Shipwrecks



Overview

This course will focus on a series of shipwrecks, their stories and the objects lost and sometimes recovered – from dresses and textiles to paintings, commercial cargoes and everyday objects. Taught from a historian’s perspective, we will discuss sailors and travellers, asking why people went to sea and considering what happened to them when they did. This will draw upon the tutor’s own research into the ‘Palmwood wreck’ and also consider a number of other examples located primarily in northern Europe and dating from the pre-modern era. These will include the Swedish warship the Vasa, the Mary Rose and the Vrouw Maria, which carried treasures belonging to Catherine the Great. Survivors’ accounts and objects both recovered and lost from the wrecks will inform our discussions.

This course is part of The Oxford Experience summer school, held at Christ Church.

Programme details

Daily schedule

Seminars meet each weekday morning after breakfast.

After lunch, afternoons are free for individual study or exploring the many places of interest in and around the city. Optional plenary excursions and social activities including walking tours will also be available.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), lunches Sunday-Friday, and three-course dinners Sunday-Thursday. All meals are taken in Christ Church’s spectacular dining hall. 

On Friday, there will be a special four-course gala dinner to celebrate the closing of the week.

Seminars and field trip

Monday seminars

Exploration. We will begin by discussing the practical and ethical dimensions of shipwrecks and their discovery and examination by divers and maritime archaeologists. Questions of preservation and the recovery of objects will be addressed. We will also review a series of historical shipwrecks and the insights that they can provide into the worlds from which they disappeared.

Tuesday seminars

Ships. Today’s session will begin by focusing on the seventeenth century warship, the Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage off the coast of Stockholm in Sweden. We will consider the context for the remarkable preservation and raising of the Vasa, discussing the special environment of the Baltic Sea and its wide variety of well-preserved shipwrecks.

Wednesday seminars

Cargoes. The Vrouw Maria sank in 1771, taking with it a cargo of goods including works of art owned by Catherine the Great. These remain underwater in a largely intact wreck and offer the tantalising (albeit unlikely) possibility of future recovery, prompting the question of how much remains underwater, preserved in oxygen deprived environments. 

Thursday seminars

Recovery. Our field trip will take us to see one of the most famous raised shipwrecks, the Mary Rose. We will visit the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth to see the objects and partially recovered remains of the ship before visiting Southsea Castle, the site from which Henry VIII watched his expensively refitted warship sink.

Friday seminars

Mysteries. Our final session will focus on the ‘Palmwood Wreck’ which sank off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel at some point in the early to mid seventeenth century. In recent years, over 1000 items have been recovered from the wreck, providing fascinating glimpses into its cargo. Many questions remain.

Field Trip

Destination: Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth         and Southsea Castle
 

Duration: All day 

Excursion Rating: Moderate - up to two hours' walk on even ground or up to an hour's walk on rough and/or steep ground or up lots of stairs and steps.

Certification

Certificate of Attendance

At the end of the course you will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Digital badge

You will also be issued with an official digital badge of attendance. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download this. You will be able to share this on social media and add to your email signature if you wish to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee option 1 (single en suite accom and meals per person) £2495.00
Fee option 2 (single standard accom and meals per person) £2385.00
Fee option 3 (double en suite accom and meals per person) £2375.00
Fee option 4 (twin en suite accom and meals per person) £2375.00
Fee option 5 (twin set standard accom and meals per person) £2375.00
Fee option 6 (no accom; incl lunch and dinner per person) £1775.00

Funding

Please note there are no sources of funding (scholarships, bursaries, etc) available for the Oxford Experience programme.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Course change administration fee: Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the programme administrator, up to the 1 May 2026. In accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.

Supplementary costs

  • Any excursions listed in the 'programme details' above are included in the course fees and do not require a separate payment.
  • If your course includes a day-long excursion, you may need to make your own lunch arrangements.
  • Any optional, plenary excursions/social activities not detailed in the 'programme details' above may incur an additional cost. A social programme outlining these options will be sent to you in advance of the course start date.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking.
  • If submitting an enrolment form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date.

