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The Newport Medieval Ship is to hold an open day on Saturday 20 August, with a range of family activities taking place. The themes of the event are medieval trade and food and drink.

The events will run from 11am to 4pm. Re-enactments group the Wythe Retinue will be on hand to tell tales of medieval trade and customs.

Family activities will include Hunt the Rat, castle making, coracles and costumes, plus stocks and pirates. Guided tours will also be offered by the Friends of the Newport Ship.

The ship is located at Unit 22 on Maesglas Industrial Estate in Newport. For more information call 01633 215707, email newport.ship@newport.gov.uk, or visit the website at . The Newport Bus number 35 service to Duffryn is also being extended to stop at the ship on open days.

Visitors on a tour of the Newport Medieval Ship

The Newport Medieval Ship was discovered in 2002 in the banks of the River Usk during construction of the Riverfront Theatre. It was excavated by a team of archaeologists and lifted from the ground timber by timber.

A team of specialists are now recording and conserving all 1,700 ship timbers and the artefacts discovered during the excavation. The work is uncovering information about the ship, including its original size and shape, where it was built, the different parts of the world it sailed to, and what its cargo was.

Once conservation is complete it will be possible to rebuild the ship for open display. The team will use the virtual model of the ship that was made during the recording process and the 3D model that is being constructed at present to help them to do this.

Newport Medieval Ship on the web: