The mast at the former site of naval training establishment HMS Ganges at Shotley, Suffolk, which  briefly features, anonymously, in We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, is to be restored as part of a redevelopment scheme for that entire site.

Dismantling of the listed 143-foot mast began on Tuesday (17th May). It had deteriorated badly since HMS Ganges closed in October 1976 as a naval training establishment. The restoration is expected to take up to a year and will be undertaken by TS Rigging of Maldon in Essex, which will take the wooden part of the mast off-site for refurbishment. The lower steel part of the mast will be inspected before reassembly.

The naval station, only referred to as ‘Shotley’ in the book, is the destination for the Walker children’s father, Commander Ted Walker, who is about to take up an apparently senior post there, and the reason for the family’s presence in Pin Mill. The mast is shown on the skyline in one of Ransome’s illustrations.

The redeveloped site is planned to include 285 homes, some shops and a small museum.

Some photos of the mast (from the Arthur Ransome Trust on Facebook) are below…