The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

When: 11 February 2023 to 07 January 2024
Where: The Box, Tavistock Place, Plymouth PL4 8AX
Time: 10am - 5pm
Cost: Admission free. No need to book.
Suitable for: Any age

10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday + selected bank holidays

The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is arguably the most recognisable depiction of the Tudor queen, and throughout 2023 you can see one of the three known surviving versions on display at The Box. The portrait is on loan to Plymouth from Woburn Abbey, the home of the 15th Duke and Duchess of Bedford.

The portrait commemorates the most famous battle of Elizabeth I’s reign: the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It shows her in triumph, with the storm-lashed Spanish fleet behind her on the right and the English ships sailing through calm seas on the left.

The portrait is displayed in The Box's '100 Journeys' gallery, which examines Plymouth’s role as the start and finishing point for some of history’s most well-known voyages and expeditions.

Image credit: The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, c.1588 (detail). From The Woburn Abbey Collection.