Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition – a fascinating collection of authentic artefacts raised from the seabed, intertwined with the real stories of those aboard Titanic - will open at The Science Museum on 16 May 2003. More than 200 artefacts which have been raised 2275 miles from the seabed 90 years after the White Star liner sank will be on display, together with atmospheric recreations of the ship’s Bridge, first and third class cabins.

Among the breathtaking artefacts are:

An amazing 2275 ton section of Titanic’s hull
The original ship’s Bell - rung when Titanic’s lookout Frederick Fleet shouted “Iceberg right ahead!”
White Star Line china
Passengers’ personal effects including clothing, jewellery and even banknotes and papers which have survived 90 years at the bottom of the Atlantic
Perfume bottles that still have scent lingering.
The exhibition takes visitors on a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic, from its conception, to its construction - which took 15,000 men more than three years to complete - to life on board, to the tragic sinking on 15 April 1912. Authentically recreated first and third class cabins will be featured with furnishings made by original manufacturers. Visitors also glimpse a typical day aboard the great vessel by strolling through the Passenger Gallery. In “The Iceberg” gallery, visitors can touch an artificial “iceberg” created to give visitors an indication of how cold it was in the Atlantic.

Visitors will also see the cutting-edge technology used to discover the wreck 2275 miles below the ocean’s surface, raise the artefacts and preserve them.

Head of the Science Museum, Jon Tucker said, “Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition provides an incredible window on life aboard what was then the greatest liner ever built, at its time representing state-of-the-art technology in shipbuilding. The Exhibition also reveals the cutting edge science and technology used to recover and preserve hundreds of artefacts, allowing visitors to appreciate the challenges of bringing these items two and a half miles to the surface, 90 years after Titanic sank, in one of the most tragic maritime losses of the 20th Century.”

Titanic was hailed as the greatest ship in history. The passengers who boarded were leaders of commerce, artists, migrants, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. The story of Titanic has been told and retold, but never more poignantly than by the artefacts presented in this exhibition. Painstakingly recovered from the debris field surrounding the wreck and carefully conserved, these objects represent the ship and the 2,228 people who journeyed with her into history.

A series of adult and family events and talks will be running during the May half term and summer holidays linked to Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition. We will be focusing on the ship, how it was built, why it sank and what should be done with the wreck. There will be workshops and demonstrations looking at floating and sinking, boat making, navigation and communications, and whether we should be exploring the wreck, and bringing up artefacts.
We will also be screening a brand new 3D IMAX movie, Ghosts of the Abyss, directed by James Cameron


Exhibition: 16 May 2003 to 28 September 2003

Ticket Prices: Titanic only Adults: 2439.95

Children/Concessions: 2436.95

Groups of 10+: 2438.25 per person

Public information and booking line: 0870 870 4868