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Historic slipway dig at Buckler's Hard enters river

Hannah WalshSouth of England
News imageBuckler's Hard Shipyard Trust and Maritime Archaeology Trust Image shows drone picture of the excavation site. The slip way is exposed but partially covered by water at the bottom. To the left of the picture, there is a diver stood near the water with diving gear on. On the grass, is the rest of the diving team with a white truck which is storing the equipment. In the middle, you can see the exposed groundways. To the right of the image, is a green and white tent which is open to the public to see the artefacts found and explaining what is taking place.Buckler's Hard Shipyard Trust and Maritime Archaeology Trust
Army divers are helping to expose timbers on the seabed

An excavation of a slipway from the 18th Century where ships for Lord Nelson's fleet were built is continuing after the structure was first revealed last year.

Buckler's Hard, the small hamlet in the New Forest where the slipway is located, was once home to one of the busiest private shipyards of the 1700s.

A team has been digging on the land and into the water, with divers working in the Beaulieu river at the lowest part of the slipway.

It is hoped the findings will help improve the understanding of shipbuilding techniques, infrastructure during the period, and the way the villagers lived.

News imageBeaulieu Enterprises Ltd Image shows a model of how Buckler's Hard looked whilst ships were being built. It shows the slipways where ships were built. It shows the village surrounded by fields. There are a number of logs and wood placed around the village.Beaulieu Enterprises Ltd
Buckler's Hard was once home to one of the busiest private shipyards of the 1700s

Last year, the slipway structure was revealed and the team is now hoping to find more in the lower intertidal area of slipway two.

They are also hoping to find locations of buildings and shipyard capstan positions on land.

Lauren Tidbury, from the Maritime Archaeology Trust, said: "I'm not sure I've ever actually been involved in a project before that involves all three elements of archaeology, so underwater, intertidal, on land, all at the same time.

"We've got to work with the tides, you know, and the times of the tides, and really maximize those low tides for intertidal work, and maximise the high tides for the diving work, and then also have a team of volunteers on land with the trenches here."

News imageImage shows Mary Montagu-Scott smiling at the camera. She has a 'Shipyard Trust" cap on. She is wearing a yellow high-vis and blue top. Behind her, is a black boat house.
Mary Montagu-Scott, chair of the Buckler's Hard Shipyard Trust, said she was "very excited" by the structures that had been found

Mary Montagu-Scott, chair of the Buckler's Hard Shipyard Trust, said: "Last year, we did an archaeological dig on the upper half of the slipway, and we uncovered a full set of beams.

"These are the groundways that the ships were launched on.

"I'm very excited by the structures that we've found, mostly timber structures.

"We think [one structure] could predate the village of Buckler's Hard. This could be a 16th-Century building associated probably with a boatyard."

News imageChris is looking off to the right side of the image. He is wearing a hat which is covered in camo print. He is wearing a blue t-shirt. Behind him is Beaulieu river where the divers are in the water. There are boxes of diving equipment to the bottom right of the picture.
Chris and his team are helping to sift through mud to expose the timbers

A team of army divers from Marchwood is helping with the dig, along with scuba divers.

Chris Brown, regimental Army diving supervisor for 17 Port Maritime Regiment, said: "My team are here to just assist with the dredging of the Buckler's Hard and seeing what we can discover.

"Whether that's exposing more of the timbers that are on the seabed, or discovering some of the lost artifacts from over those years.

"We're just going around basically sifting through mud until we find it all."

News imageBuckler's Hard Shipyard Trust and Maritime Archaeology Trust Image shows the exposed slipway. The image is taken down low close to the exposed groundways. Either side of the beams is mud. At the end of the slipway, is a green and white tent which is being used to show the artefacts found and explanations of the digging taking place.Buckler's Hard Shipyard Trust and Maritime Archaeology Trust
The complex dig involves elements that are underwater, intertidal and on land

The dig is being funded by the Buckler's Hard Shipyard Trust through donations and with help from the Beaulieu Estate.

A total of 55 wooden warships were built at Buckler's Hard for the Royal Navy in the 1700s, some of which were comparable in size to HMS Victory.

One of the most famous ships built at the site was HMS Agamemnon, which took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and was known as Lord Nelson's "favourite".

There are plans to place a replica of the vessel on the end of the slipway, as it would have looked under construction.

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