The Mayflower is believed to have been built in Harwich sometime before 1600, and was commanded and part-owned by her Master, Captain Christopher Jones, whose house still stands on Kings Head Street near the Waterfront.

Existing records show that Jones sailed the original Mayflower to Norway, the Mediterranean and France, exporting woollen cloth and importing wine – although he had never made the transatlantic crossing before. In about 1611, Jones decided to leave Harwich, and move south to Rotherhithe in London, a mile downstream on the Thames from the Tower of London.

2020 marked the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from Plymouth UK to Plymouth Massachusetts.

This was a unique opportunity to commemorate the legacy of the passengers and crew who undertook the journey and to highlight their stories and heritage, which is embedded in communities across the UK, US and Netherlands.

The Mayflower 400 programme was created to leverage an opportunity to align 11 core destinations in England with wider local, national and international partners and over 20 million US citizens descended from the Mayflower.

It delivered a world-class series of events, public art and wider content that commemorated this exceptional voyage and provide a major ongoing impact across the partnership, knitting together communities, inspiring creativity and culture, driving economic growth, and promoting understanding and education.

Mayflower 400 champions the values of freedom, faith and personal liberty that informed the original journey, and which continues to be articulated in the special relationship between the UK, US and Netherlands. The commemorations recognised the impact of the Mayflower’s journey to Native American communities and addressed the themes of colonialism and migration, providing an accurate, inclusive account of the Mayflower’s legacy.

Together, we will draw inspiration from our past to steer our future – from now, to generations to come.