Why HMS Victory displays fibreglass cannon

Why are most of the cannon displayed aboard HMS Victory made from fibreglass?

Replicas preserve Victory's armed appearance while surviving original cannon are stored in conditions that better protect them from corrosion and weather.

Most of the cannon visible aboard HMS Victory are described as fibreglass replicas rather than surviving iron guns. Keeping replicas on the ship preserves the appearance of an armed ship without exposing every original piece to open-air weather. Iron cannon can corrode in conditions that the wooden vessel's conservation program is designed to manage differently. Storing the surviving originals elsewhere therefore protects both the historic guns and the ship while the replicas carry the interpretive role.