A rare Native American canoe has been found preserved in a barn in Cornwall.

It is believed the birch bark canoe was used by Lt John Enys, who was posted to Quebec during the American War of Independence.

Historians are now assessing the canoe, which some believe could be one of the oldest surviving in the world.

George Hogg, a museum archivist, comments:

“We knew we had something special, but having worked with the British Museum on the artefacts and the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, we now believe that this is one of the world’s oldest birch bark canoes.

“This is a unique survival from the 18th Century.”

Find canoes and kayaks for sale on Mailspeed Marine.