Unearthing the legacy of ships timbers?

Let's dive into another 'old chestnut' which used to regularly crop up decades ago, and appears to just be resurfacing again these days: world of ships timbers being used in old buildings: Understanding their journey from the sea to historic buildings, and understanding their distinct characteristics, can quickly seperate some of the yays from the nays, however school science doesn't really appear to explain the obvious, so in the words of ex president Nixon, when interviewed about the, then incoming President Cilinton 3 decades ago, Nixon said: "the American people don't believe anything until they've seen it on TV", and given the obvious, which is when the USA sneezes, the UK catches the cold, obviously the TV was needed, despite the decades of zero documented science stating the obvious, So Time Team have helped to (hopefully) helped to finally put this fairytale to bed.

Ships timbers: a unique heritage material, really?

Maybe a lot of old wives liked to tell a lot of tales? Carl Jung wasnt around in time to stop old wives who love a bit of gossip; around 100 years ago, Carl Jung stated: "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgement"

So what's changed 🤔

Well their is certainly a vast amount of tale/telling that we show on other pages surrounding traditional builds, and there is also the undeniable fact that many of today's wives love a bit of "wishful thinking", whilst wearing their rose coloured glasses.

Firstly, ships timbers, particularly those salvaged and alledgedly repurposed in buildings, possess shapes and characteristics unlike any other wood. Their saturation by exposure to saltwater, and the remains marine organisms, added to the varied, much different stresses encountered during their maritime life, creates timbers with a unique composition and structural integrity, and of course the other glaringly obvious: for what comes out, someting else must fill the gaps left. (Watch the vid)

Understanding these properties is paramount. We aim to reach all those interested in this fascinating aspect of building history, from seasoned professionals to curious enthusiasts. Don't be another Armchair Expert!

Get the poporn out, and realise that we don't reinvent wheels

A very famous, and memorable case for a lot of us in the UK, is the raising of the Mary Rose. Been there, seen that, and in my opinion, no matter how much "gushing presentations" may make it appear to be 'a  wonder to behold', I never saw that, instead, frankly, I saw a pile of bonfire wood in front of me TBH, so please watch and listen instead (far cheaper):

Sometimes, only sometimes, heavily edited TV programmes can be of use, and, as in this case, the knowledge of a Professor of Physics, has clearly had  nothing, for decades, on the the impact of a man made construct called Television 🤣, but please do take note:  "sometimes", we're clearly still in the learning and trialling stages nowadays related to old ships timbers, and even so, they are still projected to degrade!

So did old wives really have all this knowledge and the necessary facilities back when your house was first designed, and then built?, or are we simply re-venturing back into areas like the Chinese whispers of history, that we're not going into, because thats phascological, other than to say that "Tartare" sauce (wherever that originated) can be a very complimentary sauce added to sea fish 👍

Or mate the closest trees were a bit easier to chop down, season, transport, and cut & peg joints into?

One more 'popular' bubble, that is yet again cropping back up, is of course, another 'old chestnut' of  PITCH PINE. Maybe the 'over the historic garden wall education' needs to be spread?

Many myths and common misconceptions

Many "old wives' tales" missed something rather important:

There is a common assumption that the re-use of ‘old ships timbers’ in buildings was a common occurrence in medieval England. However,  why the 'dark ages' have still never yet been explaind, may account for many things 🤔 yet so far, no well-substantiated archaeological example of such a practice in a standing medieval structure is known.’ (Goodburn 2000, 2, 89).

Another good reason to never assume, and instead accept that rose tinted glasses really are nothing more than a "fashion accessory", and can easily be removed, if wanted.

Sorry about that.

Think 🤔