacts, most of which have never been exhibited before: clothing, jewellery, personal possessions, money, domestic utensils, furniture, musical instruments, medical equipment, navigational apparatus, weapons of warfare, tools, rigging and wood from the ship. Many items are in ‘mint’ condition, some you can even touch. A large number of items were so well preserved in the silt, that they look as if they have just been made. There are even fruit stones, peppercorns, fish and meat bones that illustrate the diet on board.
“The Mary Rose is one of the most important objects in English History. It’s up there with the Doomsday Book, the Magna Carta…”
Dr David Starkey CBE
The story of the ship is brought to life through prize objects complemented by state-of-the-art multi-media displays. Hidden Treasures from The Mary Rose also shows the findings of exciting new research about the ship and its crew. These include accurate facial reconstructions of a Gunner and a Bosun, created for the exhibition through advanced techniques of biomedical and archaeological research. A leading forensic artist and his team have rebuilt these heads, using scientific evidence and accurate measurements of skin depth. They made plaster casts of the skulls, onto which they built up the faces, adding a thin layer of ‘fat’, and a skin-like substance. Hair has been inserted and acrylic eyes have been prepared at a specialist NHS eye unit.
The precious skeleton of the ship’s dog has been put together specially for the show. The dog, probably the only animal on the ship, was trapped in a doorway at the time of the disaster. She may have been a pet, or a mascot, or was perhaps brought on board to help reduce the population of rats!
The exhibition has been planned to appeal to a broad range of visitors: historians, students, the general public, families and young people, for whom special interactive exhibits have been created.
It has been organised by the famous Whitgift School and is in state-of-the-art galleries in the School’s Conference Centre.
Whitgift School, part of the Whitgift Foundation, is an independent day school for boys aged 10 to 18. It enjoys an outstanding reputation for academic achievements, sport and all-round education. The school has over 1,200 students and is set in the magnificent Haling Park, South Croydon, once the home of the Howard family who provided captains and admirals for the Mary Rose.
Whitgift School, Brighton Road,
South Croydon, CR2 6YT
Opening daily: 10am – 5pm (last admission 4pm)
Prices: Adults £8.00; Families £18.00 (up to two adults, up to four children); Concessions £5; Groups £6 (must be pre-booked. 1 free entry per group of 10)
Pre-school children and pre-booked school groups FREE
Ample on site parking (charges apply)
For more information, visit www.maryrosehiddentreasures.org
or telephone: 020 8633 9939
