Today, the Nautical Archaeology Society is announcing a £199,060 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect the coastal archaeology of Sandwich Bay in Kent and establish a self-sustaining community group to actively investigate and promote the unique heritage at Sandwich Bay.
This grant for its Coastal Pasts – Connecting Community with Coastal Heritage at Sandwich Bay project is the largest single grant the Nautical Archaeology Society has received in its 50-year history.
Sandwich Bay has a significant heritage that spans hundreds of years, but it is under immediate and accelerating threat from environmental effects and human activity and without this funding from the Heritage Fund the eleven wooden wrecks will remain unidentified, and stories from the multitude of artefacts that wash up on the beach will remain untold.
Supported for three years by a part-time locally based project officer, the Nautical Archaeology Society’s multi-generational community heritage group will be dedicated to exploring, protecting, and recording the coastal archaeology of Sandwich Bay to bring these wrecks and artefacts to life in a virtual way to be able to share the history of this coastal area with the wider local community and beyond through online outlets.
The community group’s activities will include regular low-tide walks, artefact identification sessions, training in conservation and photogrammetry, excavation of a shipwreck, school activities, community talks, archival research to identify the wreck and innovative outreach including augmented reality to digitally recreate the wrecks.
To get involved, visit the Nautical Archaeology Society website. Information on how to apply for the community group local Project Officer position can also be found on the website. This community group project will also act as a pilot study by the Nautical Archaeology Society, creating a roadmap to inspire other communities to do similar work in their local areas to protect threatened coastal and underwater heritage.
Mark Beattie-Edwards, CEO of the Nautical Archaeology Society said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to connect the local community to the coastal heritage at Sandwich Bay and actively protect it for future generations, and for the benefit of everyone.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Sandwich Bay is home to a remarkable coastal heritage and thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this project will help local people explore, record and protect its unique stories. We’re delighted to support the Nautical Archaeology Society in creating a model that can inspire communities across the UK to safeguard their own coastal heritage for generations to come.”
