McCloggie
17th May 2009, 01:13
Has anyone heard about this vessel?
I bought a copy of "Private Eye" yesterday and one of their regular features is the "Nooks and Corners" column which usually lists buildings of architectural interest that are being ignored or destroyed, but this week it mentions the Wincham.
According to the "Eye", Wincham was a coaster which had operated on "the Mersey, the Waever and the Manchester Ship Canal". It was rescued by a preservation society and awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ship was restored and given a "permenant berth in the Albert Dock".
The ship has however now seemingly been sold for 5000 GBP for scrap as the preservation group was broke and could not raise the 40,000 GBP needed for repairs/maintenance.
The "Eye" states that until recently the preservation group received most of its funding from the Friends of National Museums Liverpool as the Wincham was deemed suitable for exhibition in the Albert Dock, home of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Firends however were disbanded last year after (allegedly!) having a disagreement with the powers that be of National Museums Liverpool.
Private Eye then points out that considering Liverpool was last year's European City of Culture, the town's history and the Wincham history, the Maritime Museum might have been expected to rescue to ship. But this has not happened and the Lottery Fund now want thier money back as well!
The article also notes that the man in charge is also in charge of the new 72 million GBP Museum of Liverpool which is "disfiguring" the Pierhead.
If this is true it is indeed a sad storey and yet again shows how little the powers that be in Merseyside seem to care about their heritage - maritime or otherwise.
This article could of course be a biased or indeed wrong - any thoughts?
McC
I bought a copy of "Private Eye" yesterday and one of their regular features is the "Nooks and Corners" column which usually lists buildings of architectural interest that are being ignored or destroyed, but this week it mentions the Wincham.
According to the "Eye", Wincham was a coaster which had operated on "the Mersey, the Waever and the Manchester Ship Canal". It was rescued by a preservation society and awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ship was restored and given a "permenant berth in the Albert Dock".
The ship has however now seemingly been sold for 5000 GBP for scrap as the preservation group was broke and could not raise the 40,000 GBP needed for repairs/maintenance.
The "Eye" states that until recently the preservation group received most of its funding from the Friends of National Museums Liverpool as the Wincham was deemed suitable for exhibition in the Albert Dock, home of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Firends however were disbanded last year after (allegedly!) having a disagreement with the powers that be of National Museums Liverpool.
Private Eye then points out that considering Liverpool was last year's European City of Culture, the town's history and the Wincham history, the Maritime Museum might have been expected to rescue to ship. But this has not happened and the Lottery Fund now want thier money back as well!
The article also notes that the man in charge is also in charge of the new 72 million GBP Museum of Liverpool which is "disfiguring" the Pierhead.
If this is true it is indeed a sad storey and yet again shows how little the powers that be in Merseyside seem to care about their heritage - maritime or otherwise.
This article could of course be a biased or indeed wrong - any thoughts?
McC