The Quay in Sandwich will soon be transformed into a hub of medieval boat building.

The project, run by Bob Martin and shipwright Bob Hill, has been approved by Dover District Council.

There will be a wooden workshop on the right hand side of the Quay between the Environment Agency’s anchor, the path and the slipway. This building will hold the workshops and a storage facility.

Mr Hill said: “It will be open to the public who can come and watch us building boats. They will be able to come in and see the work going on.”

The not-for-profit trust will initially be privately funded and later will apply for a Heritage Lottery bid.

They plan to employ two young apprentices who will learn how to build wooden boats in the traditional, medieval style.

This is something Mr Hill knows a lot about having worked to restore two well-known boats.

The Cutty Sark built in 1869, was the last of the tea clipper boats carrying cargos of tea from China and India to the UK, and is now a famous landmark moored in Greenwich. The Eye of the Wind built in 1911 in Germany was used for the South American hide trade. Nowadays it has travelled the world after being refurbished in the 1970s in Faversham and appeared in films such as Blue Lagoon.

The apprenticeship scheme is backed by Admiral the Lord Boyce, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, who is the trust’s patron. Young people from Sandwich, Deal, Dover, or Thanet can get involved.

The framework and groundwork of the boats will be completed professionally by the apprentices and Mr Hill, but they are also looking for community volunteers.

Mr Martin said: “People will be able to say ‘I had a hand in that.’ Everybody will be running it and everybody has an ownership over it.”

They will start with an 18ft, clinker-built, single mast boat and eventually hope to recreate Edward III’s flagship The Thomas as part of the lottery bid.

An archeological dig will take place before building goes ahead to uncover any artefacts from the original boatyard.

The project office will be based at Fishergate, opposite the Quay, and will open in two weeks.

The third phase of the project, which is still subject to planning permission, will be a museum and visitor centre.

This will become a hub of history with artefacts, medieval reenactments and boats on display.

Mr Martin, who organises medieval fairs and is a member of archaic band Rough Musicke, said: “There’s so much history we hope to share here and with an interactive website. The medieval reenactments will have a home rather than us going out to school parties they can come to us. It will leave a legacy that will last beyond us.”

The pair have praised Sandwich Town Council and Dover District Council for their help.

Apprentices or volunteers who would like to get involved can write to the Fishergate, The Quay, Sandwich, CT13 9EN.