Maritime trust saves 'priceless' treasures from Cornish shipwrecks from being split up

  • Watch Charlotte Gay's report

A "priceless collection" of artefacts from the Charlestown Shipwreck Museum have been saved from being split up sold to private bidders.

The Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust has bought 500 items, nearly half of the listings, ahead of the planned auction by Lay's Auctioneers in Penzance and said this is the country’s most important collections of its kind.

Historic England identified the collection as the largest and most important collection of artefacts from shipwrecks in the UK and it was at risk of being dispersed following the announcement that the museum and its collection was for sale.

This anchor is one of a handful of locally significant items that will no longer be sold or removed from Charlestown Credit: ITV News

Jessica Berry, CEO of The Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust said they are both 'delighted and relieved" they have been able to save "this priceless collection".

"MAST has now taken the collection out of private ownership so its risk of being dispersed again has now gone forever”

The museum's owner Sir Tim Smit said he has mixed emotions about the sale of the collection and the museum itself, adding it is both 'an exciting and sad moment' citing it as "the reason I came to Cornwall".

Smit said he bought the museum ten years ago because of his love of diving but has come to the decision he can no longer invest in the 50 year old museum.

He explained: "It's a local museum with Internationally important things in it.

"It pays the wages of everybody and pays the rates and all that but there's nothing spare for capital investment so we took the reluctant decision that we were going to let it go."

Sir Tim Smit says he could not afford the work needed to protect the shipwreck artifacts from degrading in the former clay dry. Credit: ITV News

More than half the collection is still up for sale and auctioneer David Lay said he's already had international interest for a rare Titanic collectors item."Auctions these days are nearly always with an international element, and this is no exception. I've had several inquiries from America about the coal from the Titanic."

There have also been a number of items of local significance which have also been removed from sale including the Charlestown town bell and the anchors outside the museum and gifted to St Austell Parish Council.

Seven hundred items are still going under the hammer on Wednesday 6 November before the museum building will be re-listed as a vacant property looking for a new owner.

People living in the village have voiced their concerns about what the museum building could be redeveloped into.

Jean Caddy, who's lived in the area for sixty years says she fears if its not a relevant tourist attraction could this impact Charlestown's UNESCO World Heritage statusShe said: "I think this is one of the saddest things that could happen to Charlestown."

"I think it would stop people from coming here so the businesses are going to suffer. We have coach loads coming down there and the first thing to do, they all file into the shipwreck centre to see what it's all about."

This carved wooden stern from HMS Eagle has been sold to MAST. It was originally predicted to sell at auction for around £30,000. Credit: ITV News

Pat Smith lives and runs a business from her home in Charlestown.

She says while she understands the financial decision the owners have made to close the museum she's fearful developers could turn it into luxury housing.

"Charlestown, like many Cornish villages, is starting to become a second home village. So the sense of community goes. And I think it'd be really sad if it sold off and then turned into being second homes."

While the museum has shut to the public, the annual Christmas Tunnel of Lights display will open for one final time this December.