Watchet Boat Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Watchet, Somerset |
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The Watchet Boat Museum is a small and interesting museum located in Watchet, Somerset, England. It teaches visitors all about the different types of boats used in the local area long ago.
The museum is inside a building that used to be a railway goods shed. This building was built in 1862, during the Victorian era. It was part of the Watchet railway station, which is now on the West Somerset Railway, a special heritage line.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Collection
The museum has many cool things to see. You can find different kinds of boats that were used in the local waters. There are also old tools, photographs, and maps that show how people used these boats. You can even see fishing nets and other items related to boating and fishing.
Displays and Unique Items
The museum also features displays of maps and examples of different kinds of knots used on boats. You can learn about "withy," which is a type of flexible willow branch, and how it was used. A very special item on display is a "mudhorse." This is a wooden sledge that people used to push across muddy areas to collect fish from nets. It's a clever way people adapted to their environment!
The Flatner Boat
The Watchet Boat Museum is especially known for its collection of "Flatner" boats. These boats have a "shallow draft," meaning they don't go very deep into the water. This made them perfect for the shallow waters of Bridgwater Bay and nearby coastal areas. Flatners are small boats that are pointed at both ends and do not have a keel (the fin-like part on the bottom of a boat).
Withy and Turf Boats
The museum also shows examples of "Withy Boats" and "Turf Boats." These boats were about 4.9 to 6.1 meters (16 to 20 feet) long. People used them on the Somerset Levels, which are flat, low-lying areas, to carry peat (a type of soil used for fuel) and withies to market. These boats were made from elm wood or built using a method called "clinker." In clinker building, the wooden planks overlap each other. These boats were often pulled along the banks of the drainage ditches found on the levels.
River and Bay Boats
"River boats" were built in a similar way to the turf boats. However, their bottoms were curved. This design helped them slide easily down the muddy banks of rivers, like the River Parrett. People used these boats for fishing, especially for salmon.
Slightly larger boats, called "Bay" or "Gore Boats," are also part of the collection. These boats were used for fishing in inland waters. They had a simple sail, either a "sprit-headed" or "jib-headed" sail, which helped them move with the wind. They also had a long rudder for steering and a "dagger board," which is a removable fin that helps with stability.
Images for kids
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The Boat Museum and Station
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Flatner Turf Boat
