Treasures from 18th century ship wreck in Mount Edgcumbe collection
Monty Halls, TV presenter, marine biologist, travel writer and diver, will host the launch of the Metta Catharina Exhibition at Mount Edgcumbe House.
The Metta Catharina, a Danish brigantine en route from St Petersburg in Russia to Genoa in Northern Italy was caught by a fierce storm in the English Channel in December 1786. She found shelter from the South Westerly’s just off Mount Edgcumbe but during the night the wind changed direction and she was dragged to her doom on the rocks below the house.
For almost 200 years she lay undisturbed in the deep waters of Plymouth Sound until her ship’s bell was discovered by amateur underwater archaeologists in 1973.
Over the next 30 years a small dedicated team of divers worked to unlock this remarkable 18th century time capsule.
Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park has secured £41,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to conserve and display the artefacts. The total cost of the project will be £60,500 with additional funding coming from the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe, the Metta Catherina Trust and Mount Edgcumbe.
Now, 227 years after her sinking, Mount Edgcumbe is revealing the astonishing hoard of finds including the bell, hand guns, musket balls, buttons, bottles, telescopes, sounding leads, compass sights, various tools, pipes and belt buckles, a beautiful tobacco box, the ships timbers and the amazingly preserved precious leather cargo.
Mount Edgcumbe's new collection is an exciting family-friendly exhibition packed with multi-sensory activities, an animation, a touch screen interactive plan of the ship and sailors dressing-up costumes.
Ian Skelton, Chairman of the Metta Catharina Trust and one of the divers who found the wreck said: “It is wonderful news that after 32 years of diving and research, the story of the Metta Catharina can be told. Mount Edgcumbe is a fitting location for the artefacts to be displayed.”
Gordon Crocker, Chairman of the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe said: “The Friends of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park are delighted to donate funds to help with this worthwhile project and add to the attractions at Mount Edgcumbe.”
