September 21 2009

Tudor warship the Mary Rose is set to be housed within a £35m Portsmouth museum designed by Wilkinson Eyre architects.

Henry VIII’s flagship has been dry docked since 1982 when it was raised from the Solent, its resting place since 1545 when it was accidentally sunk during an engagement with the French fleet.

The ancient hull has to be constantly sprayed with a water based wax solution to prevent timbers drying out and rotting but by 2011 this regime will end and a programme will begin to “dry out” and preserve remaining beams and gangways, a process expected to take until 2016.

Amongst features provided by the new centre will be glass walkways running in parallel with the ships decks, giving people an intuitive understanding of the size and layout of the vessel by connecting castle, main and hold.

Thousands of artefacts including canons and many of the ships original fittings will be displayed alongside.

Dr David Starkey, trustee of the Mary Rose Trust as well as world renowned Tudor/Henry VIII expert said “The Mary Rose is the most important historical survival of the reign. It’s the English Pompeii or Herculaneum, our very own tomb of Tutankhamun”.

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