Lake District boat builders, Patterson Boatworks, will complete important conservation work on the longest serving lifeboat at Barrow station, Herbert Leigh. Following a grant being awarded, planning is underway to move the 46ft iconic boat to a secure area where she will be restored to her former glory. And Patterson Boatworks is looking to employ locals to help with the conservation.
The Herbert Leigh was the longest serving lifeboat at the Barrow RNLI station from 1951 – 1982. She was donated to the RNLI in 1951 by Herbert Leigh. In 30 years of service she was launched 136 times and saved 71 lives. She was donated to The Dock Museum in 1990 and underwent conservation work by Patterson Boatworks in 2006. Looking after wooden vessels isn’t easy; she will receive a full strip-back by Hawkshead-based boatbuilders, Patterson Boatworks.
Work on the boat will commence in the spring to conserve her and then she will take pride of place at the front of the Dock Museum.
The Dock Museum was awarded a grant from FCC Environment, a waste and resource management company for Borough of Barrow through funding body, WREN. A portion of this grant will be used to conserve Herbert Leigh.
Hamish says, “Herbert Leigh is an incredibly integral part of Cumbrian maritime history, and we are so proud to be part of her journey. We are thrilled that the Dock Museum has been able to secure funding to carry out the essential conservation work she needs. Herbert Leigh was a star in her day and has that “something” that retains her as a classic.
“We are looking to employ locals, who have experience in boat restoration, to work on this exciting project. Herbert Leigh is very much a Cumbrian vessel and we would like Cumbrians to be involved in her conservation.”
Sabine Skae, Collections and Exhibitions Manager at the Dock Museum says, “It is such great news that this work is being completed by experienced conservators, Patterson Boatworks. With the local boatyard in every seaside town becoming a thing of the past, finding someone to complete this specialist work is becoming increasingly difficult. So securing long-served shipwright, Hamish Patterson, and his team is such a wonderful thing.
“We are really looking forward to the restoration of Herbert Leigh. This Watson class lifeboat is the first thing that most visitors see on coming to The Dock Museum and Barrow in Furness. She is a stunning object in our collection, providing drama and interest.”
Further details of Herbert Leigh and Patterson Boatworks are available on www.pattersonboatworks.co.uk
To get involved in the conservation of Herbert Leigh, contact Hamish Patterson on hamish@pattersonboatworks.co.uk
