Boat House and Sail Loft - Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua

Boat House and Sail Loft Nelson's Dockyard

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The Boat House Nelson's Dockyard

Remains of the original boat house and sail loft at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua. The boat house and sail loft were built in 1797. Ships would tie up in the narrow central channel (wet dock) and the sails would be hoisted from the boats up to the sail loft through a trap door for repair.

Originally the boat house was a huge two storey building; the ground floor was used for general storage and the repair of ship's tenders; the upper floor was used to repair ship's sails and to make new sails.

The boat house and sail loft was damaged by an earthquake in 1845 and severely damaged again by a hurricane in English Harbour in 1871, which resulted in the sail loft loosing it's roof. Today all that remains of the original building are the massive boat house pillars, which have been capped with concrete to prevent water damage to the stone and preserve them against further decay.

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The Wet Dock at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua. The wet dock was part of the boat house and sail loft built in 1797. Ships would tie up in the wet dock and the sails would be hoisted up to the sail loft through a trap door for repair.

The building was damaged by an earthquake in 1845 and a hurricane in 1871, which resulted in the sail loft loosing it's roof. Today all that remains of the original boat house and sail loft are the massive boat house pillars, which have been capped with concrete to preserve them against further decay.

The Boat House and Joiners Loft was built in 1778 and restored in 1972. Originally open at ground level, carpenters and joiners worked here on boat parts.

Nelson's Dockyard main buildings: Naval Officer's House (Dockyard Museum) (1855), Officers Quarters (1810), Cordage and Canvas Store (begun in 1778), Copper and Lumber Store (1789), the Boat House and Joiners Loft (1778), Pay Office (1807), the Boat House and Sail Loft (1797), Seaman's Gallery (1778) and the Pitch and Tar Store (1788), Fort Berkeley (1704).

Travel, holiday, vacation and photograph guide to Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua. All text and images are Copyright Paradise Islands org 2007. All photographs on this website are obtained with the permission of the owners and come from various sources including the islands tourist boards. Marquees London, Boat house, Sail loft, Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua. Private Islands for Sale | Caribbean Flowers | Underwater Photography | Caribbean Map

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