The Mary Rose Museum opened on 31st May 2013, marking thirty years since King Henry VIII’s favourite warship was raised from the bed of the Solent, where she lay undiscovered for 437 years.This new Museum, which reunites the Mary Rose with its contents and crew, has become the centrepiece of Portsmouth Historic Dock. Like crafting a jewellery box to house a precious gem, the design team has created a building and interior that protects and showcases the Mary Rose.
Designed from the inside-out, the Museum building takes many of its cues from the historic ship, allowing its hull, artefacts and exhibitions to take centre stage and create a visitor experience befitting this remarkable piece of history. At the heart of the project, within a carefully controlled environment, is the starboard section of the hull of the ship. Alongside it, a virtual port-side hull and main ship hall have been created over three levels to view the ship and house the context gallery. Encasing the Mary Rose and the largest collection of Tudor artefacts in the world is an architectural form that alludes to the historic significance of the Museum’s collection and announces the arrival of a major new cultural attraction.