The Mary Rose

The Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favourite warship, was raised from the seabed in 1982, more than 400 years after she sank off the coast of Portsmouth. Her conservation and the survival of thousands of artefacts, from two-tonne guns to nit combs, have prompted comparisons with the recovery of Pompeii.

After a major redevelopment project, the museum now offers an immersive experience that brings visitors closer than ever to life on board the busy 16th-century warship.

Nine galleries afford panoramic views of the entire ship, and floor-to-ceiling glazing on the main and lower decks gives the impression of actually walking on board. With projections onto the hull bringing to life characters and scenes, visitors are given a real sense of the atmosphere and conditions of naval life at this time, both at war and in peacetime.

The lives of crew members are further illuminated through the findings of forensic science and the wealth of personal items on display. Feel the centuries fall away as you contemplate someone’s shoes, their wooden bowls, and even musical instruments.

In episode one of the third series of our podcast Meet Me at the Museum comedian Lucy Porter takes fellow comic Joe Wells along to The Mary Rose in Portsmouth, where they explore the 500-year-old Tudor warship and speak to one of the original divers on the project to raise the vessel from the seabed.