British naval hero Admiral Sir George Somers was born in Lyme Regis and founded Bermuda – this exhibition illustrates the historic connection between these two very different places

 There is strong evidence that the story of Sir George Somers' shipwreck was the inspiration for Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.

 Portrait of Sir George Somers, possibly by Paul van Somer )c. 1577-1621), a Flemish artist who arrived in England from Antwerp during the reign of King James 1. He became one of the leading painters of the royal court.

 

‘The exhibition includes a printed copy of one section of the New World Tapestry, the largest stitched embroidery in the world.  It depicts English colonisation attempts in Newfoundland, North America, Guiana and Bermuda between the years 1583 and 1642, when the English Civil War began. This one of its twenty-four panels features Admiral Sir George Somers and the founding of Bermuda.’

In the Rotunda Gallery of Lyme Regis Museum, open every day 10am to 5pm (11am to 5pm on Sundays).