Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre

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Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre
Essex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the Centre within Essex
Established2017 (2017)
Location Harwich
Essex, CO12
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°56′38″N1°17′13″E / 51.944°N 1.287°E / 51.944; 1.287
TypeHeritage
ChairmanTony Elliston
Public transit access Mayflower line
Website harwichmayflower.com
Mayflower Replica
History
United Kingdom
Namesake Mayflower
OwnerHarwich Mayflower Heritage Centre
Keel CutJune 2013
Projected Completion DateNot specified
Quatercentenary Voyage2020

The Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre (formerly Project) is a museum and charitable community project whose main goal is to establish a "legacy for Essex", both through constructing a full-scale replica of the famous Mayflower ship which transported a hundred Pilgrim Fathers from England to America in 1620, and through celebrating the history and heritage of Harwich, a town in the south-east of England.

Contents

History

The Centre's formation, initially as the "Harwich Mayflower Project", was inspired by a visit to the town from a replica of HMS Endeavour, the ship commanded by James Cook. A small group of residents came together in 2009 to form a project for Harwich to build its own replica ship. The Mayflower was the obvious choice due to its Harwich connections, as ship's master Christopher Jones was born and raised there. [1] The first designs of the ship were unveiled in April 2009. [2] By 2010, the project had achieved charitable status, [3] and it commenced before the year was through. It received a major boost in 2010 with an official endorsement by Richard Branson, [4] the billionaire founder of Virgin Group.

In 2016, a visitor centre and museum were built in the yard next to the ship. [5] In July 2017, a newsletter stated that "funds must be in place by March 2018 or the 2020 date will be missed" for building a seafaring replica; a shore-based replica was touted as an alternative. In that event, the charity will be renamed the Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre.

As of April 2018, the former Project has been incorporated into the Heritage Centre; a shore-based replica is to be built "that will become the centerpiece of the former Harwich Station Yard and the focus of the 2020 Mayflower 400 commemoration in Harwich." [6] Meanwhile, a Railway & Shipping Museum has opened at the site of the Harwich Town railway station, which "has been designed to show the GER station at Harwich town as it would have looked internally about 1924 which coincides with the opening on April 24th 1924 by Prince George Duke of Kent of the Harwich train ferry terminal." [7]

Harwich Mayflower build

The main construction of the seafaring Mayflower was within a specially built shed situated within Harwich Town railway station's railyard, with the main progress visible outside in the yard. The build officially commenced in December 2012 with cutting the first oak tree. [8] In June 2013, a ceremony was held for cutting the keel. [9] [10] In December 2014, the first stage of the build was completed.

Visible progress of the build has stalled since this first stage. The vice chairman of the Mayflower Project board of trustees has since resigned, [11] but stated that she expected building to recommence in the Summer of 2016. [12] A local newspaper reported in March 2017 that no build would start until funding was in place. [11] The Heritage Centre confirmed in April 2018 that the build is to be shore-based rather than a seafaring replica. [6]

Railway and maritime museum

In 2017, extensive work began to renovate the disused buildings at Harwich Town rail station. The interiors were to be completely overhauled and, using local rail enthusiast Bob Clow's extensive and unique collection of memorabilia, converted to replicate their appearance as they would have looked in about 1924. [7]

By June 2017, the renovation of the station was well under way. [13] In October 2017, a 25-year lease was signed on the Harwich Town Station buildings, securing their future for the long term. [14]

The Museum officially opened on 15 April 2018, to coincide with the charity railtour train ride arriving into the town. [15] [16]

Training

The centre had a Training Centre which offered NVQs and apprenticeships; this was closed in May 2016. [17]

In the media

Word of the Centre gathered momentum in 2013, with multiple news agencies both sides of the Atlantic and beyond picking up on the story of Harwich's Mayflower claim, from Britain [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] to America, [23] [24] [25] [26] Canada, [27] and even Hungary. [28]

The Centre itself has also received national coverage from the BBC and ITV, [29] from a range of online publications writing about the 400 Year celebrations for the Mayflower expedition as well as a number of local papers, including the Harwich & Manningtree Standard and the East Anglian Daily Times. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich</span> Town in Essex, England

Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on-Sea to the south. It is the northernmost coastal town in Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotherhithe</span> Residential district in south-east London, England

Rotherhithe is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the east. It borders Bermondsey to the west and Deptford to the south-east. The district is a part of the Docklands area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Stour, Suffolk</span> River in East Anglia, England

The River Stour is a major river in East Anglia, England. It is 47 miles (76 km) long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury, Bures, Nayland, Stratford St Mary and Dedham. It becomes tidal just before Manningtree in Essex and joins the North Sea at Harwich.

Mayflower was the ship that transported the Pilgrims from Plymouth to the New World in 1620.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felixstowe</span> Port town in Suffolk, England

Felixstowe is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 72 miles (116 km) northeast of London.

