Historic collection home and dry with Spaciotempo

One of the world's finest collections of historic boats is currently occupying a temporary storage unit from Spaciotempo.

The Lakeland Arts Trust embarks on an ambitious project to transform The Windermere Steamboat Museum into an internationally acclaimed tourist attraction.

Following the decline of the original museum, the site and collection was acquired by registered charity the Lakeland Arts Trust earlier this year.

With the help of a GBP465,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund to salvage the collection, the Trust has been able to remove the boats from the water and place them in storage to prevent further deterioration and irreparable damage.

Eleven vessels were acquired in lieu of tax - the first time boats have been accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax - reflecting the importance of the collection to the nation's history.

Whilst work on the new complex takes place, Spaciotempo has supplied a 500m2 warehouse based on a heavy-duty aluminium extruded section, which offers a clean modern look with remarkable solidity and strength.

Fully insulated with steel reinforced UPVC cavity walling and a double skinned air filled roofing system, the unit ensures a high degree of temperature control and minimal condensation providing complete protection for the highly sensitive vessels.

Its modular construction means the building could be reconfigured on site as a smaller unit if this became necessary.

Because of specific planning conditions, Spaciotempo designed the structure specifically for The Lakeland Trust in an exclusive shade of green to blend in with the stunning landscape of Lake Windermere.

Using a temporary storage facility for an interim period allows The Trust the time to progress with development of the new complex, which will include a specialist marine conservation training workshop where the boats will be repaired and rejuvenated by both master-craftsmen and apprentices.

On completion of the new facilities, the specialist workshop will become a part of the visitor attraction, enabling visitors to see work in progress and learn more about the skills involved.

Development Assistant for The Lakeland Trust, Frances Snowden, comments: "The existing buildings we inherited on the site were simply not large enough or in too poor a condition to house the delicate collection, which has outgrown the site and we also required a building that could be located close to where the boats were docked.

"The temporary facility allowed us to carry out the rescue operation quickly and remove the boats from the water to nearby storage with minimal disturbance".

Originally opened in 1977 by HRH the Prince of Wales, the museum now offers pre-booked groups the opportunity to see this historic collection in its new temporary store.

In the future, the Lakeland Arts Trust intends to create a bespoke new visitor centre on the lakeshore to house the boats and workshop.

The collection includes rare early sailing yachts, historic Victorian launches and elegant Edwardian steamers as well as the earliest mechanised boat in existence, record breaking speedboats and Beatrix Potter's flat-bottomed rowing boat in which she sketched illustrations for 'The Tale of Jeremy Fisher'.

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