Mary Rose Museum shortlisted for top international award

ONE of Portsmouth's most historic attractions has been shortlisted for a major international award.
The Mary Rose Museum with HMS Victory in the foregroundThe Mary Rose Museum with HMS Victory in the foreground
The Mary Rose Museum with HMS Victory in the foreground

The Mary Rose Museum will compete against 39 other destinations for the 2018 European Museum of the Year.

Helen Bonser-Wilton, chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust, said staff were ‘delighted’ to be shortlisted.

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She added: ‘The Mary Rose presents a captivating insight into everyday life on board Henry VIII’s favourite warship along with the dramatic story of her sinking and subsequent excavation and raising.

‘The museum is receiving fantastic reviews from our visitors and is a must-see British icon.’

The award, given by the European Museum Forum, focuses on museums that have opened or completed redevelopments in the last three years.

The new-look Mary Rose reopened to the public in July last year after an extensive redesign.

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It included making nine galleries available for visitors to view the historic ship.

The museum also features a large collection of artefacts found on board the ship, and projections on to the vessel showing the crew at work.

The Mary Rose Museum is one of three British attractions nominated for the award.

Other shortlisted sites include the Design Museum in Kensington, London and the Science Museum in South Kensington.

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Among the previous UK winners are the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, which won in 2013, and the National Railway Museum in York which was victorious in 2001.

Last year the award was won by the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva, in Switzerland.

This year’s winner will be announced during the annual assembly of the European Museum Forum from May 9 to 12, 2018 in Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, winners in 2016.

The Mary Rose Museum has already celebrated several awards so far this year.

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These include prizes at the The INSIDE Awards at the World Festival of Interiors and the Beautiful South Awards, as well as earlier on in the year at the VisitEngland awards.

Ms Bonser-Wilton was also nominated for Director of the Year at the Venus Hampshire Awards.

The Mary Rose sank on July 19, 1545, and was raised from the seabed nearly four centuries later in 1982.

The museum is open from 10am to 5pm from November to March, with last entry at 4.15pm.