The Mary Rose - the inside story

Published 13:58 on 2 Jan 2026

The Mary Rose, Henry VIII's favourite warship, dramatically sank in the Solent on 19th July 1545. Its subsequent discovery and raising after 437 years under the sea led to the worlds largest underwater maritime excavation of the ship, its contents and crew.  

This talk on Sunday 11 January at 10am in the Upper Deck gives the inside story of the design and construction of the new museum and how the ship and its crew were brought to life for future generations.

Robert Lapraik grew up in Guernsey and on graduating from university he enjoyed a flying career in the RAF including flying Lightning fast jets intercepting Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace.
After a second career in the NHS, including 13 years as CEO of St Richards Hospital, Robert joined the Mary Rose Trust as deputy CEO and acted as project director for the design and construction of the new Mary Rose Museum.

Donations to St Wilfrids Hospice will be welcomed at this lecture.