Blake Lapthorn secures new home for the Mary Rose
Blake Lapthorn is pleased to announce that it has acted for The
Mary Rose Trust in securing a permanent home for the Mary Rose and
its collection of artefacts in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Blake Lapthorn's Real Estate team in Portsmouth provided legal advice to The Trust
and, after months of negotiations, has secured a permanent home for
King Henry VIII’s favourite warship and her artefacts in the
Historic Dockyard, with the signing of a new lease for 75 years
with the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.
The Mary Rose Trust is entering into a building contract for its
new museum, a £35 million project supported by a £21 million grant
from the Heritage Lottery Fund. While the hull of the Mary Rose
itself has been temporarily withdrawn from public view to enable
the new construction work to start, the Mary Rose Museum, which has
more than 1,000 extraordinary artefacts on display, remains open to
the public throughout the construction period.
Robert Lapraik from The Mary Rose Trust, said: "Re-uniting the
ship and her amazing artefacts in the new museum is a very exciting
project, which will unlock the stories of the crew and of life on
board the Mary Rose."
Once complete in time for the Olympics in 2012, the new Mary
Rose Museum will be a key visitor attraction within Portsmouth
Historic Dockyard, which will be of international significance and
interest.
Andy Peck, a partner in Blake Lapthorn's Portsmouth Real Estate
team, said: "The new museum will be a major attraction in the
Historic Dockyard sitting alongside HMS Victory. It will be
stunning."
To support the Mary Rose Trust in its final push to secure
funding for the new Mary Rose Museum visit the Mary Rose Trust
website.
editor’s notes:
- Over 19,000 artefacts were raised from within the Mary
Rose.
- Eight million people have visited the Mary Rose in Portsmouth
Historic Dockyard. Currently visitors can see the Mary Rose Museum
with an all-inclusive ticket, which gives entry to the other iconic
historic ships alongside namely HMS Victory, immortalised as
Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar; the Victorian HMS
Warrior 1860 and the Royal Naval Museum. As well as the interactive
Action Stations and Harbour Tours.
- The new museum housing the hull of the Mary Rose will unite her
with the artefacts and will open in 2012. The conservation of the
hull will be complete in 2016 providing visitors with new and
unique views of the vessel.
- During the construction phase of the new museum and the
temporary closure of the hull, the Mary Rose Museum has devised an
imaginative programme of events and interpretations to give
visitors a different, but equally fulfilling experience including a
new introductory film narrated by TV historian Dan Snow, enhanced
displays and an insight by experienced guides.
- 'Mary Rose 500: recruiting the new
crew’ is the public fundraising campaign being launched by The Mary
Rose Trust, who have already raised £10 million towards a £14
million target, the amount that it must raise to contribute to the
full £35 million cost of the new museum project. The Heritage
Lottery Fund has confirmed £21 million – which meets the rest of
the cost. They are looking for 500 individuals, schools,
businesses, organisations, clubs, societies, colleges, to come on
board and symbolically become the ‘new crew’ of the Mary Rose, each
pledging to raise £500 and become a part of the Mary Rose
history.
- The importance of ‘500’ to the Mary Rose – the original crew
numbered some 500 and it is the 500th anniversary this year of
Henry VIII coming to the throne and of his commissioning of the
Mary Rose. With funding secure, the new museum will also open in
time to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the start of the
ship’s operational life (2012).
For further information please contact Daniel Baber, PR Manager
on 020 7814 5489 / 07771 930 084 or email
daniel.baber@bllaw.co.uk.
