The proposal to build a replica seventeenth century ship in Deptford sounded like a fantasy when people first started floating it, but it now seems to be gaining some momentum. The would-be developers of the Convoys Wharf site on the riverfront have come under pressure to acknowledge the site's history as the location of the Royal Dockyard, and seem to be coming round to allowing space for the project in their plans. Further details at Build the Lenox.
The original Lenox was a Restoration warship built at Deptford and launched in 1678.
(pictures of the remains of the Dockyard, as uncovered by archaeologists earlier this year: http://transpont.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/history-corner-convoys-wharf.html)
No more war/ No more old war / No more new old war / No more new old warships!
ReplyDeletewell I don't think the intention is to equip it with firing cannons! But yes, there is a risk with this kind of 'heritage project' that questions about empire, slavery and war get sidelined. Deptford was the launchpad for ships which at the very least facilitated terrible atrocities and that needs marking too.
ReplyDeleteThere is always much to learn from history and that is certainly what our project is about. I would much rather people were able to investigate, explore, and arrive at their own conclusions about both the good and the bad in our past. Our intention is to hide nothing and investigate everything.
ReplyDeleteDeptford has much to be proud of in its' history and there is nothing wrong in celebrating that. The skills and creativity in building something as beautiful as a sailing vessel wether for war, exploration, or commerce, warrant appreciation and study. Combine those skills with modern technologies on a project like ours and you open up a wealth of training and employment opportunities. Add to that the potential tourist numbers, (Greenwich gets over a million per annum) and you have a significant increase in income for Deptford and yet further increase in employment.
The Ruinist, (clue's in the name I suspect) has obviously had the luxury of an education that included war as part of it and has come to the conclusion that any sane person would. However, if you deny future generations the chance to understand those horrors you risk perpetrating the very thing that you're trying to stop.
Oh, and if it's down to me, we will have firing cannons for the very same reasons, but also because I, for one, marvel at the skill, ingenuity, and creativity that enabled their construction with 17th century tools and technology.