Hamble Yacht Services Refit & Repair (HYSRR) has gone back to Biblical boatbuilding skills in contructing a miniature replica of Noah’s Ark. It was commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, a City of London Livery Company whose arms feature an Ark, for a float in the 800th Lord Mayor’s show. Lord Mountevans, the current Lord Mayor of London, is a Shipwright and member of the Company.

The Ark has now been donated to Oakfield Primary School in Totton, Hampshire and was delivered on 11 December 2015. Elizabeth Smith, Headteacher at Oakfield Primary School, taking
delivery of the Ark said:

‘It’s marvellous! The children are thrilled to have been chosen to have the Ark. We already have an outdoor classroom and this will further enhance the children’s learning.’

The school plans to use the Ark for literacy, to make stories come to life, and link it to the curriculum in maths and RE. It will also be used for golden (reward) time, and the school is already planning a pirate-themed day.

The Ark was designed by Guy Whitehouse Designs, with a structural overview from Richard Oliver of Applied Structural Analysis (a tenant of Hamble Yacht Services). Marineware supplied coatings and all other funding for the Ark was provided by donations from fellow shipwrights.

The prime purpose of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights is charitable work, supporting charities such as the Sea Cadets, Jubilee Sailing Trust and Youth Challenge as well as maritime
schools. It also provides grants for yacht and shipbuilding apprenticeship schemes. The livery men of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights are drawn from the UK ship and yacht
builders, lawyers and brokers, all of whom have some connection to the construction and operation of small or large vessels.