Gloucester Shipwreck project gains recognition at national award ceremony
By: Communications
The Gloucester Shipwreck project, led by Professor Claire Jowitt, was recognised against some of the very best projects in higher education at the Times Higher Education award for Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
In collaboration with Norfolk Museums Service, Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks, and the Gloucester (1682) Charitable Trust, the project team was up against five other universities shortlisted for the prize, which celebrates ‘the very best in higher education’.
“On behalf of the project team and all who have supported this endeavour, I am delighted with the recognition from THE to nominate our efforts to share the fascinating and enduring story of the Gloucester and its tragic loss in 1682,” said Prof Jowitt.
“Our research into seventeenth-century political and maritime history has gained an immeasurable amount since the discovery by Lincoln and Julian Barnwell and James Little of the Gloucester shipwreck. It’s changed public understanding of both the risks and pleasures of travel at sea, and of the turbulent life of the Gloucester’s royal passenger James, Duke of York.”
The historical research and public engagement programme exploring the life and times of the Gloucester warship announced in June 2022 as a collaboration between Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks (NHS), Norfolk Museums Service (NMS), and the Gloucester 1682 Charitable Trust, chaired by General Lord Richard Dannatt. UEA's team also includes Dr Benjamin Redding, Professor Sarah Barrow, Professor Steve Waters, Jared Butler, the Communications team and the Development office; NHS's team includes the Barnwells and Little; NMS's team includes Steve Miller, Dr Francesca Vanke, Ruth Battersby, and Jo Warr.
This year is the 20th anniversary of THE awards that ‘shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements and successes of institutions, teams and individuals’. Five other universities were shortlisted for the Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences award, from a record-setting number of entries: ‘you’re officially part of an extremely select group,’ according to the shortlisting notification.
Read the story of The Gloucester
Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the Gloucester Project team’s historical research underpinned a landmark exhibition and associated education programme at Norwich Castle for eight months in 2023. Co-curated by Prof Jowitt and Senior Research Associate Dr Redding, it attracted 70,000 visitors and featured an original animated drama by playwright Prof Waters, voiced by UEA students and alumni.
Prof Jowitt’s article 'The Last Voyage of the Gloucester’ in English Historical Review has been one of the most-read in the discipline, with more than 15,500 views. 'The Western Design Revised’ in The Historical Journal by Dr Redding has had more than 1,500 readers.
The project has generated by far the highest media profile of any UEA humanities or social sciences story,
with more than 1,700 articles and 100 TV and radio items. The researchers have given numerous interviews including to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC World News, and Great Coastal Railway Journeys, as well appearing on many podcasts.
The Research Project of the Year is one of several accolades since the project launched. Prof Jowitt was granted Freedom of the City of London at a Mansion House ceremony. The team received the Outstanding Achievement Award at UEA’s Innovation and Impact Awards and the Gloucester promotional film won a Royal Television Society East award.
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