Manx National Heritage is planning to move one of its most iconic exhibits in the south of the Island – to protect it from the sea.

The sailing boat Peggy, on display at the Nautical Museum on Bridge Street in Castletown, needs to be moved because of flooding during high tides.

MNH says the cumulative effect of salt water and extremely high relative humidity levels in such an exposed coastal location means she must be moved from her boathouse for essential conservation work.

But her location means the organisation will have to remove a wall to get her out – and dig up a previously buried slipway.

In its planning application, the organisation says its plan would mean digging down through layers of backfill which dates to the 1800s – archaeologists would be on hand to sift through it as it’s dug up.

And Manx National Heritage says it has no idea how the Peggy was brought in and out of her boathouse, so the work must be done extremely carefully.

It says it’ll maintain temporary access to the museum to allow people to visit next year.

And it says it hopes to have the work to remove the Peggy completed by autumn 2014.