<i>Mayflower II</i> Replica of the 17th-century ship Mayflower

Mayflower II is a reproduction of the 17th-century ship Mayflower, celebrated for transporting the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. The reproduction was built in Devon, England during 1955–1956, in a collaboration between Englishman Warwick Charlton and Plimoth Patuxet, a living history museum. The work drew upon reconstructed ship blueprints held by the American museum, along with hand construction by English shipbuilders using traditional methods. Mayflower II was sailed from Plymouth, Devon on April 20, 1957, recreating the original voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, under the command of Alan Villiers. According to the ship's log, Mayflower II arrived at Plymouth on June 22; it was towed up the East River into New York City on Monday, July 1, 1957, where Villiers and crew received a ticker-tape parade. The ship was listed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovercourt</span> Human settlement in England

Dovercourt is a seaside town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Harwich, in the Tendring district, in the county of Essex, England. It is older than its smaller but better-known neighbour, the port of Harwich. The name is common Brittonic with "Dover" coming from "dwfr", which is "water" in modern Welsh; the origin of "court" is unknown but possibly meant "land cut off by". The first mention of the town, as Douorcortae, is in CE1000. Dovercourt appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Today Harwich and Dovercourt are contiguous towns. In 1921 the parish had a population of 7,695.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manningtree</span> Town and civil parish in Essex, England

Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayflower line</span> Railway branch line in Essex, England

The Mayflower line is a railway branch line in the east of England that links Manningtree, on the Great Eastern Main Line, to Harwich Town. During peak times, many services connect to or from the main line and its London terminus at Liverpool Street. The Mayflower line has six stations, including the two termini, and is situated within the county of Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich International railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Harwich International railway station is a railway station on the Mayflower Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line, the station serves Harwich International Port in Essex, England. It is 68 miles 72 chains (110.88 km) from London Liverpool Street, between Wrabness to the west and Dovercourt to the east. Its three-letter station code, HPQ, derives from its original name, Harwich Parkeston Quay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich and North Essex (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Harwich and North Essex is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Bernard Jenkin of the Conservative Party since its creation in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistley</span> Village in Essex, England

Mistley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of northeast Essex, England. It is around 11 miles northeast of Colchester and is east of, and almost contiguous with, Manningtree. The parish consists of Mistley and New Mistley, both lying beside the Stour Estuary, and Mistley Heath, about a mile to the south. The village is in the parliamentary constituency of Harwich and North Essex. The village has its own parish council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manningtree railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Manningtree railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the town of Manningtree, Essex. It is 59 miles 35 chains (95.66 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Colchester to the west and Ipswich to the east. The three-letter station code is MNG. It is also the western terminus of the Mayflower Line, a branch line to Harwich Town. The following station on the branch is Mistley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistley railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Mistley railway station is on the Mayflower Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the village of Mistley, Essex. It is 61 miles 14 chains (98.45 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Manningtree to the west and Wrabness to the east. Its three-letter station code is MIS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrabness railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Wrabness railway station is on the Mayflower Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the village of Wrabness, Essex. It is 65 miles 6 chains (104.73 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Mistley to the west and Harwich International station to the east. Its three-letter station code is WRB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovercourt railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Dovercourt railway station is on the Mayflower Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line, in the East of England, serving the seaside town of Dovercourt, Essex. It is 70 miles 19 chains (113.04 km) from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Harwich International to the west and Harwich Town to the east. Its three-letter station code is DVC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich Town railway station</span> Railway station in Essex, England

Harwich Town railway station is the eastern terminus of the Mayflower Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line, in the East of England, serving the port town of Harwich, Essex. It is 70 miles 61 chains (113.88 km) from London Liverpool Street; the preceding station on the line is Dovercourt. Its three-letter station code is HWC.

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<i>Titanic II</i> Proposed ship

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References

  1. ↑ "Harwich: £4 Million pound replica of historic vessel to be built in town?". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Harwich: designs for £4 Million ship replica unveiled". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Harwich: Ship project gets charitable status". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 11 January 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Harwich: Billionaire supports ship build project". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "New Mayflower Project visitor centre and museum nearing completion". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 "About Us". Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Railway & Shipping Museum". Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mayflower ship building begins". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Harwich Mayflower Project ceremony to cut keel and open training centre". BBC News. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Keel cutting ceremony launches Mayflower Project". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Ambitious project no longer viewed as major part of Mayflower 2020 celebrations". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  12. ↑ ""Mayflower on track to sail in 2020", says trustee with the ambitious project". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Mayflower boss has high hopes for ship build's future". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Making History". Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Railway and shipping museum ready to open as train pulls in to Harwich". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  16. ↑ King, Lorraine (20 April 2018). "Hundreds turn out for the railway museum's opening". Harwich & Manningtree Standard.
  17. ↑ "Mayflower Project training centre to shut over lack of funding". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Harwich Mayflower Project to build life-size replica". BBC News. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Harwich voices its claim to Mayflower". ITV News. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Plymouth who? Harwich claims that Pilgrim Fathers were really Essex boys". The Times (needs a subscription). 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "America's founding fathers were Essex boys, according to claims". Telegraph. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Harwich: Birth Of The American Dream?". Heart. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "Harwich tries to claim Mayflower". Wall Street Journal (needs a subscription). 23 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "Multiplying Mayflowers". The Boston Globe. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  25. ↑ "Harwich, England claims Mayflower built there". Wicked Local. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Do you know your Mayflower history? Residents of coastal English town dispute Pilgrims' launch site". CBS News. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Did Plymouth hijack Mayflower story from Harwich?". Toronto Star. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Honnan jöttek a zarándok atyák?". Múlt-kor (Hungarian). 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "Griff's Great Britain Episode 2". 11 January 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "Video/Gallery: Project to recreate the Mayflower - the ship that put America on the map". East Anglian Daily Times. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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