Cancellations and refunds

Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check the terms and conditions carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Dr Janet Dickinson - Tutor

Dr Janet Dickinson is Departmental Lecturer in Lifelong Learning (History) at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education and Lecturer at New York University in London. She has several times been recognised as ‘Most Acclaimed Lecturer’ and ‘Outstanding Tutor’ at Oxford University Student Union’s Annual Teaching Awards and received a Teaching Excellence Award for Global Site Faculty from NYU in 2023. Her main research interests focus on the Tudor nobility and the court of Elizabeth I as well as the global history of the court in the early modern period, on which she has published widely. Janet is also very interested in shipwrecks and drowned books. 

Janet is a convenor of the Tudor & Stuart Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research in London and a member of the Executive Committee of the Society for Court Studies. She sits on the steering committee of the Lord Burghley 500 Foundation and is involved in forging educational legacy projects exploring the world of William and Mildred Cecil. She can be found on Bluesky as @janetdickinson.bsky.social.
 

Teaching methods

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 12 people. The teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Video recordings
  • Tutor-led field trip

Application

Enrolment deadline: registration closes at midnight on 1 May 2026. 

Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.

Online enrolment (single person accommodation and non-residential)

Single accommodation and non-residential places should be booked online by clicking on the 'Book now' button at the top of this page.

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Single bedroom options:

  • Single en suite (private bathroom facilities – shower, washbasin and toilet)

  • Single standard rooms (includes a washbasin and shaver point only, with bathroom facilities shared with other rooms)

Enrolment form (multi-occupancy or accessible accommodation)

Double and twin bedrooms

Double and twin bedrooms are only available for two participants that apply to the programme together. They are charged per person and cannot be booked by individuals. If you wish to book a twin or double room for two people, each person should complete an enrolment form.

Shared bedroom options:

  • Double en suite (private bathroom facilities – shower, washbasin and toilet)
  • Twin en suite (private bathroom facilities – shower, washbasin and toilet)
  • ‘Twin set’ standard (comprising two separate single standard rooms, each with a washbasin and shaver point only, opening onto a private sitting room, with bathroom facilities shared with other rooms)

Ground/lower floor accommodation

Christ Church rooms do not have lift access, and the higher rooms can be located up a few flights of stairs. If you need a room on a ground or lower floor please complete an enrolment form indicate your requirements, or contact the programme administrator directly at oxfordexperience@conted.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible before 1 June 2026. 

Enrolment form

The enrolment form is an editable PDF and can be competed electronically, so you should not need to print and scan it. 

Completed forms should be sent:

  • by email to oxfordexperience@conted.ox.ac.uk, or

  • by post to The Oxford Experience, Oxford Lifelong Journey, University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

Level and demands

The Oxford Experience is aimed at non-specialists: no prior knowledge is required, and classes are pitched at an introductory level. The courses are designed for an international audience aged 18 and over.

There are no assessments for this course.

Accommodation

During your course you can stay in typical Oxford student accommodation at Christ Church, in buildings which range from the 18th to the 20th century. Please note that bedrooms are modestly-furnished and do not have air-conditioning.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), lunches Sunday-Friday, and three-course dinners Sunday-Thursday. On Friday, there will be a special four-course gala dinner to celebrate the closing of the week. All meals are taken in Christ Church’s spectacular dining hall. 

Residential options are outlined below.

Please see the 'application' section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you, including how to request a lower/ground floor room.

Accommodation options at Christ Church

Single, twin and double bedrooms are available. 

We welcome participants who want to attend multiple courses over the summer. Resident participants staying in Christ Church for consecutive weeks will have bed and breakfast accommodation arranged for the Saturday night between their courses at no extra cost.

Non-residential option

We also offer places on a non-residential basis whereby participants can take classes and have lunch and dinner at Christ Church, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere. 

Accommodation before/after your course

We are unable to arrange accommodation at Christ Church prior to or following your course. Please contact Christ Church directly if you require additional nights of bed and breakfast accommodation, and they may be able to assist.

Additionally, family or friends who are not enrolled in the programme cannot be accommodated in college. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support