A HISTORIC GEM IN REYKJAVIK
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13 Jan A HISTORIC GEM IN REYKJAVIK

Posted at 11:32h in HISTORIC HOUSES by

On June 26th, 1881, an unusual event occurred in Hafnir on the Reykjanes peninsula when a large and powerful sailing ship drifted ashore in a storm. The Jamestown had been drifting unoccupied on the high seas for months. When it ran aground, it was a blessing for the Icelanders who occupied the village. Not only was the ship constructed mostly of wood, it held a large shipment of hardwood in its cargo hold. In the coming years, the ship would be disassembled and the hardwood would be used in construction of houses all over the country.

The Jamestown was among the larger sailing vessels that had been built at that time. It was laden with wood, and was on its way to England to lay tracks for a railroad. The voyage was to be the captain’s last, and easiest. The ship set sail with the cargo from the United States, but encountered trouble in the form of a severe storm in the North Atlantic. The rudder broke in the storm, and while the crew was rescued, the ship was lost. By the time the ship was found off the coast of Iceland, it had been stranded at sea for months without a rudder or crew.

Few  houses in Iceland were built from timber from the ship. 

The Historic Villa is one of them.