The Best Guide for the Portsmouth Area

Portsmouth news, reviews and local events in Portsmouth areas including Cosham, Drayton, Farlington, Copnor, North End, Fratton, Southsea, and communities in Portsmouth.

more Upcoming Events

Loading Calendar...

Testimonials

"We know that advertising with AboutMyArea works as we have had people come into the shop to tell us that they have seen us on the site."

- Paul Hensby, Cosham Car Accessories

Easy Access

Map of Portsmouth

The Tudors Costumes on Show at the Mary Rose Museum

Published: 3rd February 2011 14:28

As the multiple Emmy Award-winning series "THE TUDORS" starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers returned for its climactic final season on Saturday 22nd January (BBC2 21.45), some of the costumes will be showcased for the very first time in the UK, including Henry VIII's orange and bronze war costume from the final series that has been used on the promotional posters.

The costumes are on display in the AV Theatre of the Mary Rose Museum from Saturday 29th January until Thursday 31^st March. Entry is free but we are asking people to donate to the 500 Appeal

The eight costumes on show will be those that were worn by Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII, Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves, Joely Richardson as Catherine Parr, Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, Annabelle Wallis as Jane Seymour and Tamzin Merchant as Catherine Howard.

They were on display last year at the Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibition in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum & Galleries, Los Angeles; but this will be the first time they will be displayed in the UK.

Joan Bergin is the Costume Designer and winner of the 2010 Emmy for "Outstanding Costume For A Series", along with Wardrobe Supervisor Susan Cave. Bergin also won Emmys for the series in 2007 and 2008 and received Irish Film & Television Academy awards in 2008 and 2009 as well. Her museum-quality costumes were featured in a Macy's display in New York City on St. Patrick's Day. Bergin has contributed to movies including "My Left Foot," "In the Name of the Father" and "The Prestige." She is currently working on the Starz Network production of "Camelot," starring Eva Green and Joseph Fiennes.

Across the series they made about 500 costumes and rented and modified countless others. The degree of skill can be seen in every detail of the costumes from cloth to braid to button.

In an interview with the LA Times, Bergin described "The Tudors" as a strange blend of trying to be as authentic as possible but with a twist. She wanted people to look at it and say, "Look how sexy and foxy," rather than, "Oh! Who would wear that?" Balenciaga corsets and the Degas ballerinas were her inspiration.

The loan of the costumes has been through the generous support of Joan Bergin and the creator and writer of "The Tudors", Michael Hirst who will also be visiting the Mary Rose Museum for an event on the 24^th March 7-9pm - talking about the series with the final episode airing on Saturday 26^th March. Tickets will be priced at £10 with proceeds going to the Mary Rose 500 Appeal.

Michael Hirst commented that:

"I am delighted to offer my support to the new Mary Rose Museum appeal and would encourage everyone with an interest in British history to support it too, and perhaps contribute something towards the £35 million which it will cost to transform the Museum into a wonderful contemporary space through which to explore our extraordinary past.

The discovery of Henry V111's flagship and its retrieval from the sea bed, with thousands of contemporary artefacts, is reason enough to reinvent and reinvigorate a Museum which already houses many iconic objects from our glorious naval history.

So I wish the Trust well in all its endeavours to do justice to what was once lost and in darkness, but is now found and in public sight once more."

There will also be a series of ‘Get the Look' workshops surrounding the exhibition including knitting and beading workshops at the Museum, talks by Dr Suzannah Lipscomb on Henry VIII and Elizabeth Norton on Catherine Parr.

The Mary Rose 500 Appeal would like to acknowledge Debenhams Southsea and the National Museum of the Royal Navy for the loan of mannequins, Arts University College Bournemouth for help in putting the collection exhibition together, Joan Bergin for the loan of the costumes, Michael Hirst writer and producer and Sony for their use of images.