Rolf Harris: My Visit to the Mary Rose - Amazing ...
Everyone is flocking to see the Mary Rose hull before she disappears temporarily from view later this month and popular artist and entertainer Rolf Harris is no exception! This is his blog on his website (www.rolfharris.com/events/maryrose.html):
MY VISIT TO THE MARY ROSE ..... by Rolf Harris
If you miss the deadline of viewing the hull, the fantastic exhibition of artefacts, weapons and clothing will remain open.
This last week my wife and I went back to re-visit the Mary Rose, King Henry Vlll’s flagship, in Portsmouth.
A breathtaking museum has been created to house a multitude of artefacts, weapons and clothing that have been rescued from the mud where the ship lay for over 400 years. To see the huge array of items ranging from gambling dice less than a quarter of an inch in size, to longbows, wooden plates and tankards, barrels, cannon, chain mail and all sorts of different uniforms and weapons, as well as the beautifully made and decorated pewter plates and goblets the officers would have used, - it’s all quite amazing. The fascinating thing is, none of these hundreds of items have been re-created to look like the various articles from printed lists and illustrations of things that would have been used at the time. These are THE ACTUAL, REAL ITEMS, rescued from the mud and lovingly restored. That mud preserved everything other than iron blades and fittings, (which have been corroded away totally). This fantastic exhibition remains open with its many unique treasures but you really need to hurry if you want to see what’s left of the actual ship, which has been in a purpose built glass-walled viewing chamber for over twenty years, while it has been continuously sprayed with restorative chemicals mixed with water. The remains of this huge and fascinating vessel comprise almost a half of the original ship, which lay covered in preserving mud for all that time. That remaining half of the ship goes under wraps for 3 years on September 21st, while all the timber is allowed to slowly, ever so slowly, dry out.Sunday September the 20th is the last day members of the public will be able to go there and see this marvel from the 16th Century, before it is re-launched in all its glory in a brand new purpose built museum, some time in 2012. It is fascinating. Hurry. You MUST see it! ....
