May 2007

All done

THE other two sections of the salt ship have now been through the drying process and are in store "somewhere in Cheshire".

lBack to salt ship page.

October/November 2006

It's back home

A SECTION of the salt ship has gone on permanent display at the Museum.    

lFor photographs of the return and the "launch", go to this page. lFor a picture of the ship in its display case, go back to the Index page.

April 2006

First section out of tank

THE first of the three sections of the salt ship has been taken from the large treatment tank where the parts have been soaking in polyethylene-glycol polymer for nearly two years at York Archaeological Trust. It has been transferred to a freeze-dryer where it will stay for about three months, before the other two sections will follow.

   After that, all three will be on their way back to Cheshire - and one will eventually go on display in a purpose-built display unit in Nantwich Museum.

   A party from the museum, including the Curator (Susan Pritchard), went to the York workshop at the end of April to see the landmark in the preservation process.

November 2005

A great draw

SPEAKING at a reception for the art exhibition "Ann Roach - Nantwich and Beyond", the Chairman of Nantwich Museum Trust, Robert Stones, said the salt ship, which was "coming on over in York", was "due to be installed here in about 12 to 18 months time (we are not too sure which yet). That is going to be a great draw for tourism in the town. It will be a super thing when that arrives. It is costing a fortune to set up in here.”

May 2005

Technology report

THE following is taken from a "woodworking technology report" completed for the museum last year, and quoted in the 25th Anniversary edition of the Museum's Newsletter. It was written by S.J.Allen.

APART from cutting the salt ship into three sections for conservation work, "the (ship) is largely intact. Some ancient damage to the upper edge is present and the inner surface of the trough, where exposed in September 2003, had been heavily scraped with trowels, resulting in the removal of any surviving toolmarks in this area.

   "The salt 'ship' is hewn from a single length of very knotty oak (Quercus spp.) log. The overall length is 7.6m with a diameter tapering from 0.9 to 0.65m. Though generally straight, the trunk has a number of prominent swellings where large side branches were once located.

   "This tree would appear to have been growing in a fairly open environment such as a hedgerow or parkland, or possibly the fringes of an open woodland."

   (The report goes on to detail the method of creating the "ship" and features connected with its use.)

   "Salt 'ships' such as this are only known archaeologically from Nantwich itself. Excavations in 1979/80 at First Wood Street (McNeil 1983), less than 100 metres away from the current findspot (in 2nd Wood Street), revealed the only other well-preserved ships, though the highly-degraded remains of others were present."

lThe 25th Anniversary edition of the museum's Newsletter also includes a report of a visit by museum representatives to York Archaeological Trust, where the salt ship is being conserved.

Summer 2004

The two-year soak

NANTWICH'S salt ship is being treated at York Archaeological Trust's wood centre where it will be soaked in a liquid grade of polyethylene-glycol (p.e.g.), followed by a solid-grade p.e.g.  This process will take two years.

   The picture (right) shows Jim Spriggs, Head of Conservation at York Archaeological Trust, working on one of the three sections of the salt ship with a decay-detecting drill. 

   This analysed the condition of the oak so that the concentration of p.e.g. polymers to use could be decided. It also enabled Jim to decide how long the polymer impregnation, by tank immersion, needs to take before the wood can be freeze-dried to finally stabilise it.

   The website of the Trust - from where the picture was taken, with permission - says: "Once the polymer has fully penetrated the wood, the ship sections will be placed in the freeze drier, after which the ship will be surface finished and prepared for display in the Nantwich Museum." 

June 2004

Ship will go on show

May 2004

Ship will be cut up - but . . .

THE salt ship will be cut into three sections - but, said Mark Leah, the County Archaeological Development Control Officer, at a talk in the Museum's Millennium Gallery on May 11: "The good news is that if it needs to be put back together for any reason, it can be."   

April 2004

Concern over "sectioning" 

THE news that many had feared was confirmed by Robert Stones, Chairman of Nantwich Museum Trust, writing in the April edition of the Museum's Newsletter.

   He wrote: "Progress . . . moves on under the watchful eyes of Gwyneth Jones and Sue Pritchard. There has been some considerable effort put into the appropriate action with regard to the preservation of the ship.

   "Great concern has been displayed by both ourselves and the archaeologists about the proposed sectioning of the vessel in order to allow appropriate preservation work.

   "Sadly, we have been advised that there is no other alternative but for the ship to be cut into three sections.

   "It does, however, enable just one of these three pieces to be put on display at Nantwich Museum with the opportunity of all three sections being reunited at a future date should an appropriate display area become available. It will be two years before the preservation work is completed at York.

   "During this time, Sue Pritchard will be working with English Heritage to find a suitable installation and display in our museum, which I know will be to a very high standard."