Features
and Reviews
Revisiting the Mayflower
II
This October, a group
of 51 people will be travelling from Brixham to the East coast
of America to visit the Mayflower II, celebrating 50 years since
the vessel was completed in the harbour at Upham's shipyard
and set sail for America.
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The
Mayflower II now located at the Plimoth Plantation Massachusetts,
rests where the original Mayflower of 1620 landed with only
51 surviving pilgrims. |
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Here the Plantation museum will offer the visitors
whilst visiting the replica mayflower a chance to step back into
the historic period of the first landing with everyone at the
Plantation in character, speaking Old English and in full 17th
century costume. |
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The whole idea of a visit began when John Wilson,
an original Shipwright on the Mayflower II and members of his
family talked about a possible family trip for him to revisit
the ship he worked on. |
| John's wife Kathy discussed the idea
at daughter Julie's Kiosk at Shoalstone Pool and as they mentioned
it to a few people more became interested in joining them until
all Cathy's organizational skills were required to secure a major
group excursion from Brixham to Massachusetts! |
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At a civic reception on Sept 12th at the Berry Head
Hotel, Brixham Town Council presented the large group going from
Brixham, with a letter and gifts to present to the people Massachusetts
Museum. |
| When Mayflower II was completed and
slipped out of Brixham Harbour for Cape Cod in 1957 it was received
by the Governor of Massachusetts as ‘a gift of Englishmen to America,'
and the people promised to ‘treasure and take care of it always
as a living monument to friendship between our nations.' |
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Julie said, “Having
grown up being told many stories by her father about his work
on the vessel I'm looking forward seeing my father's handiwork.”
John said “All the Shipwright's carved their names on the beam
shelf and we will be allowed in to see this area not usually
open to the public.” |
The
Mayflower II project actually grew from an idea by Warwick Carlton
in 1954 to construct an exact full sized replica of the original
Pilgrim ship and have her sailed to America. Naval Architect
William A. Baker from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
drew up the plans and Warwick agreed to build the vessel to
permanently exhibit at the Plimoth Plantation.
Requiring considerable
skill and experience in wooden ship building there was only
one remaining shipyard left in Great Britain capable of such
an enterprise, J W. & A Upham, Brixham. |
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On the
50th anniversary Brixham will be presenting a gift of a pewter
replica of the Mayflower amongst other Brixham memorabilia together
with a wooden casket of gin, provided by the Plymouth Gin Company,
who sponsored the original Mayflower II project. |
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Julie
said, “When asked what we could give that really unique to Brixham,
I came up with the idea of ‘our hymn'.”
With the help of local
photographer Yvonne Perrin a framed script of ‘Abide with Me'
has been created surrounded by photos of distinctive Brixham
places.
Julie concluded by
saying, “The Mayflower II is an important part of Brixham's
heritage and should be remembered by the generations to come.”
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Gifts will travel with 12 in the group whom are
crossing the Atlantic by ship, whilst the rest fly to join them
to start their cruise from New Jersey. This will take them along
the coast to Quebec, allowing them to stop off at places such
as Halifax before taking in the Mayflower II at the Plantation
on their return journey. |
| Dartmouth Mayor also attended the civic reception
and gave a gift from the people of Dartmouth to take to Massachusetts
Plantation. |
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