The Poole Logboat is an ancient logboat made from a single

oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...

. It was excavated in the town of

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The boat is over 2,200 years old and is estimated through

carbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was ...

to have been constructed around 200–300 BCE, likely around 295 BC. The

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

vessel was unearthed in 1964 during

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

work in

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...

. The log boat, which could accommodate 18 people and is long was based at Green Island in the harbour. After it was found, it was kept submerged in water for 30 years while archaeologists decided what to do with it. It was restored by members of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Archaeological Trust and dried for two years. The boat is on display in Poole Museum. In May 2023, the boat was removed into safe storage while the museum is under renovation. The boat has been described as one of the finest examples in Western Europe. As an internationally significant object, the logboat has been fully recorded digitally using 3D scanning. The logboat is of a shell built design type that has a 'fitted transom added'. The boat has a reasonable degree of stability and seaworthiness. With a freeboard of 76 centimeters, research has determined the logboat could support the weight of up to 18 persons (weighing 60 kg) each.McGrail 2014, p. 21.

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External links

Link to Logboat, Poole Borough Council, 2007

Poole Museum
Tourist attractions in Poole Ancient boats Poole Harbour 3rd-century BC artifacts Archaeological discoveries in the United Kingdom 1964 archaeological discoveries {{ship-stub

See also

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External links