The Nautical Museum

The Peggy is a unique survival of international 18th century maritime history. She is the last intact surviving shallop and the oldest surviving schooner in the world. She is the oldest surviving vessel to have been fitted with sliding keels (dagger boards). Uniquely from this period, she survives nearly complete and unrestored and even more unusually, her masts and spars also survived with the vessel.

Whilst the Isle of Man is not part of the UK the significance of the Peggy is reflected in her extraordinary listing in the National Historic Fleet, a sub-set of the National Register of Historic  Vessels (NRHV) managed by National Historic Ships UK.

https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/1125/peggy

National Historic Fleet vessels are distinguished by:

• Being of pre-eminent national or regional significance
• Spanning the spectrum of UK maritime history
• Illustrating changes in construction and technology
• Meriting a higher priority for long term conservation

There are around 200 vessels in the National Historic Fleet which have been assessed for significance based on their age, design innovations, historical associations, level of originality,  condition and rarity.

The development of a vibrant world-class all-weather visitor experience will present the story of the Peggy and her owner/designer within the context of the Island’s wider maritime history. This redevelopment will create an accessible and immersive environment aimed to engage with a diverse visitor demographic, not just those with a maritime interest. Visitors will journey through the original buildings and encounter the spectacle of a fully-rigged Peggy beautifully and atmospherically displayed in a contemporary purpose-designed gallery.

Nautical Museum Concept Visualisations 2021

The Nautical Museum and the Peggy are irrevocably interconnected and interdependent in terms of their heritage values and significance:

• The Peggy was designed and built for George Quayle who was from a prominent Manx family and who had a career in finance, commerce and politics
• The land adjacent to Bridge House, now the Nautical Museum site, was acquired for the express purpose of running a sailing boat and it includes George Quayle’s original boathouse and
  private dock which were built specifically to suit the Peggy.

It is impossible to adequately tell the Peggy’s story without telling the story of George Quayle, the Nautical Museum and life in Castletown and the Isle of Man in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

George Quayle lived in Castletown between 1757 and 1835. His wider family played a key role in the administration and economy of the Isle of Man during a time of constitutional change,  Revestment. Four generations held the office of Clerk of the Rolls at Castle Rushen. The family were heavily involved in high politics as well as the military, economic and social life of the island. Quayle himself was a prominent Manx businessman and politician during the Napoleonic Wars and at the height of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

A fundraising campaign will be developed with the target of raising at least 50% of the project costs. The balance will be requested from Government as a capital bid.

The costs are based on the concept designs which were calculated using assessments by a professional cost consultant and recent ‘actual’ exhibition design costs. Market testing will be undertaken
when full design details have been agreed and the whole project cost is secured.

The vision for the site is ambitious but wholly appropriate if the Peggy is to be accommodated in a way that is suitable to maintain her in stable conditions and tell the story of the Peggy, her  owner George Quayle, and 18th century Isle of Man in a way that marks it out as a world class Heritage visitor attraction adding significant value to the wider visitor economy and contributing to Exchequer benefit for the Government The project is multifaceted and the budget cost includes the design, construction and development of the new boathouse for the Peggy at the Nautical Museum, together with the costs to conserve and redisplay the registered buildings, Quayle’s private dock and introduce a modern and engaging experience for all as part of the Nautical Museum Heritage visitor attraction. The opportunity exists to return the Peggy to public display in Castletown, within a vibrant world-class, fully accessible Heritage visitor attraction, for the enjoyment, engagement and education of current and future generations.

• The Newport Ship, Newport, Wales was reported in 2014 as requiring a minimum of £4m just to display the remains of the ship in a simple industrial building.
• In 2016 a £5m makeover of the Mary Rose museum in Portsmouth was completed. This was in addition to previous £39m spent on conserving and displaying her.
• Preservation and restoration of the SS Great Britain, the first iron screw propelled ocean going ship and her dry dock to include visitor facilities was completed in 2005 at a cost of £9.5m.
• In 2014 the redevelopment of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm was completed at a cost of approx. 215million SEK at 2021 prices (approx.£17.8m)
• The National Maritime Museum, Cornwall was completed in 2003 at a cost of £21.5m.
• The Cutty Sark, the world’s last surviving tea clipper, was devastated by fire in May 2007 and a £50 million restoration project was completed in 2012.

