Late last year, we at The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company were delighted to hear from Richard Cole- Mackintosh, Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. Richard informed us that the Shipwrights were generously contributing to the education aspects of our ship building project and were ‘proud to be associated with The Ship’s Company’. Their donation and association are much appreciated as we work towards building the replica Sutton Hoo ship here in Woodbridge. The Shipwrights hold a mountain of knowledge and experience which will be of huge benefit going forward.
To seal the relationship and mark the occasion, Karl Lumbers, a Worshipful Shipwright and Master Mariner, came to Woodbridge to present us with the prestigious ‘Shipwrights Plaque’.
From left to right: Karl Lumbers (Worshipful Company of Shipwrights), Bryan Knibbs (Chairman, Woodbridge Riverside Trust) and Philip Leech (Director, The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company)
Here you can see Karl presenting the plaque to Philip Leech outside the newly built Longshed Building along the water front in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Philip is the Director of The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company and Bryan Knibbs, in the centre of the photograph, is from the Woodbridge Riverside Trust (WRT) whose organisation also benefitted from the generosity of the Shipwrights a year ago when they kindly donated funding towards essential boat building tools and equipment. These tools are currently being used for various projects in the Longshed including the St Ayles Skiff building project which is getting close to completing its first boat (see below) and a handmade wooden canoe which is being built by local children under the supervision of boat building experts.
