Excavating the Collection

We are delighted and relieved to have saved the country’s most important collection of artefacts from shipwrecks in the UK for the Nation.

Now the artefacts are safely at our Archaeological Centre in Poole, we have begun the vital task of assessing what needs conservation and for how long. We are working with our key longterm partners Bournemouth University.

We are envisaging that this work will take us about a month as we examine every item very carefully. And we have 8.5 tonnes of artefacts!

The collection was put together principally by Richard Larn and other divers during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Historic England identified the collection as the largest and most important collection of artefacts from shipwrecks in the UK. It was at risk of being dispersed following the museum’s announcement that it would be selling the collection at auction.

Among many hundreds of items, it includes material from 13 Designated Protected sites which have the same status as the Mary Rose. Artefacts saved include those retrieved from multiple Royal Navy warships including HMS Ramillies, HMS Association and English and Dutch East India Company wrecks. We have just now enhanced the collection with other wreck material.

We are planning local and national opportunities with museums around the country, including support from The National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Mary Rose, and Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, to share and learn from this important resource that not only tells the story of the development of maritime archaeology in the UK but also the history and archaeology of the Royal Navy and the development of international trade.

We have now started a blog which you can just above.