State of the art boat museum set to open this weekend

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Credit: Windermere Jetty

A state of the art museum showcasing boats in the Lake District is set to open this weekend.

The £20million Windermere Jetty Museum will display 40 vessels that reflect the 200-year history of technical, social and business development in the area.

It's the first contemporary building to be constructed on the banks of Windermere in over 50 years.

Highlights of the collection will include:

  • 11 vessels listed by National Historic Ships as nationally important

  • Four vessels that are part of the National Historic Fleet

  • 10 classic Windermere steam launches (1890s/1900s)

  • A rare early yacht, Margaret (1780)

  • SL Dolly (1850), thought to be the oldest mechanically powered boat in the world

  • Beatrix Potter’s tarn boat, which she used to sketch in on Moss Eccles Tarn

  • Pioneering motor, speedboats and hydroplanes used on the lake from 1898-1980

  • Canfly (1922), powered by a seven-litre Rolls Royce aero engine

  • Two fully-restored boats on the lake, one of which visitors will be able to sail on when the museum opens

Credit: Windermere Jetty Museum