Treasures found on The London Shipwreck were featured on Digging for Britain alongside the Southend Museums curators responsible for their care.
The London Shipwreck lies off Southend Pier having been blown up by a gunpowder explosion in 1665 and an expanded exhibition is being planned at Southend Central Museum.
Vittorio, left, offered his expert insight to host, Alice Roberts (Image: Digging for Britain)The exhibition will be the largest display of artefacts salvaged from the London. Many of those featured in the exhibition have never been seen before.
Vittorio Ricchetti, senior curator of collections and buildings at Southend Museums, accompanied the precious objects to the Digging for Britain Cotswolds set.
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“The first step was choosing what items could be transported safely, as many of our most special pieces are very fragile. From there, we thought about what would tell the most exciting and engaging story for the viewers,” said Vittorio, who talked through the items with Digging for Britain host, Alice Roberts.
Items were chosen depending on their ability to be transported (Image: Southend Museums)The items chosen by Vittorio and his team to showcase on the show are all from the more than 1,000 object-strong London Collection and included a tool used to light 17th century cannons.
The London played a significant role in British history, having formed part of the convoy sent in 1660 to collect Charles II from the Netherlands to restore him to the throne.
The London Shipwreck is located just off Southend Pier (Image: The Echo)Having sunk in 1665, the London was rediscovered in 2005 amidst works to advance of the London Gateway Port development in Thurrock.
The artefact’s appearance on Digging for Britain comes ahead of a major exhibition scheduled to take place later in the year.
Jools McCusker, Maxwell curator of archaeology, said: “The London is one of Britain’s most important shipwrecks and lies in two parts off Southend Pier after blowing up in 1665 due to a gunpowder explosion.
A pewter spoon was selected to be shown on Digging for Britain (Image: Southend Museums) “An exciting new exhibition will explore developments since The London’s rediscovery and excavation, showcasing cutting-edge scientific analysis of objects retrieved from the wreck.
“Visitors will get to see the incredibly rare 17th century gun carriage on display and learn about the vital conservation work undertaken to preserve this unique find.
“The exhibition will also tell the story of life and death aboard the London through never-before-seen archaeological discoveries that have been painstakingly conserved after 350 years underwater.”
The London Shipwreck – Her Final Voyage exhibition opens at Southend Central Museum on the 31st of May 2025 and will run for a year.