The London Shipwreck: Her Final Voyage
Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6EW
Built between 1654 to 1656, the 'London' was a 64-gun warship that served during the Anglo-Spanish war and later transported the Duke of York (future King James VII and II) during the restoration of the monarchy. In 1665, the ship tragically and mysteriously exploded while moored in the Thames Estuary, killing around 300 people, a disaster recorded by Samuel Pepys in his diary.
A new exhibition at Southend Central Museum focuses on the last voyage that salvaged objects from London Shipwreck undertook before reaching Southend Museums: their conservation and preservation. New conservation and scientific analyses, lead by Historic England and conducted on the objects over the course of several years, has revealed fascinating new information. The collection includes a large number of never-before seen objects, the star of which is a rare timber gun carriage that would have held one of the cannons on the 17th century warship and is one of the very few of its kind in existence.
The exhibition tells the story of the final journey of the finds from the seabed to their ultimate home at Southend Museums, and the lives of those on board, through personal objects and ground-breaking conservation work, and includes interactive audio, a 'become a conservator' activity and children's trail.
The London Shipwreck: Her Final Voyage runs 31 May 2025 to 31 May 2026. Free entry as part of Heritage Open Days will be on the 20th and 21st September. The museum is open 11am-5pm.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 20 September:
- 11am-5pm
- Sunday 21 September:
- 11am-5pm
Location & directions
Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6EW
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The exhibition is on the ground floor of the museum, and is fully wheelchair accessible via the side entrance to the building (via the wellbeing garden). However, there are no ground floor toilets at the museum, and no lift, so the toilets are only accessible via a flight of stairs. There are ground floor and accessible toilets at the Beecroft Art Gallery, directly next door to the museum.
