Museum tackles life at sea in Newfounland

Poole Museum is set to unveil a new exhibition exploring life on board a 19th century trading ship through tales of its crew.

Tales of the Sea opens on Monday at Poole Museum and marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of the first English colony in Canada. In 1610, a group of West Country pioneers settled at Cupids in Newfoundland.

Poole Harbour was once bustling with sailing ships. Most of these were coastal vessels but some ventured further afield.

The Newfoundland trade involved Poole ships crossing the Atlantic to take on valuable cargoes of salt cod. This was taken to southern Europe, and they then returned to Poole with goods such as wine, oil, salt and fruit. Another important trade brought timber from the Baltic.

This exhibition explores Poole's trade and the lives of the crews who manned the ships through a series of tales and portraits of ships painted at the time. The experiences of merchants, captains, ship's boys and cooks have been brought to life with interactive exhibits and activities.

Councillor Peter Adams, Cabinet portfolio holder for strengthening British communities, borough of Poole, said: "I am delighted that Poole's long and important history as a trading port and its strong connections with Newfoundland are being celebrated in this new exhibition at Poole Museum.

"The sea, boats and trade have a vital role for our community today and this exhibition gives us a chance to see how life at sea was for previous generations."

Michael Spender, museum manager, borough of Poole, said: "We are expecting this exhibition to appeal particularly to families. There are a number of games and hands-on exhibits for children, who will also enjoy the tales of what was a pretty tough life for Victorian sailors."