Titanic
bell |
Your
journey around the exhibition begins with the ship's bell.
Preserved
for 92 years, this is the bronze bell that Frederick Fleet rang
three times before he shouted, "Iceberg right ahead".
As
you enter the first part of the exhibition and catch sight of the
massive section of the ship's hull, any thoughts of Kate Winslet
and Leonardo DiCaprio are replaced by the awe of what lies ahead.
Yes
there's romance, the beauty of the first class accommodation and
trinkets, but there is also the stark reality that these things
were abandoned by people in fear of their lives.
Top
hat |
The
exhibition offers a mixture of ship parts - ranging from plumbing
and metal bench supports - to personal belongings and items of clothing
such as a top hat and a single shoe.
Around
every corner is another fascinating artefact with another story
to tell. A pack of playing cards, a clarinet - perhaps abandoned
by the ship's orchestra - miniature jars of perfume, bottles of
wine, pans from the galley, money and crockery.
All
the items have been recovered from the debris field of the wreck
site 453 miles Southeast of the Newfoundland coastline and lying
2.5 miles beneath the ocean surface.
Reconstruction
of Third Class cabin |
Back
in the exhibition a wall of ice confronts you. The air turns cold
and thoughts drift back to that April night.
And
then, in the final part of the exhibition, you're chilled once more
by a wall naming all 2,228 passengers sorted in to class and crew
and listing whether or not they survived.
This
isn't your run-of-the-mill exhibition of prehistoric pots and coins.
This is a glimpse into the lives of the rich and not so rich, the
lucky and the not so lucky who we've heard about through books and
personal accounts.
These
people could have been our grandparents or great-grandparents and
this exhibition provides us with a startling link to those who thought
the Titanic would be the jewel in the crown of ocean travel.
Richard Fair
|
In
a nutshell:
Titanic - The Artefact Exhibition
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
Until 16th January 2005
Admission: Adults 拢8, Cons 拢6, Children 5-16 拢4,
Under 5's Free. Family Day Ticket 拢20
Museum open 10am - 5pm
What do you want to do now?
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Titanic
- The Artefact Exhibition - Museum of Science and Industry in
Manchester 
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