Build the Lenox: Convoys Wharf consultation presentation
The intention of the Lenox project is to reconnect Deptford to its famous past as the Navy’s premier shipbuilding yard. Since the dockyard closed in the last century, this connection has been lost.
After the Anglo-Dutch Wars, Parliament passed an Act in 1677 to raise £600,000 to pay for the construction of 30 new ships. They were constructed to bring the Navy up to parity with the French and Dutch. Lenox was the first of these ships, a series of beautiful and powerful warships that were intended to reflect the glory and majesty of the monarch.
We know a great deal about the Lenox thanks to the fact that John Shish, the master shipwright responsible for building her, kept meticulous records of his work as ordered by Samuel Pepys.
As well as the principal dimensions we have the scantling list (dimensions of all individual timbers used), the Lenox building list, weekly build reports, as well as paintings and drawings by Van de Velde, all put together in my book The Restoration Warship.
A number of projects around Europe demonstrate that reconstruction of ships from this era is both possible and viable. These include other historic ships such as the, the Jean Bart, Batavia, Amsterdam and the Zeven Provincien. Because of the wealth of surviving records, Lenox will have the distinction of being the only true replica, and may even be built in the same double dry dock as the original ship.
It is only a 12-minute walk along the Thames river path from the Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum. With such connections the Lenox project will become one of the many maritime attractions in the local area, and the financial and other tourism benefits of such a scheme will have a direct impact on Deptford.
In addition to the tourism benefits, the construction of this great ship will offer some 20–30 opportunities for young apprentices as well as work experience placements for the ten-year period of her construction and beyond.
Construction will not only demonstrate the use of traditional heritage crafts and ship-building skills, it will also incorporate modern technologies, providing valuable training opportunities in transferable skills.
A virtual model of the Lenox will be built in 3D CAD system, to the Catia aerospace standard, from which it will be possible to extract individual parts for automatic machining. It will be a precision-made vessel, and as well as seeing the actual construction of the ship, tourists will be able to take a virtual tour of the ship at the visitor centre on the site.
Find out more about this project on the new website www.buildthelenox.org
