Gloucester shipwreck expo at Norwich Castle draws crowds

'The Last Voyage of the Gloucester: Norfolk’s Royal Shipwreck, 1682' opened at Norwich Castle Museum at the end of last month.

And the exhibition attracted more than 750 people over its first weekend, delighted museum bosses have revealed.

Julian and Lincoln Barnwell at the Gloucester exhibition. Pic: Denise Bradley (Image: Denise Bradley)

John Ward, chair of the Norfolk Joint Museums Committee, said: "We’ve had an incredible response from the public to the ‘The Last Voyage of the Gloucester’ since it opened.

"The galleries are buzzing with visitors exploring this incredible Norfolk story and the wonderful finds retrieved from the seabed.

"We’re delighted to have had such a positive start to the exhibition which we believe will bring people to the city from far and wide over the next six months."

The Wreck of the Gloucester off Great Yarmouth, 6 May 1682, by Johan Danckerts, 1682. Pic: Wikimedia Commons (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The wreck of the ship - which had the future King James I on board when it sank off the coast of Great Yarmouth - was discovered by Norfolk divers Lincoln and Julian Barnwell and their friend James Little in 2007.

The find was kept secret for several years, but visitors can now see items carefully brought up from the seabed after almost 350 years.

The Gloucester 1682 Trust, chaired by General Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, is fundraising to create a permanent exhibition of the finds.

General the Lord Dannatt. Pic: Newsquest (Image: UEA)

Great Yarmouth has been mooted as a possible site.

Objects on display include beautifully-designed wine bottles, a urine flask, spoons, the mouthpiece of a brass trumpet, parts of a woman's shoe, combs, clay pipes, a leather pouch and the ship's bell.

The Gloucester exhibition at Norwich Castle Museum. Pic: Denise Bradley (Image: Denise Bradley)

Tickets to the exhibition are free with museum admission, but it is recommended to book in advance.