Rare Spanish Armada maps are due to go on display for a limited period at Sir Francis Drake’s former home.

This rare opportunity to see nationally significant charts displayed at Buckland Abbey runs from Saturday, June 6 until Friday, July 31, 11am-4.30pm daily.

This will be first time the maps and Buckland’s Pym murals – inspired by the maps and painted 75 years ago – will be shown side by side. This is only the second time the maps have been publicly displayed since 2023 by Royal Navy Museums, in whose care they are kept.

The Armada Maps depict scenes from the famous campaign in 1588, by unknown Elizabethan artists. The maps were used by mid-century artist Roland Pym to inspire the giant ‘Pym Murals,’ giant artworks commissioned for the opening of the National Trust site in 1951.

Liana Tucker, of the National Trust at Buckland Abbey, said: “It’s mind-blowing to see the maps next to the Pym murals. 75 years ago the maps’ significance was not fully understood and were loaned to Roland Pym as a reference for his paintings. We now appreciate their place in Britain’s history, and we’re thrilled to reunite them with our murals.”

Now considered a national treasure, the Armada Maps were bought in 2020 by Royal Navy Museums, the public, the National Memorial Heritage Fund and the Art Fund to preserve the artefacts for future generations.

Rich Burrow, of the National Trust in the Tamar Valley, said: “This is a rare opportunity to experience nationally significant objects with a direct connection to Plymouth and one of the city’s most famous historical figures.”

Drake was born near Tavistock around 1540. He was an experienced naval commander by July 1588 when he led the English fleet from Plymouth to confront the Spanish Armada. The following battle and other key scenes are depicted in the Armada Maps in painstaking detail.