The Manitoba Museum will temporarily close the Nonsuch Gallery after historians noticed it wasn’t an accurate depiction of the original ship.
The Nonsuch replica was created at the Manitoba Museum in 1968, and when they were first constructing it, they used materials that weren’t accurate to the original ship.
The renewal of the Nonsuch Gallery will see minimal impacts on the ship itself, with the exception of re-rigging it for historical accuracy and longevity, says the Manitoba Museum.
The original setting for the exhibit was based on the ship’s scene of departure from Deptford, England in 1668, en route to Hudson Bay. The renewed Nonsuch Gallery will have the Nonsuch returning to Deptford from Hudson Bay in 1669.
The exhibit will show the cargo hold of the ship filled with furs from trading with the Cree people of Hudson Bay. The exhibit will also feature sailors sharing stories of their Canadian experience.
The museum hired three men who have experience rigging 17th-century ships and they will be on site for ten weeks to improve the overall authenticity.
The exhibit is set to reopen to the public in early July.
