Appeal for Information

The elegant Windermere steam launches at the heart of our collection are evocative emblems of a pre First World War era of leisure and privilege – boats that might express a wealthy industrialist’s passion for steam and invention or serve as a beautifully-furnished extension of a luxurious lakeside home. It has been fascinating to hear recently from a number of people with family associations with the boats. Their willingness to share images and information really helps bring the collection to life and we hope that these connections will grow as others get in touch.

But these boats would not exist without the people who built them and maintained them, and without the generations of accumulated Windermere boatbuilding experience that preceded their development. We do have some insights – letters from launch owner to engineer, for example, or photographs of the construction and launch of early 17ft class yachts. Collection objects, too, are eloquent: Branksome’s exquisitely shaped oil can was ingeniously designed for use in a tight space, but would mean even more if we knew who’d used it.

Finding out more about the people who built and operated the boats is the next focus for our research. We have already received valuable information from individuals, and generous support from an army of volunteers poised to help us explore census records, but we feel there is more information out there. If you were involved, or had family involved, in boatbuilding, maintenance or operation on the lake, do please get in touch; even if it’s just an idea or a snippet of information, we’d love to hear from you.

Margaret Reid
Curator