Buckler’s Hard Boatbuilding Craft Day – 20 Jun 2026

The Education and Charity Committee awarded Buckler’s Hard Shipyard Trust a Billmeir Award of £1,800 to facilitate a traditional boatbuilding crafts demonstration which took place on 20 June 2026.  The Company has received the following fantastic report from Liveryman Mary Montagu-Scott DL:

The traditional boatbuilding crafts demonstration day was a huge success at Buckler’s Hard last Saturday, 20 June 2026.

Here are a selection of photos (below) and you will see that I have done a lot of posting on social media, mentioning Shipwrights as sponsor.

We had a lot of interest with all the boatbuilding traditional skills on show and the highlight the turning of the capstan to haul a boat up from the slipway to the top of the hill with kids in the boat. (whilst singing sea shanties.)

We had stands from:

• Tools for Self Reliance the local charity who recycle tools.
• Sue Pennison – Rope maker
• 2 caulkers from HMS Victory
• Sarah Liscoe – historic sailmaker
• Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy stand, making oars, recruiting new students, building awareness, etc
• 2 blacksmiths making iron boat fastenings with traditional forge
• A display of historic shipyard tools and boat moulds
• Sam Fletcher from Classic Shipwright Services
• The display of Sheerlegs lifting, Shipyard Capstan turning, hand powered lathe’s cutting large timber logs and a lot of traditional carpentry using Azdes, Axes, Sawing etc with a team of 16 students and teachers and volunteers.

The free event was very well attended and went smoothly, and we have had an excellent response since.

Our traditional carpentry course had 13 students, including 5 bursary places for young people, they and volunteers worked tirelessly, learning new skills, making friends and together we managed to make, by hand, 2 working Capstans, and one more to follow later which is a ground fixed one and a 6m high Sheerlegs with windlass.

We used only local timber, Oak and Douglas Fir, cut and then shaped by hand tools.

It was quite exceptional experimental archaeology, to take the plans we had of the Capstan found in the ground next to the slipway and re-create it and to make 2 Crab Capstans, based on drawings and illustrations from historical sources.  The Shipyard would have had many such Capstans, we think around 4 – 6 around each slipway and moveable ones that could be sited around the shipyard for lifting and winching.

Later this year we will be doing 3 weeks of new archaeological dig to try to located the footings of more Capstans and also build the pit to put in a new replica one.

I can’t thank the Shipwrights enough for their support as this really has made a huge difference to be able to run the free Boatbuilding craft and skills demonstration day.

I would be delighted to host a visit from Shipwrights to see the historic shipyard, our exhibitions and the Capstans etc.

Do look at the Facebook / Instagram for bucklershardshipyardtrust to see lots of films and action of the week.