Andy Davis, landlord of the Seymour Pub, and his wife, Vicky, said they were both ‘very surprised’ when the builders who have been carrying out renovations to the pub following damage caused by recent flooding told them that they had discovered an unusual feature underneath the Liberation Group-owned pub’s floorboards.
Mr Davis said: ‘We were so surprised to see that the floorboards had actually been nailed down onto what looks like parts of the hull of an old ship.
‘Jersey Heritage came down to have a look and said they estimated that the ship parts were put down when the pub was built approximately 160 years ago.’
The ship parts, which are currently placed among a thick layer of sand on top of the pub’s foundations, could soon be exhibited at the Jersey Museum.
He said: ‘We plan to keep a few of the timbers and put them above the new fireplace to give it some character and Jersey Heritage have offered to display some of the ship parts in the Jersey Museum.’
Roger Hills, head of historic buildings at Jersey Heritage, who visited the pub this week to investigate the rare find, said he had not seen anything like it in Jersey before.
‘There is evidence of ship parts being used in buildings around the Island but this is the first time I have seen so many used under an entire floor,’ he said, adding: ‘There were a lot of shipyards along the coast near here at the time the pub was built and we know that some local ship builders were involved in building houses across the Island.
‘To be sure of how old it is we would need to study a piece of timber, but it is likely that they are the same age as the building.’
Mr and Mrs Davis said that the section of the pub where the ship parts were found is due to reopen in the next few weeks.
