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Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom
The Bronze Age Boat
The Bronze Age Boat was discovered in 1992, during excavation
work associated with the building of the new A20 road to the
Eastern Docks and the renewal of the sewer system. Initially a
cross-section of the boat was excavated and lifted from the hole
but the realisation of just how important an archaeological
discover it was led to further excavation of the boat. In the end
the whole of one end of the boat was raised and removed to
special treatment tanks to start the preservation process.
The timbers of the boat have been dated to 1550 BC, making it
the world’s oldest sea-going boat. A total of 9.5 metres of the
boat has been recovered, which represents at least half, but
possibly as much as two thirds of the original. The boat was
made up of at least six oak timbers lashed together with yew
wood, with all the joints reinforced with a thin lath of oak,
covering moss pushed into the joint. The two central planks are
joined by the use of wedges pushed through a central rail and a
series of cleats.
The boat would have been capable of crossing the channel
carrying a substantial cargo of supplies, livestock and
passengers. It was propelled by at least eighteen paddlers.
Goods were also being traded across Britain and it is likely the
boat plied along the South Coast. A piece of shale from Dorset
was found in the boat, so she may have traded down as far west
as Cornwall, as well as across the Channel.
The preservation process on the boat took nearly six years.
During this time the Bronze Age Boat Trust had been busily
raising money to pay for a new gallery in Dover Museum to
display the boat in. The preserved sections of the boat were
returned to Dover and a team of experts spent the next nine
month reassembling them on a specially-built adjustable cradle
in the purpose built gallery. The boat is in a case in which the
environment is carefully controlled to ensure the preservation of
the timbers. The new gallery was opened to the public in 1999.
work associated with the building of the new A20 road to the
Eastern Docks and the renewal of the sewer system. Initially a
cross-section of the boat was excavated and lifted from the hole
but the realisation of just how important an archaeological
discover it was led to further excavation of the boat. In the end
the whole of one end of the boat was raised and removed to
special treatment tanks to start the preservation process.
The timbers of the boat have been dated to 1550 BC, making it
the world’s oldest sea-going boat. A total of 9.5 metres of the
boat has been recovered, which represents at least half, but
possibly as much as two thirds of the original. The boat was
made up of at least six oak timbers lashed together with yew
wood, with all the joints reinforced with a thin lath of oak,
covering moss pushed into the joint. The two central planks are
joined by the use of wedges pushed through a central rail and a
series of cleats.
The boat would have been capable of crossing the channel
carrying a substantial cargo of supplies, livestock and
passengers. It was propelled by at least eighteen paddlers.
Goods were also being traded across Britain and it is likely the
boat plied along the South Coast. A piece of shale from Dorset
was found in the boat, so she may have traded down as far west
as Cornwall, as well as across the Channel.
The preservation process on the boat took nearly six years.
During this time the Bronze Age Boat Trust had been busily
raising money to pay for a new gallery in Dover Museum to
display the boat in. The preserved sections of the boat were
returned to Dover and a team of experts spent the next nine
month reassembling them on a specially-built adjustable cradle
in the purpose built gallery. The boat is in a case in which the
environment is carefully controlled to ensure the preservation of
the timbers. The new gallery was opened to the public in 1999.
