Yarmouth Centre - Maritime Archaeology Trust

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 on the island. This includes one of the largest multi-shipwreck collections in the UK, developed by Martin Woodward.

Display and interpret the submerged ancient landscapes of the Western Solent, including the unique Stone Age 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 Education & Outreach programme.

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.

You can find out more about the future of the centre in our ‘Vision’ booklet: click here to download it.

Since taking over the site in the Summer of 2025, a dedicated team of volunteers have been working tirelessly to help transform the site inside and out.

We are delighted to now be able to open our doors for visitors to explore a range of brand-new interim displays while work on further exhibits and the larger museum redevelopment project continues behind the scenes. The centre, under the interim working name of Dive in! to SEA HISTORY, is currently open every Friday and Saturday, with as many additional opening days as possible planned throughout the summer 2026 season. Keep an eye out for the ‘Open’ signs!

Highlights of the new interim displays include a dive into the Island’s prehistoric past and the internationally significant site at Bouldnor Cliff, an exploration of life and death on the Island’s dynamic coastline, and the history of the school itself, from its Victorian core to more recent memories. These displays are just a glimpse of what’s to come, introducing the rich maritime stories waiting to be explored in greater depth.

Explore what’s on offer and plan your visit >>

Join us. Support the project. Help shape the future.

This vision depends on your support. How you can help:

Make a donation – we have an ambitious target for fundraising of around £10million. 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. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Izzy at izzy.turtle@maritimearchaeologytrust.org.

Yarmouth Centre Supporters

MAT are extremely grateful to our amazing Trustees and Patrons, the Yarmouth Community Foundation, the Herapath Shenton Trust, Martin Woodward, our dearly missed former Patron Valerie Fenwick and to the dedicated team of volunteers that has been working tirelessly to transform the former school site for interim public access while the future development progresses.

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