Medieval ship could remain in storage over £27.5m costs for new home

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

Newport’s Medieval ship is likely to stay in storage for the foreseeable future, after the bill for a permanent display was estimated to reach £27.5 million.

Principal conservation has now finished on the 15th-century ship’s remains, which were discovered in mud of the River Usk’s banks in 2002, during the construction of the Riverfront Theatre.

The city council had commissioned a review of future options for the ship it deems “a heritage asset of national and international significance” – with hopes a permanent home could be found.

But a new cabinet report shows the ship’s timbers are likely to be kept under current storage arrangements because of the costs and scale of building a permanent display.

The council’s opposition leader said the local authority had “kicked [the project] into the long grass”.

Reassembling the ship and constructing a specialist home for the exhibition would cost around £27.5 million, and there are reportedly no suitable existing buildings.

The council said it recognised the “potential benefits associated with a permanent display” and acknowledged “this remains an aspiration shared by many stakeholders”.

But it said “no proposal has currently been identified that is sufficiently developed, funded and deliverable to support progression at this time”.

It said a permanent exhibition would also require extra running costs, likely to be recouped through charging visitors admission.

Storing the ship currently costs the council around £115,000 a year.

Cabinet members are expected to discuss the various next steps at a meeting on Wednesday November 11.

The report notes several advantages of continuing with the current storage arrangements, including that the ship will be preserved, public learning opportunities are maintained, and stewardship of the ship will remain in Newport.

Cllr Matthew Evans, who leads the Conservatives in opposition and has long called for a permanent display of the ship, said he was “very angry” at the recommendations, however.

“It’s been kicked into the long grass again,” he said.

Cllr Evans said Newport had a tourism opportunity similar to the discovery and subsequent exhibition of the Mary Rose, a Tudor ship which is on display in Portsmouth while undergoing restoration.

The Mary Rose Museum welcomed 230,000 people and took £2.3 million in visitor income in 2024.

Cllr Evans accepted the council would likely need support to pay for the ship’s future display, but claimed “we should have been leading the charge for funding” and requesting help from international organisations.

Cllr Evans also questioned the “nonsensical” £27.5 million estimate for a new exhibition centre, but suggested private-sector investment could be sought if the council wanted to make the most of the ship’s tourism potential.

“I think we have missed a huge opportunity here,” he said.