The Lakeland Arts Trust intends to redevelop the museum to allow future generations to enjoy this richly historical collection and its inspirational lakeside setting. We will select a leading architect to design the new museum with the ambition to open it to the public in 2015. The redeveloped museum will have a national profile and we are expecting more than 80,000 visitors a year to learn about the collection, enjoy the views and take trips on vintage boats.

 

The wet dock will be retained, remaining a vibrant part of the museum experience where visitors can see boats on the water, and watch as historic launches are steamed up and yachts rigged for trips on the lake. The wet dock will be an enchanting place to explore and, being protected from the elements, will ensure the museum is an appealing destination all year round.

 

We will create a new exhibition space to display the historic boats to their best advantage, and to tell the story of the craftsmen who built them, the families who used them and the quest for speed and experimentation. The museum will capture Victorian and Edwardian opulence reflected in the way the steam launches were used by their wealthy owners for tea parties and regattas until their whole way of life was abruptly changed by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. 

 

A new conservation workshop will become a part of the museum experience for the public, with viewing areas allowing people to watch the team at work and find out about the skills and methods involved. The existing workshop is already a favourite with people having a tour of the site and, with an increasing interest in traditional skills, will be a popular part of the museum tour. It will also enable us to expand our training for apprentices and volunteers.

 

The museum will have space for ambitious programmes of exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars. Excellent visitor facilities will include a café serving locally sourced food and museum shop enabling visitors to take away souvenirs and reminders of their visit.

 

The museum’s lakeside location in an area of outstanding natural beauty is one of its greatest assets, allowing the collection to be seen in the context of Windermere and enabling visitors to relax and enjoy the peace of the lakeshore and take in dramatic views of the lake and mountains. The lakeshore areas will be planted with native species, and visitors can explore these spaces and learn more about the habitats on the lake. The new development will take care to protect the lake wildlife, so our resident otters, kingfishers and flora will continue to thrive. New jetties will mean that visitors can arrive via the lake on trip boats, and that people canoeing, sailing and using the lake in other ways can come and go from the site.