Swallows and Amazons 'tribute' boat sails again on Lake Windermere!
A boat built as a tribute to the one in Arthur Ransome’s “Swallows and Amazons” is sailing again on Windermere thanks to the help of a local holiday company. The 30-tonne steel houseboat has been built on similar lines to the historic Victorian steamer, Esperance, which regularly sailed on Windermere in the 1800s. It was immortalised by Arthur Ransome in Swallows and Amazons novel as “Captain Flint’s houseboat.” The actual Esperance belonged to the famous Furness industrialist William Henry Schneider who lived at what is now the Belsfield Hotel in Bowness. It was he who made the significant discovery of iron ore in Furness which led to the rapid rise of Barrow-in-Furness from a small village into one of the world’s industrial powerhouses.
The current boat – called M/V Frivolity - has been two years in the making by lifelong sailing enthusiast, Jonathan Ward of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He has spent months searching to find a rare permanent mooring for his pride and joy on Lake Windermere, but looked doomed to sail it on his native canals and rivers in Yorkshire. When staff at the White Cross Bay Holiday Park heard of his plight, they stepped in and offered Mr Ward a permanent home for the boat at their lakeshore marina, which also means he can sail “Frivolity” on her spiritual home of Windermere during his regular visits to the Lakes. Alastair Watson, Park Manager of White Cross Bay, said: “When we heard Jonathan was struggling to find a place where he could regularly sail on Windermere and keep his boat, we were only too happy to offer one of our jetties on our marina. Seeing this magnificent boat on Windermere looking like those which used to sail years ago has caused a real stir with visitors staying on our park and everyone wants a go!” Mr Ward said: “There are not an awful lot of moorings on Windermere and I have had nothing but co-operation and encouragement from White Cross Bay. It was very significant that it came home to Windermere. I always said I wish I could get my boat on the lakes and I would love a mooring up there. He added: “I was fascinated really by the story of Schneider and these wealthy Victorian philanthropists. He had limitless resources for the construction of “Esperance” at a Clyde shipyard in 1869. When I thought about what I should call my boat, I decided on “Frivolity,” as it seemed a reckless and frivolous gesture to squander one’s life savings building it!”
The original steamboat Esperance sank on Windermere in the 1940s but was salvaged and went on display at the Windermere Steamboat Museum. The museum and the original Esperance is currently the subject of major refurbishment to restore the steamboat collection and create a new visitor centre. Edward King, of the Lakeland Arts Trust which runs Windermere Steamboat Museum, said: “Esperance, it is hoped, will be restored to operate and take visitors out on the Lake again in due course. More information on the project at the museum together with details about “Hard Hat” tours of the project and its progress will be available shortly at www.steamboat.co.uk.” The famous Esperance story has it that Schneider used it for the short connecting journey across the Lake from the Belsfield Hotel on the Bowness side of the lake, to the dock at Lakeside on its west. Loyal butler, Pittaway, would carry his breakfast on board laid out on a silver salver. On arrival at Lakeside, Schneider would then board his private train to take him all the way to his office in Barrow; although all that is left of this line now is the shorter section of the Lakeside to Haverthwaite railway. The “new” boat is powered by a 1963 6LW Gardner diesel engine and was built by Pickwell and Arnold, Master Boatbuilders of Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
