The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company, based in Woodbridge, partners with Felixstowe firm Maritime Transport as construction of replica of 1,400-year-old Anglo-Saxon ship continues
Volunteers in the midst of constructing a replica of a 1,400-year-old Anglo Saxon ship have gained support from a Suffolk business.
Maritime Transport, which has its head office in Felixstowe, has donated to Woodbridge’s The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company through its corporate sponsorship programme.
The scheme aims to secure more funding for the project, which will bring it close to its goal of building a full-sized replica of the ships that sailed British waters before the arrival of William the Conqueror.
More than 60 people from Maritime Transport and their families met at The Longshed, in Tide Mill Way, to learn more about the project.
John Williams, the owner and group chairman of Maritime Transport, recognised the iconic nature of the charity’s project.
He said: “We are pleased to support The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company in a project that promises to bring an artefact of profound historical significance back to life.
“Sponsoring this remarkable reconstruction is not only about paying homage to our rich local history, but also fostering community learning and involvement, and we look forward to learning even more about the ingenuity of Saxon craftsmanship and innovation.”
The charity’s sponsorship scheme is separated into tiers, depending on how much a firm donates.
Bronze tier is £1,000; silver is £5,000; gold is £10,000 and its ‘super benefactor’ level is £20,000 plus.
A spokesman for The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company said the firm had become a major donor.
The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company’s shipwright, Tim Kirk, who was responsible for the build, described the project as a ‘prime example’ of experimental archaeology.
This referred to both the build and that no one has rowed a ship of this type for more than millennium.
He said the charity expected the ship to take to the River Deben next year.