Monument record TR 16 NW 1286 - The Tankerton Wreck, scheduled monument

Summary

Remains of a wooden wreck located on the foreshore to the north of Tankerton, Kent, visible as an oval feature on a photograph taken in 1988, and sited to TR 1246567495. The site comprises substantial remains in the inter-tidal zone which are well preserved from the keel up to the turn of the bilge, including structural components still in situ. With one timber providing a felling date of AD 1531. It is carvel-built of oak with both treenails and ferrous fasteners seen lower down the hull and is perhaps most characteristic of a Northern European-built vessel of the late 16th to early 17th centuries, with a single mast and of some 100-200 tons. It lies near a site associated with the copperas industry, which may provide some context for the vessel's use and loss. Constructed of oak and carvel-built, this ship was a sailing vessel. In this offshore position the vessel would have been lost through a stranding or beaching event. The site was scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 in July 2018. Status: Site

Location

Grid reference TR 12473 67412 (point) Estimated from sources
Map sheet TR16NW
Civil Parish WHITSTABLE, CANTERBURY, KENT
District CANTERBURY, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Remains of a wooden wreck identified on a photograph.

The wreck was visible as an oval feature on the photograph, which was taken in 1998 (Photograph: 3190. Location: Environment Agency).

Remains of a wooden wreck located on the foreshore to the north of Tankerton, Kent, visible as an oval feature on a photograph taken in 1988, and sited to TR 1246567495.

The site comprises substantial remains in the inter-tidal zone which are well preserved from the keel up to the turn of the bilge, including structural components still in situ. With one timber providing a felling date of AD 1531. It is carvel-built of oak with both treenails and ferrous fasteners seen lower down the hull and is perhaps most characteristic of a Northern European-built vessel of the late 16th to early 17th centuries, with a single mast and of some 100-200 tons.

It lies near a site associated with the copperas industry, which may provide some context for the vessel's use and loss. Constructed of oak and carvel-built, this ship was a sailing vessel.

The site was scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 in July 2018.

Reasons for Designation:

* Archaeological potential: forming a primary source of evidence relating to indigenous Tudor / early Stuart shipbuilding techniques;

* Historic interest: potentially related to the late Medieval copperas industry along the north Kent coast, and;

* Rarity: as the only known surviving late Medieval shipwreck in south-east England.

In this offshore position the vessel would have been lost through a stranding or beaching event.

News item on the wreck site published on the Historic England site in July 2018, together with photographs demonstrating its intertidal location and the outline of a hull flush with the beach level.


<1> 1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10175.

<2> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> Photograph (Print): 1998. Photograph. 3190. print.
  • <2> Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Jul 1 2024 1:57PM