Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth

In 2009 Camlins was reappointed by PNBPT to design the external spaces around the Mary Rose Museum. This houses the hull of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship, which was raised from the seabed of The Solent near Portsmouth in 1982 amidst considerable public excitement. The design takes an ‘inside-out’ approach, cradling the hull at the centre of the new museum alongside a virtual hull which displays original artefacts in context. Deck galleries run the length of the ship, corresponding to the original deck levels and leading to further gallery space at the end of the dry dock. The new building was roofed by a low shell structure that was prefabricated and lifted into place over the existing ship hall. The external works use a simple materiality to blend with the robust dockyard setting and complement the enigmatic architecture.

“In our experience Camlins are a thoroughly professional practice with great eye for detail and diligent project management. Excellent analytical skills has produced sensitive but imaginative contemporary design; important in our case adjacent to Grade 1 listed buildings and scheduled monuments.

We have used other landscape designers in the past but none have come close in terms of quality of work. On the prestigious Mary Rose project we brought Camlins aboard to replace another landscape consultant who had struggled to get to grips with the project.

Camlins may not be the cheapest but you get what you pay for.”

Peter Goodship, Chief Executive, Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust

Client

Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust

Date

2009 to 2012

Team

Wilkinson Eyre, architect / Gifford, engineer + lighting / Davis Langdon, quantity surveyor