Established in 2021 – Morwenstow North Cornwall
Home of a small workshop for boatbuilding, restoration and other matters……
Building of “Piety”
“Piety” is a 10’6’’ launch for The Rose of Devon which I built with a team of students on the Boat Building Academy course in 2020/21. She is based on the design of Morgan Giles circa 1922 and features a Stuart Turner single cylinder engine. She was launched on Oct 6th 2021.
Rose of Devon “Rosey” 50 year Rebuild
John Foster Yeoman commissioned Edgar Cove of Salcombe Devon to build an ocean going Cruiser, tough and functional for exploration. I have been the owner for over 25 years and it’s time to rebuild her ready for coastal fishing. See menu
Rose of Devon “Systems” including re building Rosey’s engine. The Gardner 5LW
John Yeoman as a Quarryman would have built the boat around the engine! So we have a beautiful 80hp slow speed 5 cylinder engine weighing 1.8t! It’s time for a full rebuild – see menu
The new Wheelhouse for Rosey
Simon Holman is a professional shipwright and marine designer responsible for the design and construction of the wheelhouse – based on this trawler – see menu
Byzantine Ikons & Occasional Homilies
Margarita Kerdelas paints these in her studio in Chania Crete. Each year I add to this collection, using a particular theme from scripture…also occasional Sermons from Morwenstow Church…see menu below.
Black & White
Photographs taken the old fashioned way.,,
Crosstown Branch GWR
New for 2025…
At the turn of the 20th century circa 1905 a branch line reached the town of Crosstown in Cornwall… an outdoor model railway in scale 7 o gauge is under construction!
- Autumn 2026
Another year gone by and we are now making tremendous progress with Rose of Devon under the leadership of James Pardoe with Mungo and Jacob ably assisting part time. Having moved into James’ workshop there is a great atmosphere and we are all enjoying commencing systems fitting, engine alignment, deck and hull caulking etc etc. … take a look at the engine page; we finally fitted it in September after Lee Colwill’s meticulous rebuild.
The launch date is 29th September 2028, on my 70th birthday, so plenty of time for some good projects to evolve.
I am currently in the second year of a CofE Theology Durham University course, initially struggling with academia but now getting into the stride of it…great to see where life takes you.
Piety has been out on the river Helford doing a 20 mile round trip from Gweek to the “Shipwright’s Arms” (during an amazing eclipse of the sun) and I want to repaint her with a bootline and fit rubbing strakes and possibly a capping board. The Stuart Turner engine is really coming into it’s own now with a good steaming speed of 5kn against tide and most importantly “”reliability””…my friend Ed Hammond is the ST expert and he will hopefully also work on Rosey as the electrical engineer.
Other pages on the website are being periodically updated so feel free to follow them.
I am often asked what will I do with Rosey once she is rebuilt? She will be based in Cornwall but maybe spend time cruising in the high arctic … North Cape, Svalbard, Tromso.
I have been very interested in Friedthof Nansen’s “Furthest North” expedition to the North Pole and particularly the vessel “FRAM” they used. We will incorporate ideas from this vessel and Amundsen’s “MAUD”, both can be visited in the Oslo Fram Museum.
To that end I am adding a new section entitled “FRAM” to document this famous vessel, how it inspires and to show work on a painting I have commissioned by Mark Myers.
All at sea, all good!
“Houses are but badly built boats so firmly aground that you cannot think of moving them. They are definitely inferior things, belonging to the vegetable not the animal world, rooted and stationary, incapable of gay transition. I admit, doubtfully, as exceptions, snail shells and caravans.
Arthur Ransome
The desire to build a house is the tired wish of a man content thenceforward with a single anchorage. The desire to build a boat is the desire of youth, unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting place.”
For enquiries please contact Richard at richard.painter1[@]icloud.com
For the Menu …. see bottom right corner
