Talking Tours of Tudor Portsmouth
A Talking Tour with Rear Admiral John Lippiett and Dr Dominic Fontana on the Temporary Exhibition at the Mary Rose Museum
5th and 7th October – 6pm-7.30pm
Could a 500 year old map have contained clues to where the wreck of the Mary Rose lay and could this be the first time Portsmouth maps have returned to the city in over 400 years? These fascinating questions and more will be answered in special talks on the 5th and 7th October, hosted by Rear Admiral John Lippiett (Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust) and Dr Dominic Fontana (Department of Geography at the University of Portsmouth). The talks are in addition to the temporary exhibition of international cartographic importance in the Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, running until 17th October 2010.
Mapping Portsmouth's Tudor Past has brought together, for the first time, several important maps from The British Library, UK Hydrographic Office and the Admiralty Library. All but one of these maps are hand-drawn and are works of art in their own right. Together they give us a unique and fascinating insight into Tudor Portsmouth and the view of their world 500 years ago.
Visitors to the exhibition have commented:
“I learnt a lot more about Tudor navigation and more. THANKYOU!”, “I think it was exciting and fun, brilliant.”, “Really good and interesting for all ages.”
On special loan from the UK Hydrographic Office collection is a splendid chart of Portsmouth Harbour. This has been dated by the National Maritime Museum as c1620 on the basis of the ship depictions drawn on it. Further research by Dominic Fontana suggests that it may be earlier, possibly as early as the pre-Armada 1580s. This map also contains something of a mystery as it has a compass rose placed outside the harbour mouth which appears to pinpoint the wreck site of the Mary Rose. It also shows the exact location of the mast pond which still exists alongside the Mary Rose Museum today.
The Mary Rose Trust are also delighted that the British Library have loaned 5 unique items for this exhibition including the centrepiece of the display, which are two stunning large-scale maps of Tudor Portsmouth, one dating from 1545 (the year the Mary Rose sank defending the country from French invasion), which is the earliest scale map of an English town and one of the earliest in Europe, and the other dating from 1552, which was probably made for the visit of Edward VI to Portsmouth on the 9th August 1552.
The Admiralty Library has contributed their manuscript Agnese atlas (c1535), which is open at the pages showing the ''known world'' including the east coasts of America and Europe/Africa, through to India. Additionally, the Library has loaned a portolan chart of 1579 showing Spain up to the British Isles, and a first edition Waghenaer sea atlas (1586) that is reputed to have been used by the Admiralty Board during the Spanish Armada battles two years later.
The exhibition also includes two important maps of the Solent from the collection of William Cecil, Elizabeth I‘s Secretary of State. These maps were made to review the defences of Portsmouth Harbour, and highlight both fortifications and potential invasion beaches. The Brouscon tidal atlas of 1540, displayed with a tidal calculator recovered from the Mary Rose, clearly demonstrates a sophisticated Tudor understanding of the tidal currents and timings around the British Isles.
This is the first occasion on which these maps have been brought together for public display and may be the first return to Portsmouth for the two Tudor maps of the town, in over 400 years.
Dr David Starkey CBE, Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust, commented: “The Mary Rose Museum has brought together a unique collection of these Tudor maps and charts to make this temporary exhibition. The maps say a great deal about the state of the nation’s defences. They show a sophistication that is impressive for any age. But they also have a beauty that makes them works of art as well as planning documents for war.”
The exhibition has been brought together from an initial suggestion by Dr David Starkey through the enthusiasm of Rear Admiral John Lippiett and Dr Dominic Fontana.
The Corporation of Trinity House, which celebrates its 500th anniversary in 2014, has sponsored this exhibition. An interesting link in this association is that Thomas Spert, the first Master of the Mary Rose in 1511, went on to become the first Master of Trinity House three years later.
There is also an accompanying booklet on sale in the Mary Rose Museum.
Entrance to the exhibition is free with a valid ticket for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the talks are £6 per person and must be booked in advance.[i].
Tudor Portsmouth in Maps A Talking Tour with Rear Admiral John Lippiett and Dr Dominic Fontana
5th & 7th October 2010
6pm – 7.30pm
£6.00 per person
Tickets available from the Mary Rose Museum, Phone 023 9281 2931 or via email at s.judge@maryrose.org
Licensed bar and the Mary Rose Museum shop will remain open
Notes for Editors
[i] A ticket for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard gives entry to HMS Warrior 1860, HMS Victory, the Mary Rose Museum, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Action Stations and Harbour Tours. This ticket also offers unlimited entry for one year to HMS Warrior 1860, the National Museum of the Royal Navy and Action Stations (subject to the events programme). Tickets cost adults £19.50, seniors £16.50, children & students £14.00 and a family ticket costs £55.00 (up to 5 people with a maximum of 2 adults or seniors). Entrance to the Historic Dockyard is free for those wishing to visit the retailers, cafes and Antiques Storehouse.
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world''s greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world''s largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library''s collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. www.bl.uk
