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A replica of the 19th-century US brig Niagara.
A replica of the 19th-century US brig Niagara. Photograph: Lance Woodworth
A replica of the 19th-century US brig Niagara. Photograph: Lance Woodworth

Thames shipwreck to finally give up its secrets

This article is more than 5 years old

Historians believe 18th-century Old Brig exposed by tides near Seasalter, Kent, may be a smugglers’ vessel

For hundreds of years, the wreck of a ship known as Old Brig has lain buried in the mud of the Thames estuary. Historians believe the vessel may have been linked to the smuggling trade that once thrived along the creeks and inlets of north Kent.

Now, after an initial exploration showed that the wreck was unusually well preserved, archaeologists are to embark on a major excavation that they hope will finally yield the ship’s well-hidden secrets.

“The potential is huge,” said Mark Dunkley, Historic England’s maritime archaeologist. “The wreck appears to be pretty complete. We’ve excavated just down to a deck level. To have a deck in situ is rare. Normally they disappear, eaten away by the weather and tides. This shows that the preservation is exceptionally good.”

Long buried in the silt of the estuary, Old Brig has in recent years been exposed by shifting sands and tides on the beach at Seasalter to the point where it now stands up to half a metre high at low water. Historians now hope to discover how it was used and what led to its beaching. A 1770 sea chart pinpoints Old Brig’s final resting-place. Brigs – fast and manoeuvrable sailing vessels with two square-rigged masts – were used as naval warships and merchant ships, and had crews of about 100.

The wreck of Old Brig in the Thames estuary near Seasalter. Photograph: Timescapes Kent

“What we don’t know yet is what led to it being beached. Was it a former warship or a merchant ship that was then used by smugglers?” said Dunkley. In the 18th century the salt marshes of north Kent were a base for a lucrative illegal trade in products such as liquor, wool and copper, used for explosives and ink dyeing.

“We think it was linked to smuggling,” said Dunkley. “It was abandoned in a salt marsh, which is interesting because there are all sorts of creeks and inlets where you could hide your goods and contraband. The wreck itself would have stood above the creek, so it would have provided a good lookout point. The salt marsh creek has now gone because of coastal reclaim and sea defences. This is why the wreck sits on the beach now, visible when the tide is out.”

He said that fishermen would have steered clear of the area, working instead out of the port of Whitstable. “The creeks, slightly further to the west, are dangerously deep mud. So you wouldn’t have wanted to go there – unless you were a ne’er-do-well,” he said.

It is hoped that the excavation, due to begin next month, will allow archaeologists to answer questions that linger around Old Brig. It is not clear whether the deck reached during the preliminary investigation is the upper or lower. If the former, Dunkley said, “there could be a massive amount of material below. If it’s the lower deck, there will be about five metres of space down to the keel.”

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Historic England has commissioned Wessex Archaeology to carry out the excavation, with volunteers from Timescapes Kent, a local history and archaeology society.

The initial exploration was conducted last summer, when archaeologists were working on the Tankerton Tudor shipwreck near Whitstable. As with Old Brig, it had become visible on the beach because of coastal erosion, and had been preserved by muddy Thames deposits.

Dunkley said: “It could be a factor of a changing climate that we’re seeing harsher erosion on these beaches than ever before. That’s scouring away the beach deposits and wrecks are coming to our attention as beach levels change.”

Historic England will decide whether Old Brig is “sufficiently important” to recommend it for official protection as a scheduled monument.

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