A brand new museum to house the wreck of the famous Tudor warship, Mary Rose, is set to open its doors to the public for the first time on 31st May.
The £35 million purpose-built structure is situated next to HMS Victory in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, which itself is not far from where the Mary Rose was launched in 1510.
A view of the new museum from behind HMS Victory.
Its opening marks the first time visitors will be able to see the wreck without it being hidden behind a cloud of wax-based preservatives, with which it had been constantly sprayed until last month, when the jets were finally turned off.
The hull will remain in a 'hot box' with viewing windows until it has completely dried out in fours years' time, when it will be made completely visible with no obstructions.
This is also the first time visitors will see all the recovered artefacts displayed next to the ship itself, as opposed to being in a separate building. The ship's bell was the final artefact to be placed in the museum earlier today, as part of a day long event to celebrate the opening.
The Mary Rose was King Henry VIII's flagship, and served for 34 years before capsizing on 18th July, 1545. More than 500 men and boys drowned as she sank, many getting caught in netting designed to repel boarders. The exact cause of her sinking is still uncertain.
This painting by Geoff Hunt depicts how the ship would have looked.
For more information about the museum and the Mary Rose's story, visit the official website here: http://www.maryrose.org/
The £35 million purpose-built structure is situated next to HMS Victory in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, which itself is not far from where the Mary Rose was launched in 1510.
A view of the new museum from behind HMS Victory.
Its opening marks the first time visitors will be able to see the wreck without it being hidden behind a cloud of wax-based preservatives, with which it had been constantly sprayed until last month, when the jets were finally turned off.
The hull will remain in a 'hot box' with viewing windows until it has completely dried out in fours years' time, when it will be made completely visible with no obstructions.
This is also the first time visitors will see all the recovered artefacts displayed next to the ship itself, as opposed to being in a separate building. The ship's bell was the final artefact to be placed in the museum earlier today, as part of a day long event to celebrate the opening.
The Mary Rose was King Henry VIII's flagship, and served for 34 years before capsizing on 18th July, 1545. More than 500 men and boys drowned as she sank, many getting caught in netting designed to repel boarders. The exact cause of her sinking is still uncertain.
This painting by Geoff Hunt depicts how the ship would have looked.
For more information about the museum and the Mary Rose's story, visit the official website here: http://www.maryrose.org/