HISTORIC hints of the life of the Mayflower Ship’s captain Christopher Jones have been unearthed in a decade-long project to restore his former home.

Stephen Dixon bought 21 and 21a King’s Head Street, in Harwich, back in February 2009 and at the time it was classed as uninhabitable.

The house was damp, with wallpaper peeling off the walls, and there was no central heating.

But Stephen, who is a retired archivist, decided to take it upon himself to repair as much of the home as possible.

He discovered the medieval house dating back to 1475 was up for sale privately when he visited Harwich from his home in Chelmsford.

“The house was totally uninhabitable and was unable to be sold at auction,” he said.

“So I gave myself an 11-year timeframe to get the house to where it is pretty much at now, so it’s comfortable and liveable.”

Stephen started off his project by taking a course in lime plaster repair and spent a whole year chipping concrete from a wall.

He said he found out that between 1580 and 1620, the central chimney stack was built by either Christopher Jones or his father to join the two houses together.

“They built a new chimney stack which begins in the cellar and goes right up to the top level.

“It is possible that it was paid for with money from the Mayflower voyage, which was in 1620.

“To build a big chimney stack was once a sign of social status.”

Christopher Jones, who was captain of the Mayflower Ship as it took the pilgrims to America in 1620, lived with his mother Sybil and father, also Christopher, at the King’s Head Street home.

His first wife, Sara Twitt, lived in the house opposite, which is now the Alma Inn.

She and their only child died within ten years of their marriage.

Jones went on to marry Josian Gray, herself a widow, and had eight children - four of which were born while they lived in Harwich.

Since moving into the house Stephen has discovered hidden clues about what Jones’ life would have been like.

Stephen said: “You can either let the house speak for itself or you can try and cover everything up.

“What previous people have done to the house is use cement and try to cover the past up.

“What I have tried to do is take things gradually and let the house reveal itself.”

Throughout the past decade Stephen has uncovered trapped doors, hidden cupboards, fireplaces, historic wallpaper, flood level marks and Napoleonic carvings of ships on a bedroom wall.

He said: “In the front room there is blue lime or mineral paint which could be the same paint used to paint the Mayflower itself.

“The basement could have been used as a place for Jones to store his merchandise, like wine and spirits.

“It is possible that as the Mayflower was berthed just outside of the home, merchandise was kept in the basement to keep it more secure.”

Christopher Jones had another house in Rotherhithe, Surrey, and Stephen believes the family switched between both homes.

“The house was definitely here 100 years before the Jones family moved in,” he added.

The house is heaving with history from bygone eras, and one of Stephen’s favourite finds was a trapped door behind a wall in what is believed to have been Christopher Jones’ bedroom.

He said: “The bedroom was all plastered over when I moved in, and I surprised myself when I removed the plaster board false wall and found a pile of rubble and a trapped door.

“There was no floor, and just a pile of brick rubble that the original bricklayers had left behind as they worked their way up the chimney stack in Jones’ day.

“So I boxed up all the rubble and underneath the rubble was a medieval lead fishing weight, which was placed there for good luck.”

Stephen is still finding more clues about Jones’ life as he continues with the completion of his project.

He said: “There is an interest in the house and there always has been.

“It’s been extremely hard work.”