Filmwork - Ships

Maritime Activities

As we are attempting to re-create the past of an island community, we feel that it would be quite inappropriate if we could not demonstrate something of the maritime life of our ancestors. To this end, the Society owns and operates several period ship replicas.

In the last few years, our vessels have seen service in the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel and various lakes and rivers throughout England. They have appeared in various films and TV series,"A History of Britain", "Erik the Viking", "Great Warriors", "The Earliest Ships", "Great Ships" (shown last year on the History Channel) and the BBC’s ’97 flagship series, "Ivanhoe!"

They have been exhibited at The Matthew Centre in Bristol, the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester, the Chatham Historic Dockyard, the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, the Kendal Museum and other similar establishments.

Our largest wooden vessel is a good replica of the Krampmakken boat and this thirty-two foot replica has been used on the Ouse near York, the Humber estuary, the North Sea off Northumbria and the Firth of Forth. It is currently out of commission and undergoing remedial work.

We even commissioned our own vessel, a replica of the Gokstad faering. It is nearly ten years old now and has a good, well used look for camera! At nineteen feet long, it is the smallest of our ship replicas and can readily be towed behind a four wheel drive vehicle or a big car..

The remaining vessels are forty-seven foot GRP ships based upon the Skuldelev Wreck Three find from Roskilde Fjord. They are externally convincing `clinker built’, double-skinned flotation hulls and were built in the Isle of Man. We keep one in commission and are well used to transporting it from place to place by road.

Therefore, we can offer a total of seven ship and boat replicas, probably the largest fleet of vessels of this kind in private hands in a thousand years!

Location

We recommend Rutland Water, about thirty miles due east of Leicester. It is an excellent workable location with an uncluttered angle that gives the impression of being at sea and various creeks and inlets where a raiding party might come ashore. From a practical point of view, the lake has its own power boats and safety crews, an excellent café well used to damp, cold people and ample parking for the largest vehicles.

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If you would prefer something on dry land then why not consider the estate Wychurst, our own permanent site in Kent. Let me take you there; or return to the filmwork menu.

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Regia Anglorum has a full-time national officer who is specially responsible for booking events and film and TV work. This officer is normally available during standard business hours (0900 to 1800hrs, GMT or BST) to respond to your inquiries, attend meetings etc.

An electronic inquiry to booking@regia.org will frequently get a fast response and a call to any directory service will produce a telephone number

J. Kim Siddorn
9, Durleigh Close
Headley Park
Bristol
BS13 7NQ.