Mast Pond (Portsmouth)

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The Mast Pond was excavated in 1665 by soldiers and Dutch prisoners. Linked to the harbour by a tunnel under the road, which runs through Boathouse 4, the large white building opposite, it was originally used to store masts awaiting repair or collection. In its time it was the world's centre of mast-making. The Mast Pond is now home to a flotilla of restored crafts maintained by the Portsmouth Dockyard Historical Trust. The Trust has a sizable collection of small historic boats, some of which have been rescued from the Naval Base and some donated by previous owners. Part of the collection is displayed on the Mast Pond. All are maintained by a team of Historic Boat Volunteers working under the guidance of the Trust’s Historian and Curator in their workshop in Boathouse 4. The most recently completed vessel is Cyclops, a 1916 workboat belonging to the World War 1 battleship Royal Sovereign. During 2009 the Trust also took over ownership of three ex-service powerboats from the British Military Powerboat Trust.


www.historicdockyard.co.uk/dockyard/historiclandmarks.p...