A PIRATE galleon, moored many miles from the sea at Bowood House, has been made shipshape once again by the man who built the vessel more than 20 years ago.

The refurbishment of the replica ship and other parts of the Bowood Adventure Playground, used wood from estate trees blown down in a storm late last year.

The playground was restored to its former glory by traditional boatbuilder Alastair Guy, in time for the 2003 season, which started on April 1.

Work included replacing timbers across the bottom of the ship and raising the vessel a few inches off the ground, as well as replacing wooden sections of other parts of the playground, including the overhead walkways, and installing new safety and climbing netting.

"Working on maintaining and improving the playround is rather like painting the Forth Bridge in that it is never finished but this year, people should notice a big difference," said Mr Guy, from Cornwall.

Several years ago he built and sailed his own boat to the Caribbean.

He built the Bowood ship which he described as a cross between an Arab dhow and a pirate galleon in 1982, six years after the adventure playground opened.

Original equipment included the series of overhead walkways and giant swingboats.

But the attraction has grown over the years and now includes slides, the Space Dive and a ball pit.

Julian Withers, visitor manager at Bowood, said: "The adventure playground has regular safety checks, including daily inspections throughout the season."