Uncommon Spanish Armada maps saved from sell-off to go on public show
R
are maps detailing the defeat of the Spanish Armada are set to go on public show for the primary time.
The 10 maps, drawn in 1589, are believed to be the earliest illustration of the naval battles that came about a 12 months earlier.
The exhibition exhibiting the “defining moment” within the nation’s historical past comes after an pressing fundraising attraction in 2020 raised £600,000 to avoid wasting the ink and watercolour items from being bought off overseas.
Members of the general public will be capable to view the gathering on the National Museum of the Royal Navy, in Portsmouth, for 45 days from June 24 to August 8.
The timeframe follows professional recommendation on the risks of sunshine publicity and the fragility of the maps.
Professor Dominic Tweddle, the museum’s director basic, mentioned: “Our job is to tell the epic story of the Royal Navy, its impact on Britain, as well as the world, from the earliest times to the present day, to that end we’re delighted to display the complete Armada Maps Collection for the first time at the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
“The defeat of the Armada was a turning point in forging our nation’s identity and the maps act as a powerful commemoration of this pivotal naval battle.”
He added: “The Armada Maps National Treasures exhibition is hugely significant; it is an opportunity for us to link navy to nation and educate future generations about the origins of the Royal Navy as a protector of an island nation.”
Visitors to the exhibition will be capable to check out a touchscreen and animation created particularly for the maps.
The museum may even discover the build-up to the Armada marketing campaign and can showcase an especially uncommon map from May 1588 of the Spanish Armada outdoors Lisbon.
Arts and heritage minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay mentioned: “The Armada Maps are incredibly rare documents from the most significant naval battle of the early modern period.
“I am delighted that the export bar placed on these 10 hand-drawn maps allowed time for the National Museum of the Royal Navy to secure these national treasures and keep them accessible to the public.”