Liverpool Launches £200,000 Project to Preserve Two Historic Vessels

The National Museums Liverpool has launched a £200,000 conservation project to preserve tugboat Brocklebank and pilot boat Edmund Gardner, both of which have suffered from years of decay. 

Efforts are underway to safeguard these two historic vessels, situated in Liverpool, that have long been fixtures of the city’s waterfront. The initiative aims to ensure they remain attractions for visitors well into the future.

Launched in 1964, the Brocklebank was one of five motor tugs built by W. J. Yarwood & Sons for the Alexandra Towing Company. Primarily used for ship handling in Liverpool, she also undertook duties at Heysham, Larne and Barrow.

The tug is remembered for escorting the Royal Yacht Britannia during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Liverpool in 1982. After retiring in 1989, she was acquired by the Merseyside Maritime Museum and chartered to the Brocklebank Preservation Society, which has maintained her since.

Normally berthed at Albert Dock, a recent inspection revealed serious corrosion across her steel hull. Restoration work includes high-pressure cleaning and the application of repair coatings to fill pitting damage. Once complete, the vessel is expected to remain a waterfront attraction for another decade.

“Visitors to Liverpool’s waterfront may already be missing Brocklebank and its enthusiastic crew who all volunteer their time and knowledge so generously,” said Head of Maritime Museum, Ian Murphy. “Brocklebank’s open days and public events are always popular, and demonstrate the interest in Liverpool’s maritime heritage, and why it is so important that this preservation work, required to ensure the boat’s future, is a priority for National Museums Liverpool”.

The Edmund Gardner, built in 1953 by Philip and Sons for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, is the largest object in the museum’s collections, and was the second of a new generation of diesel-electric cutters, replacing pre-war steam vessels. 

Alongside her sister ships, she guided the steady flow of traffic into and out of the Mersey docks from the 1950s through the 1980s. Known for her reliability in heavy weather, she also assisted injured seamen and yachtsmen on several occasions.

The Edmund Gardner is remembered for a 1963 collision with the ore carrier Iron Horse, which damaged her bridge deck and hull plating. 

Purchased by the Maritime Museum in 1982, she is now one of only two large pilot boats preserved worldwide, the other being in Australia. Retaining many original features, including bridge navigation equipment, she is part of the National Historic Fleet. 

Recent preservation work has focused on her wooden deck and caulking to prevent water ingress, a key measure for long-term survival.

Aiming to use traditional materials and methods, National Museums Liverpool’s Shipkeeping and Engineering Conservation team partnered with shipwrights, T. Nielsen & Company, Gloucester.

“Traditional deck caulking using spun oakum and marine glue is a dying art, so having the funds to engage the crew from T. Nielsen’s was exactly the specialist care Edmund Gardner deserves,” said Lead Conservator, Jonathan Carr. “Not only did we manage to get more than 1200m of deck seams caulked, we also had more than 120 graving pieces fitted to decayed or damaged deck planking”.

The conservation project is funded by the UK’s Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund, a government capital investment programme supporting essential maintenance of museum estates. 

By securing the future of Brocklebank and Edmund Gardner, the initiative intends for Liverpool’s maritime heritage to continue to be celebrated and enjoyed by generations to come.

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