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The Mary Rose and its collection

The Mary Rose
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The Mary Rose museum is home to Henry VIII's warship, the Mary Rose, and the thousands of objects that were recovered from the Solent. Built between 1509 and 1511, the Mary Rose was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a firm favourite of King Henry VIII. After a long and successful career, she sank accidentally during an engagement with the French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology. After a long conservation project, the Mary Rose is now fully on display within her purpose-built museum.

ENMary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Science & Technology Science & Technology History & Anthropology History & Anthropology Archaeology Maritime

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#4 Maritime museums in United Kingdom #7 Archaeology museums in United Kingdom #11 Science & Technology in United Kingdom #35 Museums open on Monday in United Kingdom #40 History & Anthropology in United Kingdom #18 Maritime museums in Europe #47 Archaeology museums in Europe #51 Science & Technology in Europe #1 Maritime museums in Portsmouth #1 Science & Technology in Portsmouth #1 Museums open on Monday in Portsmouth #1 History & Anthropology in Portsmouth #3 Maritime museums in England #6 Archaeology museums in England #9 Science & Technology in England #29 Museums open on Monday in England #32 History & Anthropology in England

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The Mary Rose
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
HM Naval Base
PO1 3PY

Images of The Mary Rose

Visitor information The Mary Rose

Opening hours

Monday
10:00 – 17:30
Tuesday
10:00 – 17:30
Wednesday
10:00 – 17:30
Thursday
10:00 – 17:30
Friday
10:00 – 17:30
Saturday
10:00 – 17:30
Sunday
10:00 – 17:30

April – October 10:00am – 5:30pm
November – March 10:00am – 5:00pm

More opening hours

Admission

Adults£51.00
Children£36.00
Family (1 Adult + 3 Children)£99.00
Family + (2 Adults + 3 Children)£120.00

The Mary Rose Museum is part of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and is currently only available to visit with the Portmsouth Historic Dockyard Ticket, which gets you entry to a host of other amazing historical attractions, including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Submarine Museum!

More ticket prices

Facilities

Wheelchair accessible
Museum shop
Coffee
Credit card
Restaurant
Child-friendly
Audio tour

Location & Map

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth

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Exhibitions

More exhibitions

Related Articles

The Mary Rose Reviews

The Mary Rose has 4 ratings.

  • Apollo's Insights AI-Generated

    The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England, offers visitors a compelling journey through Tudor maritime history. Housing the restored remains of Henry VIII's flagship, the museum provides an intimate look at life aboard a 16th-century warship. Visitors consistently praise the museum's immersive exhibits, which combine original artifacts with modern technology to tell the ship's story. The preservation techniques used on the hull and the range of recovered items are often cited as impressive. Many reviewers appreciate the detailed information provided about the crew members and their daily lives. The museum's layout, allowing views of the ship from multiple angles, is generally well-received. Some visitors note that the dimly lit environment, necessary for preservation, can make reading information challenging at times. A few mention that the entry fee is somewhat high, but most feel it's justified by the quality of the experience. The museum is frequently described as educational and engaging for both adults and children, making it a worthwhile stop for those interested in history or maritime affairs. While it may not appeal to everyone, those with an interest in the subject matter find it thoroughly rewarding.

    Read more…

  • M
    Matthew • Oct 19, 2026

    We've been buying annual tickets for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for the past three years, but after our experience on 3 October, I don't think we'll be going back.

    We paid around £130 for family annual passes, not realising there was a large free event taking place that day. The place was absolutely rammed. It took around 25 minutes just to get through the entrance, and another 30 minutes to get a coffee.

    I appreciate these events happen, but it would have been nice to have been made more aware when booking. We'd have happily picked another day.

    What really ruined it, though, was an interaction with a member of staff outside the entrance.

    I suggested that perhaps there should be separate queues for people visiting the paid attractions and those attending the free event. She started telling me that everyone needed their bags searched, which wasn't what I was suggesting at all.

    I tried explaining, but we were clearly talking at cross purposes, so I walked away rather than get into an argument. She then actually followed me and continued challenging me about why I supposedly didn't want my bag searched.

    I've never experienced anything quite like it at a family attraction. Completely unnecessary and really unpleasant.

    We ended up leaving after about 90 minutes. £130 spent on annual passes, and we now don't feel comfortable going back.

    I complained to the Dockyard that same morning. They apologised and said they'd passed the incident on for internal review, which I appreciate.

