Call to find permanent home for city’s Medieval ship

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

A permanent home for Newport’s Medieval ship should be found as a matter of urgency, the leader of the city council’s opposition group has insisted.

The remains of the ship were discovered on the River Usk’s western banks during the construction of the Riverfront Theatre in 2002.

Cllr Matthew Evans said he was frustrated that plans to develop the ship as a major visitor attraction have apparently dragged on.

“We shouldn’t be talking about doing long-term strategies 20 years later – we just need to get on with it,” he said.

Newport City Council said it is “very keen to find a permanent home for the ship” and has  hired external specialists to devise a plan for its future.

Trade

Built in northern Spain in the mid-15th century, the ship is likely to have been used for trading between Britain and the Iberian peninsula, and it is believed the vessel was brought into Newport for repairs, but destabilised before work could be completed.

Its discovery has sparked a great deal of continued interest, and in 2023, as the last restored timbers were returned to Newport, historian Dan Snow called the ship “unique” and “exciting” for the city.

Cllr Evans, who leads the council’s Conservative group, said it was high time the local authority set out proper plans for the ship’s future.

“Newport needs something to bring people into the city centre”, he said, adding nothing could be developed “until they’ve actually found a site”.

He suggested asking the Welsh Government or National Lottery’s heritage fund to support this work, or perhaps reaching out to a third-party operator to take over the project, similar to the National Trust’s involvement at Tredegar House.

“There are lots of potential sites – but until you find a site, you can’t continue with the plans and the funding,” Cllr Evans said.

Options

In response, Newport City Council said the external specialists’ work is “nearing completion” and will “consider all options for the future ownership and governance of the project”, including suitable sites.

However, a previous idea to display the ship in the Riverfront Theatre’s lower level – essentially returning it to the location it was discovered – cannot go ahead because “the space is not suitable for the reassembly and display of the artefact”.

The ongoing management of the ship’s timbers, which are stored at a visitor centre off Estuary Road, costs the council £100,000 annually, and the council said wider budget constraints would affect its ability to develop the restored ship as a permanent attraction.

“The context of funding to local authorities being cut in real terms over the last decade and a half, and our duty to protect frontline and statutory services, means that we cannot do this alone,” a council spokesperson said. “We will need support from partners to take this project forward.

“Once we have considered the appraisal, we will begin discussions with the relevant partners to determine the next steps.”