A major exhibition showcasing artefacts from the Gloucester shipwreck, which sank off Norfolk in 1682 and whose discovery was made public in June, has been confirmed.
The Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery will host The Last Voyage of the Gloucester: Norfolk’s Royal Shipwreck, 1682 exhibition from 25 February to 10 September. When it was found off Great Yarmouth, the shipwreck was described as ‘the most-important maritime find since the Mary Rose’.
It was actually discovered back in 2007 by Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, their late father, friend James Little and another unnamed associate, but it was only made public in June this year due to security reasons, and to give experts time to recover the artefacts on her remains. It is still an ‘at-risk site’, which is why the exact location has not been disclosed.
Objects that will be on display in the exhibition in Norwich include the Gloucester’s bell, personal possessions of the passengers and crew, and the ship’s navigational instruments.
Photo credit: Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks and the University of East Anglia
