Newport medieval ship - A decade since its discovery

  • Wales
The Newport medieval ship was discovered in 2002 Credit: ITV News Wales

This month marks ten years since the discovery of a medieval ship in Newport.

The ship was discovered in the banks of the River Usk in June 2002 during construction of the Riverfront Theatre's new orchestra pit.

It was excavated by a team of archaeologists and lifted from the ground timber by timber.

The wood from the ship was contaminated with iron and the one thousand seven hundred timbers had to be kept in a chemical solution of ammonium citrate for several months.

The timbers are currently hidden away under tarpaulin in another chemical solution, this time of polyethylene glycol (PEG).

The PEG will replace the water within the timbers making the wood stronger and more stable. This process is a lengthy one and will take up to two years.

At the end of this process the timbers will be freeze dried at the ship centre in Newport.

Despite their best efforts it was not possible to save the stern of the ship which is now buried under tonnes of concrete.

Some facts about the ship's discovery:

  • One of the objects found was a leather shoe. The shoe had a long pointed toe which was stuffed with moss so that it kept its shape. This style of shoe was very fashionable during the 14th and 15th century.

  • The crew would have eaten salted fish and meat during their long journey

  • The Newport Ship was a trading ship. It would have carried wool, wine, timber and other goods.

  • The ship would have been 35metres at its longest point. That is as long as three double decker buses.

  • A small silver coin was found in the keel. Coins were placed within the timbers of a new ship for good luck. The coin is helping to date the ship which is now believed to have been built in 1447 and was abandoned in Newport around 1468.

Initially supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and now funding from Newport City Council, a team of specialists are now recording and conserving the ship's timbers and the artefacts discovered during the excavation.

They hope that through this work they will learn much more about the ship, including its original size and shape, where it was built, the different parts of the world it sailed to, and what its cargo was.

But, as conservation work continues, campaigners are worried that this no permanent plans for the medieval ship and locals are worried that it could end up being hidden in a warehouse.