Yes. Without George Quayle we would not have the rich heritage of the Peggy, the Nautical Museum and Quayle’s archive available to invest in. These components are so fundamentally interwoven that the £5m has been planned to include investment across the whole Nautical Museum site. Re-development of the site will enable the Peggy and George Quayle’s story to be placed in the wider context of our Island nation’s maritime history and more specifically against the intriguing backdrop of late 18th century Castletown, Manx life, and commerce. Investment and development will maximise accessibility and for the first time parts of the historic complex that were not previously part of the visitor route will be readily accessible.

Total costs of £594,015 includes the cost of:

• removing the Peggy from the Nautical Museum to her temporary storage unit £100,645
• temporary storage for the Peggy including capital costs £468,580
• costs of renovation materials £4,850
• cost of labour for renovation £19,940

Heritage projects are proven catalysts for regeneration. Castletown already has a concentration of Heritage attractions including one of the best preserved medieval castles in the world. The  development of a world-class fully accessible visitor experience at the Nautical Museum will add to the town’s attractiveness as a visitor destination and increase its appeal for further investment.

The addition of a fully accessible world-class visitor attraction, further enhances the tourism offer of the Island when promoting the Isle of Man more widely.  A vibrant visitor experience with wide appeal will encourage greater footfall and longer dwell time – with high appeal to the Travel Trade industry sector as well as independent travellers.

Admission charges will be benchmarked against similar UK and other Island attractions.

MNH will be seeking support for the project from a variety of sources as part of the fundraising campaign and would welcome enquiries from individuals, groups or Corporates interested in
making a contribution to the Peggy fundraising appeal.

Redevelopment of the site will enable the Peggy to be placed in the wider context of our Island nation’s maritime history and more specifically against the intriguing backdrop of late 18th century Manx life, Castletown and the Quayle family. In addition many other MNH sites, including The House of Manannan and the Manx Museum, will continue to play an important role in telling the story of our maritime history.

Without George Quayle there would be no Peggy and historic boathouse. The direct associations between buildings, objects, archives and George Quayle are the dominant factor in determining
the history and significance of the site. The Nautical Museum opened in the 1950’s at a time when far less was known and understood about the intriguing story of George Quayle and the
Peggy. Redevelopment will enable both the story of the Quayle family and the context of the Island’s maritime history to be presented in a more coherent manner. At the same time the wider
maritime history of the Isle of Man will also continue to be told at the House of Manannan and the Manx Museum.

To safeguard her from decay caused by high humidity and to protect her from damage caused by tidal flooding.

a. In an average year in the last decade when Peggy was on the site = 6,389

b. In an average year after Peggy was removed = 6,192 (pre-Covid)

Peggy is widely recognised as one of the most significant maritime objects in the world. The quality of her display and conservation
must reflect this.  An updated and re-invigorated Nautical Museum will provide an engaging new visitor attraction with potential to provide a valuable and positive economic impact for the Island and Castletown, creating additional promotional opportunities off Island.

The Peggy is important because she is the last complete surviving shallop hull and the oldest surviving schooner rigged vessel. It is in
the combination of both these attributes that her significance, and her meaning, resides.  Displaying her physically, complete with her masts and sail rig will enable people to view, better appreciate and understand the boat. It will also create a vibrant visitor experience with high visual impact, attracting a wider demographic.

The Peggy is over 230 years old and is constructed from timber with iron fixings. Her expected working life would have been about twenty years. Since then, salt water and high humidity have destroyed most of her fixings, badly weakening her structure. They have also resulted in rot and insect colonisation. The Peggy would need very extensive and invasive re-building in order to float, which is not in keeping with the agreed approach to her conservation.  Keeping her wet, like a traditional working boat would have been, would only serve to recreate the conditions from which we were obliged to save her.

The Nautical Museum is a Registered Building and the interventions required to provide an environmentally stable space for the Peggy
would by necessity destroy or profoundly damage the historic building which represents a substantial part of the collective significance of the assemblage, and which offers great interest to visitors.  The space currently available is also very restricted and would not allow the Peggy to be viewed adequately or to provide an accessible facility for visitors.

Once the design has been developed further and funding is secured MNH will make plans publically accessible as part of the consultation
process.

The Island is renowned for its rich heritage and Castletown has a particularly strong concentration of visitor attractions at its heart.
Heritage and Culture is one of the top reasons visitors choose to come to the Isle of Man. The addition of an accessible world-class
Heritage visitor experience with one of the most significant objects in the national collections at its heart, will add to this appeal.
(As an example it has been estimated that the Newport Ship could attract up to 150,000 visitors a year to Newport, boosting the south
Wales economy by £7m a year).

