Visit a Tudor shipwreck housed in a futuristic museum

The Mary Rose, once the pride of Henry VIII’s naval fleet, sank during a battle with the French in 1545. Raised in 1982, it is now beautifully displayed in a purpose-built museum in Portsmouth – perfect for a day out with the kids.

Built in 1510, the Mary Rose was in service for 34 years, the pride of Henry VIII’s fleet before it sank in the Solent in a battle with the French. Wrecked on the seabed for over 400 years, the vessel was rediscovered in 1971 and raised in 1982, in a project that cost £4m.

The Mary Rose Museum allows visitors to get close to the ship’s remains in an award-winning, purpose-built venue that has loads of artefacts (19,000, to be precise), hands-on activities, and plenty of information about the vessel’s unlucky crew (bones belonging to 179 individuals have been found).

There’s also the skeleton of the ship’s dog!

Fun and informative, with plenty of gruesome facts that will keep kids entertained, the Mary Rose Museum is an ideal day out for the family. It’s not every day you get to come face to face with the crew of a 16th-century battleship and discover how they lived before they met their watery end.

Opening hours
November – March – 10am-5pm (last entry 4:15pm)
April – October – 10am – 5:30pm (last entry 4:45pm)
Closed 24th-26th December

maryrose.org