Spanish Armada maps saved from export

Hand-drawn, Elizabethan-era maps depicting the Spanish Armada have been saved from export after £600,000 was raised to buy them.

The 10 maps, believed to have been drawn the year after the famous battle of 1588, were sold to an overseas buyer in July but an export ban was imposed, according to BBC News.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth raised the money in eight weeks.

It is now seeking further funds to put the maps on display for the first time.

The ink and watercolour maps were sold for £600,000, but culture minister Caroline Dinenage imposed an export ban until January and called for a museum or institution to raise funds to purchase them. She says: “The export bar system exists so we can keep nationally important works in the country and I am delighted that, thanks to the tireless work of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Armada maps will now go on display to educate and inspire future generations.”

The target was reached with the help of £212,800 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and £200,000 from the Art Fund.

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