    However, despite explaining why we left and why we no longer wanted to return, they've flatly refused any refund or even a goodwill gesture. Their reasoning is essentially that the attractions were available and our tickets are still valid.

    I understand they have a refund policy, but I find that response pretty disappointing. We're not asking for our money back because we simply changed our minds. We left because of how we were treated.

    After three years of visiting and supporting the attraction, I genuinely expected better.

    Visit at your own risk.

  • M
    Matthew • Oct 19, 2026

    We've been buying annual tickets for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for the past three years, but after our experience on 3 October, I don't think we'll be going back.

    We paid around £130 for family annual passes, not realising there was a large free event taking place that day. The place was absolutely rammed. It took around 25 minutes just to get through the entrance, and another 30 minutes to get a coffee.

    I appreciate these events happen, but it would have been nice to have been made more aware when booking. We'd have happily picked another day.

    What really ruined it, though, was an interaction with a member of staff outside the entrance.

    I suggested that perhaps there should be separate queues for people visiting the paid attractions and those attending the free event. She started telling me that everyone needed their bags searched, which wasn't what I was suggesting at all.

    I tried explaining, but we were clearly talking at cross purposes, so I walked away rather than get into an argument. She then actually followed me and continued challenging me about why I supposedly didn't want my bag searched.

    I've never experienced anything quite like it at a family attraction. Completely unnecessary and really unpleasant.

    We ended up leaving after about 90 minutes. £130 spent on annual passes, and we now don't feel comfortable going back.

    I complained to the Dockyard that same morning. They apologised and said they'd passed the incident on for internal review, which I appreciate.

    However, despite explaining why we left and why we no longer wanted to return, they've flatly refused any refund or even a goodwill gesture. Their reasoning is essentially that the attractions were available and our tickets are still valid.

    I understand they have a refund policy, but I find that response pretty disappointing. We're not asking for our money back because we simply changed our minds. We left because of how we were treated.

    After three years of visiting and supporting the attraction, I genuinely expected better.

    Visit at your own risk.

  • A
    AA • Aug 29, 2025

    Recently, I visited the Mary rose museum in Portsmouth.

    The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s flagship. It was the first ship that was made under Henry’s rule, many people have speculated it was named after his sister but in actual fact it was named after Saint Mary and the Tudor Rose. It required about 600 oak and elm trees to build which combined with the building of the rest of the fleet virtually destroyed most of the forests of England.

    The Mary Rose sank during the battle of the Solent, which was one of the two ‘proper’ naval battles that was fought under the reign of Henry VIII. It is unclear why, but there are many theories, such as the gun ports being left open in a manoeuvre, the gun ports being too close to the water, and a gust of wind hitting the ship while it did a turning manoeuvre. Regardless of which theory was correct when It sunk it claimed the lives of around 400 people with it, which was most of the crew. The reason behind such a high death rate was that there was anti boarding netting surrounding the ship, which trapped the sailors stopping them escaping the sinking ship. The Mary Rose was partially buried in the seabed. This meant that the submerged part of the wreck was protected from wood eating creatures preserving it to this day. The wreck was found in 1982, raised, and now lies in the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.

    I found the trip very informative. I very much enjoyed learning about how life was like on a Tudor ship. I was very impressed how the museum showed and explained the findings of where the skeletons they found had come from which scientists discovered using the strontium value of the skeletons and matching it to areas around the world. The also were able to discover what professions each individual had by looking at the bones, for example professions like archery had an impact on the shoulder bones creating fused shoulder blades. I found that this was presented in a very interesting and clear way. I thought the view of the wreck itself to be very good, especially as it was supplemented by relevant artefacts in the viewing tunnel.

    However, while the overall experience is outstanding, I feel that some improvement that can be made with the museum. When you enter the museum, you are required to watch video which describes the Mary Rose and its history. This video gives us information about the Mary Rose’s history and context on the battle of the Solent. While this is great, I feel this information could be better placed elsewhere. I found the video to be a little too long, and so it lost the attention of the viewers. I also feel that the museum layout was very confusing, as it had two parts on each floor. I found the layout of the display cabinets meant that it was hard to see all the brilliant content they have up to offer.

    Overall, I found the Mary Rose Museum to be a solid 4/5, as it has very informative displays, a brilliant view of the wreck and a great café, however there are some improvements still to be made, such as making a clear route around the museum to make sure information is not missed, and incorporate the information in the video shown at entry into the museum.

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