Anyone with a love of shipwreck artefacts and just under £2 million to invest might consider the prospect of acquiring Cornwall’s Shipwreck Treasure Museum, which has just gone up for sale.
Located in a picturesque location overlooking historic Charlestown Harbour in St Austell on the south coast, the museum contains the biggest historic collection of maritime and shipwreck memorabilia in the UK.
There are no fewer than 7,000 items displayed or stored there, including those recovered from famous vessels such as the Mary Rose, Titanic, Lusitania and Royal Charter – and all are included in the price.
Displays covering centuries of maritime history include the museum’s latest exhibition “The Legacy of Shackleton”, co-produced with the Royal Geographic Society. All exhibits have been declared to the Receiver of Wreck or were covered by the national wreck amnesty.
“Since UNESCO banned diving on all shipwrecks up to 200 miles offshore, this collection is unique and practically impossible to duplicate,” says estate agent SBC Property of Truro.
The museum, which continues to trade in the Merchants of Charlestown building, includes its sizeable Rebellion bar-restaurant, retail unit and café-takeaway, as well as an extensive complex of decorated tunnels connecting the display areas. Four full-time staff could be made available in connection with a sale.
The museum was established almost 50 years ago and since 2015 has been owned by Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project and owner of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, whose company Smit Associates is in the process of consolidating its activities.
According to Cornwall Live, if the owner proves unable to sell the museum as a going concern it plans to sell the property itself and put the shipwreck memorabilia items up for auction separately in November. The freehold asking price for the Shipwreck Treasure Museum with contents is £1.95 million.
For those who just want to inspect the property for themselves, admission is £8.50 (£5 for under-18s).
Buried wreck surfaces in Wales
On the subject of museums, In North Wales a temporary exhibition about a Victorian schooner wreck can currently be seen at Llandudno Museum.
The Flying Foam was built in 1861 to carry cargo around the UK, but the ship sank in a storm near the town on 21 January, 1936, and lies buried under sand. Until recently its remaining timbers would become visible at low tides on the town’s West Shore, though only the windlass is now revealed.
The show, which runs through August, has been curated by Ships’ Timbers, which took on the wreck under the Nautical Archaeology Society’s Adopt a Wreck scheme.
Also read: Pioneering shipwreck treasure hunters celebrated at Cornish museum
