Posted by Claire on May 14, 2009 at 02:23:27 user Claire_Morgan.
I am hoping that someone in England can help me with this. I have written a short article about the origin of Captain Flint's houseboat for the TARS US newsletter, and am planning a much longer, more comprehensive one for the All Things Ransome website, at the request of Dave Thewlis.
I will be visiting the Lake District in mid June, and want to do more research on the two original boats that inspired the CF's houseboat. I can certainly get to the Gondola at Coniston easily enough, but I am having trouble finding out the status of Windermere Steamboat Museum access where I hope to visit Esperance. The Lakeland Arts Trust site, http://www.lakelandartstrust.org.uk/steamboat/ where one is directed from the old Museum URL, has not updated its steamboat page since last year.
I saw something months ago about the hope that the public might be able to access some of the collection in the storage buildings, but I cannot find that reference again. A search has turned up nothing. The other sites owned by the Lakeland Trust like Abbot Hall, simply deal with the individual properties and any Steamboat project link goes back to the out of date page.
I would like very much to get aboard Esperance and do some research and get some photographs for my upcoming article. Can anyone in the North or with connections to the Lakeland Arts Trust lend assistance please?
Claire