The Medieval Ship

Medieval Ship, Newport, Gwent

On the weekend I had a Christmas 'get together' with some people that I have known for many years, all of them Newport people. They were talking about the medieval ship. I took an interest in what they were saying because it is something I know little about. I was living in Monmouth when it was discovered embedded in the banks of the river Usk in 2002, and Newport news is not that big in Monmouth.

It was during the excavations for the building of the new Riverfront Theatre that construction workers discovered the remains of the ship. The ship was excavated by a team of archaeologists and lifted from the mud flats timber by timber.

Supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund, an international team of specialists are now cleaning and recording all 1700 of the ships timbers. The work is uncovering a lot of new information about the ship. Through this work they will learn the original size of the ship and where it was built. What I find most amazing is that it is said they will also be able to tell where it sailed to in the world and what the cargo was.

During 2008 there have been Open Days, where schools and groups from the general public can view the ship and what work has been done to date. I hope they will continue to do this in 2009, for I would really like to see that.

I have always known Newport was a historic town, but I attributed most of the history to the Chartists and John Frost, but that is not the case. It is teeming with history of all sorts. What a shame the local council do not do more to make the city centre more attractive. There is lots going on re-generation wise in the City, but it is all for The Ryder Cup 2010, for the tourists, not for the people of Newport, but we are told we will also benefit. We will see.