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The Mary Rose

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The Mary Rose

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Home of Henry VIII's favourite ship, the Mary Rose, which sank off the English coast in 1545 after a 34 year long career. Part of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
(1377)

Portsmouth's top visitor attraction on TripAdvisor. Built between 1509 and 1511, she was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a firm favourite of King Henry VIII. After a long and successful career, she sank accidentally during an engagement with the French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology.

21/10/2026

This half term, step aboard and uncover the secrets of the Mary Rose!

From strange sailor superstitions to Tudor guns and fiery dragon-headed linstocks, there’s plenty to discover at the museum this October.

Would you dare to whistle on a Tudor ship?
Could you work together to load and fire a Tudor gun?
Can you make your very own dragon-headed linstock?

Meet the Tudor crew, uncover the myths and skills that helped sailors survive at sea, and get hands-on with history along the way.

26–31 October 2026
11am–3pm
Activities included with museum admission.

Swipe to discover what’s waiting for you…

Find out more here - https://maryrose.org/events/october-half-term-2026/

20/10/2026

If you were sailing into battle in 1545, what would you want on board to keep the rats away?

A cat, perhaps?

Today, the idea of a cat on a ship seems almost inevitable. But Tudor sailors had rather different ideas about cats — and on the Mary Rose, it was Hatch the dog who took on the job of catching rats.

Hatch’s story raises some interesting questions about the beliefs and superstitions of the people who lived and worked aboard the Mary Rose.

Why were cats considered unlucky?
What else did sailors believe could bring good or bad fortune at sea?
And how much of it would you have been willing to risk ignoring?

This October half term, we’re exploring the myths and superstitions of Tudor sailors, alongside plenty of hands-on activities.

Come and meet the Tudor crew, discover the strange beliefs they lived by, make your own dragon-headed linstock and learn how to fire a Tudor gun.

26–31 October | 11am–3pm

Come curious. You might leave with a few new superstitions of your own.

18/10/2026

The past is on tape. Come and help us save it!

This October, dive behind the scenes at the Mary Rose Museum and discover how we’re rescuing, digitising and preserving over 40 years of Mary Rose stories for future generations, alongside the University of Portsmouth.

See fascinating archive footage
Watch live digitisation in action
Get hands-on with historic technology
Meet the people who helped capture the incredible story of the Mary Rose

From the technology that recorded history to the specialists working to protect it today, discover why the Mary Rose story didn’t end in 1982.

24–25 October
The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
All ages welcome!

Come behind the scenes. Discover. Explore. Preserve - https://maryrose.org/events/create-your-own-cowdray/

14/10/2026

When the Mary Rose sank in 1545, Henry VIII was married to his sixth wife, Katherine Parr. So why was the emblem of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, found aboard the ship?

Among the thousands of objects recovered from the Mary Rose are two leather wristguards bearing intriguing Tudor and Spanish emblems — offering clues, but no definitive answer.

Was it a treasured family possession? A symbol of royal service? A political statement? Or something far more mysterious?

Over 480 years later, we’re still piecing together the story.

What do you think the emblem was doing aboard the Mary Rose?

Discover the theories behind this Tudor mystery over on our website, or come and see for yourself ...

12/10/2026

How do you navigate a ship when there are no charts, no GPS and it’s the middle of the night?

This remarkable Tudor tide calculator, recovered from the Mary Rose, helped the ship’s pilot estimate when high tide would occur by taking a bearing on the Moon.

That information could be vital when sailing around the south coast of England, where strong tidal changes and narrow waterways made timing the tides a matter of real importance.

Even more fascinating, the calculator’s markings were designed so they could be felt by touch—meaning a navigator could use it in darkness without needing to see it.

A tiny object revealing just how skilled and resourceful Tudor sailors had to be.

Would you have trusted your navigation skills and the Moon to find your way home?

11/10/2026

Do you remember watching the Mary Rose rise from the seabed?

On 11 October 1982, after 437 years beneath the Solent, the Mary Rose finally came home to Portsmouth.

It was an incredible moment — and one watched by an estimated 60 million people around the world.

But raising her was only the beginning of the story.

Here’s something you might not know: the Mary Rose couldn’t simply be left to dry out. Her timbers had spent centuries saturated with water, and drying them too quickly could have caused the wood to shrink, crack and collapse.

So, after the raising, she was kept constantly wet — first being sprayed with seawater, and then with chilled, filtered fresh water. Eventually, the hull underwent 19 years of treatment with PEG, a substance used to help support the fragile structure of the wood.

And even then, the work wasn’t finished. From 2013, the team began the incredibly careful process of drying the hull. More than 100 tonnes of water were removed between 2013 and 2016.

So this October, as we mark another anniversary of that extraordinary day, we’d love to know…

Were you there? Did you watch the raising on television? Or perhaps you remember hearing about it from your parents or grandparents?

10/10/2026

On 11 October 1982, the world watched as the Mary Rose rose from the depths of the Solent and into the history books.

It was a moment decades in the making, bringing Henry VIII’s famous warship and its incredible story back to life.

Today, you can get closer to that story than ever before.

Come and discover the Mary Rose Museum, explore the ship and see the thousands of remarkable artefacts recovered from the seabed — each with a story to tell.

Plan your visit and step back in time.

09/10/2026

Ever wondered what it would be like to dive the Mary Rose?

Dive the Mary Rose 4D takes you beneath the waves and into the incredible story of the Mary Rose, following the divers and archaeologists who discovered, excavated and recovered the ship after 437 years beneath the Solent.

Using archive footage, CGI and multi-sensory effects, including wind, bubbles, movement, sounds and even smells, you’ll experience the wreck as if you were there.

It’s history you can see, hear, feel and almost smell… and it’s included with your Mary Rose Museum ticket.

🎟️ Ready to dive in? https://maryrose.org/dive-4d/

07/10/2026

Want to discover even more about the Mary Rose?

Why not join one of our Guided Tours and explore the ship, her crew and her incredible collection with one of our knowledgeable guides?

From the story of the Mary Rose’s sinking and discovery to the fascinating artefacts that bring Tudor life to life, our guided tours offer a different way to experience the Museum — with plenty of opportunities to learn more and ask questions along the way.

Whether it’s your first visit or you’re returning to discover something new, a guided tour is a great way to make the most of your time with us.

Guided tours are available as an option when visiting the Mary Rose Museum.

Find out more and plan your visit: https://maryrose.org/visit/guided-tours/

05/10/2026

The nights are getting darker… but how did Tudor sailors know what time it was?

Today, we can just check our phones ...

But aboard the Mary Rose, there were no watches or alarm clocks. So how did the crew know when it was time to change watch — especially on those long, dark nights?

Enter the sandglass.

Someone aboard ship kept an eye on the sand, turning the glass when it ran out and ringing the ship's bell to mark the passing of time.

So, essentially:

Watch the sand - turn the glass - ring the bell - change watch!

The Mary Rose's bell survived more than 400 years beneath the Solent and gives us a fascinating glimpse into life aboard a Tudor warship.

The bell was one of the last items to be recovered from the Mary Rose wreck site.The bell is believed to have been cast in Flanders, with the Flemish inscription:
IC BEN GHEGOTEN INT YAER MCCCCCX which translates as 'I was made in the year 1510'.

Address

Main Road, HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO13PY

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+442392812931

Website

http://www.maryrose.org/

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