The log boat was discovered at the Hanson gravel pit in Shardlow, a village south of Derby, in 1998, as part of an archaeological watching brief during quarrying operations at the site.

[2] The boat's conservation was completed at a cost of £119,000 and the object is now on display at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

Unusually, the boat still had a cargo of Bromsgrove sandstone which had been quarried at Kings Mills nearby.

The items mostly date from the Middle Bronze Age and were usually found by metal detectors on the quarries conveyor belts although in one case the artefact was identified by a customer of a bag of sand, and it was possible to trace the supply chain back to Shardlow quarry.

The number of finds of axes and broken rapiers is thought to be due to religious offerings where valuable items were thrown into the water.