Windermere Steamboat Museum

Windermere Steamboat Museum
Rayrigg Road
Bowness on Windermere
Cumbria
LA23 1BN
England

Website

www.lakelandartstrust.org.uk

www.steamboats.org.uk

E-mail

info@steamboats.org.uk

Telephone

Trust

015394 46139

Fax

Trust

015394 88486

All information is drawn or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

Image of SL Branksome being lifted by 80T crane

The Lakeland Arts Trust has embarked upon an ambitious project to redevelop the Windermere Steamboat Museum. The famous collection of boats has been described as 'the most important collection of boats generic to one location anywhere in the world'. The site is currently closed whilst plans to conserve and restore the collection and redevelop the site are developed.

The Trust was awarded initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an application of £7.4 million in May 2011, and also received £494,000 development funding to progress the plans for the project and put together a second round application. From June to November 2011, the Trust will be running an RIBA Design Competition seeking the team that will design the new and partially refurbished museum facilities.

The conservation programme for the significant collection of boats also continues on site in the workshop. The Conservation Manager is responsible for the care of the whole collection and is currently restoring one of the larger steam launches which will eventually go back into operation on Windermere.

Venue Type:

Museum, Ship or maritime heritage site

Opening hours

The site is currently closed whilst plans for the project are progressed. Please check www.steamboats.org.uk for further information about the project and opportunities for open days and behind the scenes visits.

Admission charges

N/A

The collection of historic vessels at the Windermere Steamboat Museum is one of the most important in the world, telling the story of boating in the Lake District from early mediaeval log boats to record- breaking speed boats of the 1960s and 70s. There are ten historic steam launches of different sizes, a similar number of motorboats, as well as yachts, dinghies and canoes.

Collection details

Archives, Land Transport, Maritime, Science and Technology, Social History

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