Painting of The Lenox by Richard Endsor ©2013
Today, an article in HistoryExtra.com (the official website of BBC History Magazine) quotes Andrew Lambert, professor of Naval History at King’s College London, as welcoming our project. He said, “I have long held a view that the biggest problem we face with history and heritage is that they are static. We need an opportunity to actually watch people making these things. It will mean that over the course of time people will come back, because they will want to see what has happened since they were last there. Having sailed on a replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour there’s nothing better than the opportunity to sail on a real ship, doing real work. You learn so much more.”
Prof Lambert said the replica will enable historians to better understand the workings of a warship. “It’s about the environment of the ship and how the ship worked. For example, it’s very difficult to fit that many people into the ship – how did they do it? How did they keep everyone fit and healthy, how did they provide food? Are they operating as one team or, as I have long suspected, working as teams of teams?
“Lenox is steeped in the history of this country and she took part in fights that saved the nation. It really is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who is interested in this period to get to grips with the difficult working environment, and it will help us to understand what important people sailors are in the creation of our national history.”
Read the article by Emma McFarnon in full here.
