Shamrock -Windermere Steam Boat Roger Mallison
HISTORY enthusiasts are fighting to stop one of Cumbria’s last steamers being forced off the water. Shamrock is the last of Windermere’s steamboats, with a Grade I listed status, but plans to turn its home into hotel rooms have left owners worried it could be evicted from the lake. Owner Roger Mallinson, of Windermere, rescued the 46-foot boat from the brink of destruction more than 30 years ago, when its previous owner decided it was useless and should be burned. The 72-year-old said: “I’ve never owned very much, but the one thing I’ve got that I’m proud of is Shamrock. “I bought her for £350 when she was falling apart and restored her so she’s exactly the same as I remember her when I was a babe in arms being taken out on the lake. “I spent months fixing and repainting her and brought her back to perfect condition last year. It makes me sick that people are trying to barge in and take her home away purely for the profit of the tourist industry. She is part of our local history.” Wray boathouse is the only accommodation long enough to store the 104-year-old vessel. Mr Mallinson set up the Shamrock Trust, a group of people dedic-ated to preserving the boat, and taking it out on regular tours of Bowness Bay. "They’ve no interest in preservation, only the cash they would get from tourists who would never be able to sleep in the boathouse with a hissing and gurgling ship beneath them at night.”
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Miller Ground on Lake Windermere Cumbria England Great Britain GB UK EU
Photo credit: © Gordon Shoosmith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bay, boat, boats, bowness, cumbria, district, england, heritage, idlic, lake, north, preservation, shamrock, steam, west, windermere
