Iron Age canoe in Yarm's Island in a River exhibition

 A 12ft replica Iron Age canoe carved by a local volunteer group in Yarm is the centrepiece of a new permanent exhibition and audio visual installation ‘Island in a River,’ which opened last month in the refurbished Yarm Town Hall Heritage Centre.

The exhibition has been created by artist Matthew Rosier and Selby-based new media arts organisation Mediale in close collaboration with the local community, and celebrates Yarm’s ancient connection to the River Tees and its location on the horseshoe bend of the river.

‘Island in a River’ comprises a collection of historic local artefacts and accompanying films, all of which are displayed inside this magnificent canoe.

At night, the exhibition transforms into an audio visual installation, visible through the windows of the building, with the canoe seeming to float on a projected looping holographic film of the River Tees and its many users, alluding to the numerous floods which have submerged Yarm high street over the centuries.

Led by local carpenter Anthony Lloyd-Wallis, the canoe was painstakingly hand carved between June and September 2023 by local volunteer group ‘Friends of True Lovers Walk’, who help to maintain the pathway along the River Tees.

Matthew Rosier was keen the canoe form a central part of the exhibition after hearing the story of a prehistoric canoe, thought to be the earliest sign of life in the town, which was discovered by navvies digging the foundations of the Yarm railway viaduct in 1852, but subsequently lost 150 years ago.

“That’s possibly the earliest known sign of habitation in Yarm, and it all links back to the river,” said Matthew.

Previous Objects of the Week:

• Teesside church is dug up - and what is found is surprising
• Remains of castle stand on a hill between Darlington and Stockton
• County Durham ruins were once a grand medieval manor house

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“The idea was to contain all of these objects, and so bring that ancient connection to the River Tees back into the middle of Yarm and into this heritage centre, which itself feels like an island in the river within this amazing high street."

The canoe construction took place at Anthony’s house using a sycamore tree that washed up at Tees Barrage during a storm in 2023, and in the shadow of the Victorian railway viaduct where the original canoe was discovered, using authentic Iron Age techniques.

Once completed, a special canoe procession to the river was organised with children from Layfield Primary School who created and performed a series of special rituals and blessings, and gave offerings they had made and collected, inspired by ancient boat blessings.