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Mary Rose Museum Shortlisted for Beautiful South Awards

Mary Rose Museum Shortlisted for Beautiful South Awards

The Mary Rose Museum has been shortlisted for the prestigious Beautiful South Awards, in the Large Visitor Attraction; Business Tourism and Venue; and Access and Inclusivity categories. The awards ceremony will be held at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on 5th December.

The Beautiful South Awards recognise the wonderful tourism businesses and experiences that the South East of England offers. Nigel Smith, CEO of Tourism South East, said: “The standard just gets better and better which is a reflection of the investment taking place in the industry and the professionalism of the people who work in this important sector.”

The Mary Rose Museum is rated as the Number One Attraction in Portsmouth on

TripAdvisor, where comments such as ‘breathtaking’, ‘astonishing’ and ‘spellbinding’ are regularly received.

The Museum also boasts spectacular views over Portsmouth Harbour. Steeped in maritime and Tudor history, it is a unique venue to hold events, meetings, seminars and private dinners.

The Museum is accessible to everyone and caters to visually and hearing impaired visitors as well as providing a buggy service to those unable to walk to the site from the main entrance. The Historic Dockyard and the museum are both fully accessible by wheelchair and the museum’s interiors are wheelchair and family friendly. There are also multilingual audio guides and pamphlets to help non-English speakers enjoy the experience.

Helen Bonser-Wilton, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted in a range of Beautiful South Awards categories, in recognition of our efforts to make Mary Rose a welcoming, must-see destination catering to a wide range of audiences. We are looking forward to the results!”

The Museum underwent a complete revamp in 2016, with views of the ship opened up from all three decks and nine galleries through full length glazing. On the Upper Deck, visitors pass through an airlock and breathe the same air as Henry VIII’s flagship.

To bring the ship to life, state of the art projections of the crew were introduced, showing them going around their everyday lives in wartime and peacetime.

The Mary Rose provides a unique and immersive journey into Tudor Life, with all the sights, smells and sounds of life in England in the reign of Henry VIII. The stories of individual crew members are presented through thousands of personal possessions and professional tools.

Visitors experience interactive displays, artefact handling and live action events too.

Find out more about the awards and keep up to date with the results via the Beautiful South Awards website here »

Charley Whitmore