Excerpts from a story that appeared on www.theglobeandmail.com by Siri Agrell

A 250-year-old piece of Canadian antiquity has been found in a British shed, where it has been stored alongside discarded bathroom fixtures.

The birch-bark canoe was transported from Canada to England by a British soldier who fought in Quebec during the American War of Independence, and is believed to be the oldest surviving boat of its kind.

The canoe, believed to have been built in the late 1700s, was uncovered by the descendants of Lieutenant John Enys. They notified the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall that they may have been storing a valuable piece of history.

“It’s incredible to think its legacy has been resting in a barn in Cornwall all this time,” said the maritime museum’s Andy Wyke. He believes Lt. Enys toured Eastern Canada after his military campaigns and bought the canoe along the way.

Wendy Fowler, a descendant of the Enys family, called the museum and asked that it inspect the canoe lying in her estate’s barn. A photograph shows the canoe resting on an old door, a discarded sea-foam toilet lying nearby.

The British museum will put the craft on display next year before returning it to Canada in the fall.

But first, museum staff will attempt to learn more about the craft’s history and help restore it and prepare it for its trip home.

Estimated to be almost 250 years old, the boat was found in two pieces, but has weathered time well, according to Mr. Ward.

“It’s a beautiful boat, except for the midsection, which looks like it’s been hit by a snowplow,” he said.

What caused the damage is unclear, but Mr. Ward said it does not appear to have happened recently.

Go to www.theglobeandmail.com to read more about this historic canoe.