MAT is embarking on an exciting project to develop an inspirational new museum and centre for maritime archaeology at the former Yarmouth Primary School on the Isle of Wight. We plan to:  

• Relocate and enhance the significant collection currently at the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum. This includes one of the largest multi-shipwreck site collections in the UK, developed by Martin Woodward.  

• Display and interpret the submerged prehistoric landscapes of the Western Solent, including the unique Mesolithic collections from Bouldnor Cliff, which includes worked wood features, preserved ecofacts and a range of flint tools.  

• Ensure the new state-of-the-art museum incorporates a range of displays, activities including immersive AR and VR experiences.  

Our vision is for the Yarmouth Centre to be a must-see visitor attraction, however, it will also host a range of other facilities and features including:  

• Temporary and touring exhibitions to allow a range of changing local, national and international displays. 

• Bespoke education and outreach facilities for all ages to welcome school children through to older ages. This will enable us to expand our award-winning E&O programme.  

• Facilities for hire for meetings and events, to provide a bespoke experience for your group, business or big celebration needs.  

• A maritime archaeology library and research centre which includes the impressive library of our much-missed Trustee and supporter Valerie Fenwick.
• Archive and study facilities to house MAT’s site archive and reserve collection material, and provide facilities for visiting researchers to access and study the collection.  
• A gift shop and café facilities open to all. 

Join us as we depart on our voyage for the Yarmouth Centre and site, as we develop plans, surveys, permissions, builds, exhibits and more. We hope to have a number of temporary exhibitions on site during the development process to give a taste of what is to come and update with the latest news. We will also be consulting on a name for the new centre that will be distinctive and memorable while reflecting all of its elements. 

Ways to support the Yarmouth Centre:  

• Make a donation – we are in the early stages of development and are likely to have a target for fundraising of around £5million, many grant funders require ‘match funding’, so your contribution can be vital for enabling larger grant funding.  

• Volunteer – at the Yarmouth site, or in other ways. As always MAT relies on our amazing volunteers – check back here soon for a range of volunteer roles that will be available. 

• Sign up for MAT e-newsletter – we will have a Yarmouth Centre update in each of our monthly Newsletters.  

• Donate books to our developing library – we are concentrating on maritime archaeology books – get in touch if you have books to donate and we can check if we already have a copy or whether we can welcome it into the Yarmouth Centre.  

Yarmouth Centre Supporters 

Our development of the Yarmouth Centre has been made possible through the generous support of the Yarmouth Community Foundation, Herapath Shenton Trust, and Valerie Fenwick.  

We would also like to thank our kind MAT supporters, whose support has made our work and the new development possible.