Something a little different 2022 -Save the London campaign

                      An interview with Mark Beattie- Edwards 

Was pleased to interview Mark Beattie-Edwards of the Nautical Archaeology Society ( NAS) by email as a follow up to my earlier Save the London appeal post. From my original piece :

The 'London' had taken on board men and provision ready for fighting, then moored near Southend  when its magazine  suddenly exploded on 7th March 1665. Samuel Pepys' Diary entry for the following day describes casualties of "above 300" , which is still the accepted figure, and reported the "ship breaking all in pieces" . The latter claim is not quite accurate, the blast impact caused a major part of the ship  to split away and sink 2 miles from its moorings,  The wreck of  the 'London' was re-discovered in 2005 lying in the mud of the Thames Estuary.

The London never got to fight in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. 

1) It has been a year since this blog covered 'Save the London' , What has been happening? What are the latest artefacts that have been found?

2021, as perhaps could be expected, has been a quiet year for the site, as much of what we started was put on hold due to the pandemic. The volunteer team of divers continued to visit and monitor the wreck in the year, but only recovered a few new finds, including a hair slide, a gun carriage axle and a fragment of a copper cooking cauldron, The biggest development in the year has been the awarding of £13,000 of grant funding from The Aurelius Trust and The Headley Trust, as well as additional support from Historic England. This will help fund a pilot project to conserve artefacts from the London and other designated wreck sites. More information on this exciting development can be found here:
https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/conservation-of-protected-wreck-finds

We have also been working on a book detailing the history and archaeology of the London which should come out next year as well as designing a new display panel to be mounted at the end of Southend Pier to help the visiting public understand the tragic event that happened in 1665.

2)  Which organisations in the field of nautical conservation , history and archaeology are supporting 'Save the London' ?

We have been very fortunate to have received the support of many organisations and individuals that have offered their support and guidance. Thanks especially to National Maritime, Dive Master Insurance , Southend Museums , Beckett Rankine , Janice Gooch Heritage Consultancy, Perkins & Will, The Cromwell Association, The Cromwell Museum, The Society for Underwater Technology, Mary Rose Trust, MSDS Marine, and Richard Endsor for their support and advice.

3) I really like the idea of a Stuart 'Mary Rose'  in a dry dock at Southend to draw people into looking at 17th century generally. Is this still a long term goal to conserve the London?

It is most definitely still our long-term goal to build something really special in Southend to display material from the wreck. Whether we can actually recover the hull remains to be conserved and displayed in the town will depend on so many factors including money, land, public interest and support. But technically it could be done, and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth demonstrates the potential of what could be created in Essex. Southend will soon become a city, and the cultural offering of the new city will be crucial to guide its success and growth – drawing people into the area. We believe that an attraction focused around the story of the loss of the London in 1665 could play a part in building this vision of a vibrant and prosperous place to live and visit.

4) How did you personally get involved in the project? What is it like physically encountering a submerged 17th century warship? Finding artefacts that have been under water for so long?

I personally became involved in the project in 2017 when I was invited to become the nominated archaeologist to the main licensee, Mr Steve Ellis. I had known Steve for many years as he has been a member of the NAS for a while and had done some NAS training courses over the years. I had dived the site in 2016 as part of the small excavation undertaken for Historic England so knew a little about what I was getting in to and had worked with Steve and understood his passion for the wreck and for diving in the Thames. The site is amazing so it was a honour to be asked by Steve to provide guidance to him and his team of volunteers.

5)  Where can people go to find update information on your work and to donate money? Where can people find you on social media?

The best place to keep up to date with what is happening is on social media– we are on Twitter as 

@SaveTheLondon https://twitter.com/SaveTheLondon and on 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheLondon

Donations can be made to the campaign on the NAS website here:
https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/Appeal/save-the-london

6) Any events planned in the near future ?

We hope to be arranging our third Discover the London event in early March 2022, but given the Covid-19 guidance at the moment we are uncertain if this will be able to go ahead. Hopefully we will be able to meet up again in Southend-on-Sea to once again showcase the work that has been happening. Videos of last years online event can be found here on our YouTube Channel -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4W7GNbZI3XqlPI7jUpgDw/videos

ENDS

I wish to thank Mark for his time and to wish the 'Save the London' appeal every success. Obviously financial support is encouraged, but also following 'Save the London'  on social media, watching the Youtube video selection about their work, are also ways  of offering support. 

UPDATE 

There will be a joint fundraiser/ study date for  Save the London and the Cromwell Museum on 6th March 2022. Can be attended in person at Huntingdon Town Hall or on line. Event details

As ever, I wish to thank whoever visits for the blog and hope that you all stay safe and well during these turbulent times. 

Other Blogs by Michael Bully 

1685 Monmouth Rebellion   New blog with further posts soon.

World War 2 poetry              Currently not updated

13th Century History            Currently not updated