Titanic Exhibition

A fascinating new touring exhibition, Titanic Honour and Glory, featuring many rare and previously unseen artefacts from passengers and crew of the ill-fated Titanic will open at Torquay Museum for three months from Saturday 24 May – the first time this stunning exhibition has visited the Southwest.

The exhibition also features the beautiful Heart of the Ocean necklace worn by Kate Winslet in the enormously successful film Titanic, along with some of the stunning dresses she wore and other props from the film.

Visitors to Torquay Museum can enter into a prize draw for the chance to win a replica of the Heart of the Ocean, and on the last weekend of the exhibition in August they can be photographed wearing the real necklace.

Other artefacts on display include beautiful china dinner plates on which were served the first meals on-board the Titanic, and a silver pocket watch recovered from a victim of the sinking of the Titanic - the hands of which stopped when the watch entered the freezing water at 2:28am, as the ship slipped beneath the ocean on 15th April 1912 with the loss of over 1,500 lives.

“We’re very excited to be hosting this stunning exhibition,” said Ros Palmer, Director of Torquay Museum. “Especially as the ancestors of many Devon families had such close ties with the Titanic. One of the most famous was the metallurgist and explorer Henry Forbes Julian, son in law of the eminent Torquay geologist and principal founder of Torquay Museum, William Pengelly, who lost his life on the Titanic.”

Visitors will also be able to see a mock-up of a third class cabin on board the Titanic, and view a fascinating documentary on the discovery of the wreck of this iconic ship in 1985. Artefacts from the Titanic’s sister ships from the White Star Line, the Olympic and Britannic, will also be on display, from an awesome gold plated cut crystal chandelier to china used by third class passengers.

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The Titanic Honour and Glory exhibition is made up of artefacts from the amazing collection of Sean Szmalc and Margot Corson. Sean’s fascination with the Titanic story began when he was five years old, after viewing the film A Night to Remember.

Deeply touched by the story of the Titanic, Sean and Margot have amassed the many artefacts in their collection over the past 20 years.

The Titanic Honour and Glory exhibition runs from 24 May until 26 August at Torquay Museum, which is open Monday until Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 1.30pm – 5pm, normal museum entrance charges apply. The exhibition was brought to the Museum with support from Torquay solicitors Hooper & Wollen.