Henry VIII’s flagship has been awarded 21m by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Mary Rose trust plans to build a new museum to replace the current temporary structure, which will allow them to display nearly 19, 000 artefacts, 94% of which are currently in storage. The new museum is scheduled to be completed by 2011.

More than 60 million people watched the raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 – but a funding bid in 2006 was unsuccesful. This new grant will allow the final stage of the ship’s conservation to commence. The hull has been sprayed with water and special chemicals since it was lifted from the water more than 25 years ago, and the next, crucial stage involves its drying out.

The Cutty Sark, which was badly damaged by fire last May, was awarded 10m by the fund, which will allow work on the restoration to continue.