Titanic Belfast will reopen its doors to the public on Saturday with some of the rarest pieces of memorabilia from the ship on display for the first time.
One highlight for new and returning visitors is an original deck chair bearing the White Star line logo, one of only six that still exist.
Also on display is a life jacket from an unknown victim, which is one of only 12 now remaining from the 3,500 that were onboard.
Read more: Rare footage of the first time human eyes set sights on the Titanic wreck
The world-class visitor attraction is reopening this weekend after a two month closure to facilitate a multi-million-pound refreshment programme.
It now boasts four exciting new galleries within the Titanic Experience called Never Again; Ballard’s Quest; The Ship of Dreams and The Lasting Legacy.
A new artefact collection and an illuminated 7.6m long scale model of RMS Titanic, which is suspended from the ceiling and fully rotates have been included in the new experience.
The illuminated model of the RMS Titanic is 1:35 scale and fitted with 300 metres of LED lights. The ship is coupled with a light show and a score played by Belfast musician Maebh Martin.
Other recovered items include a pocket watch frozen at the time its wearer entered the water, a violin belonging to Wallace Hartley who was one of the musicians now famous for continuing to play as the Titanic sank, and a plan of the first class accommodation belonging to Ellen Bird – the personal maid to Ida Straus, whose husband owned Macy’s department store in New York.
Titanic Belfast was able to add these artefacts due to a £4.5million investment fund from Titanic Belfast Gallery Refreshment Fund and Maritime Belfast Trust.
The refreshed experience introduces The Pursuit of Dreams as a new theme, which combines immersive new technology with this original maritime heritage collection to tell the authentic story of the Titanic and offer an enriched and emotive experience.
The new experience begins as visitors leave The Sinking where they will see a backlit double height wall noting the names of all the passengers onboard Titanic on that fateful night in April 1912, detailing their fate, if they were lost or saved.
Positioned prominently in front of those names is one of only twelve remaining Titanic life jackets in the world, the first of the new artefact collection now on display.
Demonstrated by large tumbling dominos, visitors will then explore the chain reaction of events which caused Titanic to sink and the measures put in place to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. One of the stories visitors will hear details of the missing binocular box keys which limited the vision of the lookout on the crow's nest.
The original keys for the Binocular Box on RMS Titanic are now on display, the first time they have been seen in public since 2009.
The Ship of Dreams gallery allows visitors to go on a reflective journey of the hopes and dreams of those impacted by the famous ship. This spectacular addition to the Titanic Experience sees floor to ceiling projections of the dreams of the people who built her, those who sailed on her and the many who were heading to New York to start a new life.
A stunning collection of original Titanic artefacts is on display, including the sheepskin coat worn by stewardess Mabel Bennett and the black-enamel walking cane, complete with electric light installed at the head, which belonged to First Class passenger Ella White.
These artefacts are all of great historical significance and will be very powerful in helping visitors make emotional and human connections to the stories of Titanic’s passengers and crew.
Visitors will be able to delve into witness testimonies from the British and American inquiries, hear first-hand views of what happened on board Titanic on that tragic night and learn more about Dr Robert Ballard’s quest to fulfil his lifelong dream to discover the ship's wreck.
Visitors will also see how the significance of the Titanic story has impacted Belfast and captured the world’s imagination through film, theatre and literature.
They can test their knowledge of Titanic through an interactive quiz and strike a pose to capture their Jack and Rose photo moment on the bow of the ship.
Judith Owens MBE, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast believes it's the most emotive visitor experience to date.
She said: “Three galleries have been reimagined and we have reopened with four new themed spaces showcasing never heard before stories of the hopes and dreams of passengers, a collection of artefacts being displayed in Northern Ireland for the first time and an original music score, which beautifully encapsulates the stories and emotions throughout.
“Visitors will be able to completely immerse themselves as the iconic story of Titanic is told as never before. We are over the moon with the new galleries, and we can’t wait to welcome visitors to experience it for themselves.
“We are confident that the reimagined Titanic Experience will ensure Titanic Belfast remains a world-class, ‘must-see’ global visitor attraction for years to come.”
The new Titanic experience open to the public this Saturday, March 4. For further information visit titanicbelfast.com.
Video by Belfast Live videographer Dylan Hegarty.
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