We are both A-level students studying Tudor history, so where better to do work experience than the Mary Rose Museum?

Our week here has been busy and varied, and we both felt very welcomed by the team.  Through shadowing volunteers, we were able to study the various artefacts in more detail and they were able to answer all of our questions. We have been helping with the Tudor ‘Brick by Brick’ event, putting together a LEGO brick mosaic of the Cowdray Engraving, which depicts the sinking of the Mary Rose. Through talking to the visitors, we have improved our communication skills which will inevitably help us in the future. We also got involved in researching a new talk for adult learners on King Henry VIII and the Mary Rose.

‘As someone who is already extremely fond of the Tudors, being able to go around the museum and study in depth one the most famous ships in History, was both eye–opening and jaw-dropping. To think that I’ve held a real piece of Mary Rose rope is mind blowing!  Another aspect of my week was spending time with the younger visitors and helping them make Lego cannonballs. It required some patience, but I really loved spending time with parents and children since it made me feel so grown up. A definite highlight was when visitors asked me about some of the artefacts and I was able to answer them with confidence, which made me feel very good about my ability to retain information.’ - Syeda

‘I have had a great time working at the Museum this week, and from the volunteers I have learned a lot about life in Tudor Portsmouth. When I arrived, I knew very little about the Mary Rose, and now I feel confident on various aspects of the ship’s history.’- Esme

Tomorrow we will be taking part in Teen Twitter Takeover Day. This is a national event where young people takeover museums’ social media.  Look out for our tweets about what’s happening at the museum tomorrow. Follow us @MaryRoseLearn. We sent out an initial tweet and have had an impressive number of retweets and favourites internationally!  We are looking forward to connecting with other teenagers working on the same project.

It has been a great opportunity and we would recommend it to other students.