The option has been considered and outline costs of construction obtained. No final decision has been taken. The benefits vs costs
(including ongoing costs and liabilities and operational logistics) of such a decision need careful research and evaluation as part of the
development of the project.

The combined appeal of these heritage attractions in one location with the development of a world-class visitor experience at the Nautical Museum will create increased footfall, dwell time and visitor spend at all sites and for businesses in Castletown.

Yes.

Yes.

This is not envisaged with the current design and space options available.

The building will be made to be as accessible in all senses as it is possible to achieve within the constraints of the registered building and historic fabric. A detailed access and equality audit will guide the design process.

It is envisaged that there will be a requirement to create new posts to fulfil the demands of the main tourist season.

The completion date is achievable but it should be recognised that external factors, including the ongoing impact of the pandemic, will
present challenges. Any delays, however short, in developing and obtaining approvals and securing funding for the scheme would prevent completion within that timescale.

For the same reasons the Peggy was removed in 2015; the Nautical Museum site cannot provide the appropriate environmental conditions in which to accommodate the Peggy nor to prevent exposure to periodic tidal inundation. If she were returned to the Nautical Museum site MNH could not continue to conserve the Peggy into the future and would not be meeting its professional standards for her as an accessioned object or for the site as a museum.

The significance of the Peggy has been assessed by National Historic Ships UK https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/.

The UK’s Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships was established in 2006 as a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with a specific remit to advise the UK Secretary of State and other public bodies on all matters relating to historic vessels in the UK.

Further research and assessment of significance of the Nautical Museum site and the Peggy as an historic assemblage has been informed by:

• Peggy Report 2010 Eura Conservation Limited – Eura Conservation Report 2010
• Analytical Report on Corroded Nails from Peggy 2010 David Watkins – Cardiff University Report 2010
• Paint Analysis of Peggy 2012 Crick Smith – Crick Smith Report 2012
• The Nautical Museum & The Peggy Conservation Management Plan
• Drury McPherson Partnership 2014
• Investigation of Timber Hull of Peggy 2016 Hutton & Rostron
• Environmental Investigations Ltd – Timber Report 2016

Conservation of Peggy reviewed by Specialist committee:

Charles Barker, Mary Rose Trust
John Kearon, Master Shipwright & Historic Vessel Conservator
Andy Wyke, Boat Collection Manager, National Maritime Museum Cornwall

And the George Quayle Legacy Statement of Significance peer reviewed by:

Dr Eleanor Schofield, Head of Conservation, Mary Rose Trust
Stephen Beresford, Senior Conservation Boat Builder (Windermere Jetty Museum)
Hannah Cunliffe, Director National Historic Ships UK
Ross Brazier, Registered Building’s Officer (DEFA)
Louise Brennan, Regional Director, Midlands (English Heritage)
Sarah Kay, Cultural Heritage Curator (The National Trust)
Professor William Pettigrew, Department of History (Lancaster University)

Statement of Significance

Peggy requires some cosmetic work to replace poor 20th century fillings, pacify rusting fixings and clean her paintwork. Rigging her will require planning and ingenuity. The timing of the completion of this work will be part of the overall project timetable.

Since having been taken to her conservation facility in 2015 Peggy has undergone extensive survey and scientific analysis of her timbers, fixings, paint and rig. The relative humidity in the facility has been slowly reduced to 55% to bring the moisture content of the
timbers to 14%. This is to prevent further rot and insect attack, and to reduce the rate of iron corrosion in her remaining fixings. Control
of the ambient humidity to 55% will be an essential part of her redisplay.

No, the height of the display space is not the issue.  The pre-eminent constraints preventing the Peggy from being returned to Castletown are the wholly inadequate environmental conditions and the high risk of tidal inundation which have contributed to her deterioration to date.

Design concept options for the Nautical Museum site have been articulated as part of the Report.  The option to display the Peggy within a new or existing building in or close to Castletown has been referred to but no concept design has been undertaken as this is not consistent with the objective to return her to the Nautical Museum site.

The site will be opened at the earliest opportunity. The draft proposal delivers a late summer opening which will provide the opportunity to make the new facility available to our island audience first. This will also allow opportunities for the off-island Travel Trade sector representatives to conduct familiarisation visits during the winter months prior to promoting the attraction widely ahead of the
following year’s Tourist season.