HISTORY has been recreated with a replica of the Poole Harbour Iron Age log boat built on Brownsea Island.

The original was dredged from the deep and is on display at Poole Museum and National Trust rangers decided to copy it from an oak tree blown over in a storm.

During Archaeology Week last year, visitors to the island were invited to lend a hand using an adze to carve the fallen tree into a hollowed out log boat.

Reuben Hawkswood, head ranger said: “We cut a section about 15 feet long, which is about half the length of the original log boat and set about making it into a canoe with just that one piece of timber.

“The visitors loved seeing it and lending a hand.

“It is not often that people get the chance to make something as historic as this.”

A chainsaw was used to remove some larger areas of the timber, to speed up the process, however a traditional adze was used for all the shaping and detail work. Staff, volunteers and visitors lent a hand and it took two weeks to complete.

The original log boat was dredged from the main channel under 26ft of water, east of Brownsea in August 1964. It is made from oak with the whole 33ft dug out from a single tree trunk.

The 300 BC design would have been used by Iron Age man to travel around the harbour. While still being dried out for display, it was visited by Countryfile presenter John Craven.

“It is a very simple design but it certainly works,” said Reuben of the replica.

The paddles were carved out of two pieces of timber cut from the same tree as the boat. It was launched with the help of BBC TV presenter Tom Hepworth, clad in replica Iron Age clothing borrowed from the Ancient Technology Centre at Cranborne