Windermere Steamboat Museum

The Windermere Steamboat Museum has a nationally important collection of historic vessels demonstrating the continuous development of boatbuilding in the Lake District over 200 years from 1745. The collection, however, dates from 1200 all the way through to the late 20th century and is an important part of the dispersed national boat and maritime collection. 

The collection was officially recognised as one of national significance when the 11 boats owned by the founder’s family was transferred to the Lakeland Arts in 2007 through the Government’s Acceptance in Lieu Scheme. This enabled the whole collection to remain together, since the museum’s holding passed to the Trust when the two bodies merged. The collection comprises:

• Two dugout boats dating from between 1200 and 1320 showing the earliest form of boat construction;

• Five yachts charting sailing on the lake from the 18th Century to late 20th Century;

• An 1870 Windermere ferry boat and copper ore barge;

• Ten steamboats ranging in age from 1850 to 1907;

• Seven rowing boats and a group of canoes, demonstrating the development of recreational sport and leisure activity;

• Seven motor boats and six speed boats highlighting the move from steam to petrol and the desire to bid for new waterspeed records from the 1920s through to 1950s;

• Other material including archives, photographs, paintings, craft tools, costume, film and oral recordings which tell the story of the boats, their owners and uses.

Museum Currently Closed for Redevelopment

The collection is currently in dry storage whilst their conservation and maintenance continues. Steam Launch Osprey is the first of the collection to be fully restored and is currently being worked on in the conservation workshop. Click on the link below to find out more about Osprey’s history and construction. More information and photos of the boat will be added as the restoration progresses.

Highlights of the Collection

Redevelopment

Windermere Steamboat Museum has begun the procurement process to award the main contract for the £13.4 million HLF funded redevelopment project.

The OJEU notice has been published online open to all contractors in the European Union. The first stage of the procurement process consists of a pre qualification questionnaire, from this a shortlist will be selected and invited to tender later this year. The deadline for submission of PQQs is 28 April 2014.