A free and incredible opportunity to help keep independent artists afloat.
The “Daniel Adamson” is a remarkable survivor from the steam age and a most unusual vessel. A small but incredibly powerful canal tug, she was built to tow long strings of barges laden with goods from the inland towns of Cheshire and the Potteries to the great seaport of Liverpool. She made her appearance on the Mersey at a time when old-fashioned sailing ships still jostled for space on the Liverpool waterfront with the great steamships and ocean liners of the Edwardian era.
Due to advancements in rail and road the boat ended up in very different phases in its working life. It was passed around from canal to canal like the first pass the parcel where the present is never really that good before being earmarked for scrapping at Garston in 2004. But word of this soon got round the tightly knit maritime community grapevine, and within days the momentous decision to try and save her was taken.
The campaign was spearheaded by Mersey tug skipper Dan Cross, who formed the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society (DAPS) with the help of Tony Hirst, a former director of the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum. The Daniel Adamson has been kept afloat quite literally by the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers and the goodwill of scores of companies, and from May 2016 a new generation of enthusiasts will be able to marvel at the her unexpected Art Deco interiors and experience the thrill of steam.
The historic ship has recently been restored with help from the Heritage Lottery and is a charity which is now a tourist attraction for Liverpool. The Daniel Adamson steam ship is now happily located at Liverpool’s iconic Albert Dock by The Pumphouse pub, near to the Maritime Museum until the end of 2016 and is looking for stall holders for some or all available dates in December. The boat is very visible and their volunteers actively encourage passers-by to come aboard for free, so they average approx 300 visitors per day at the weekends.
The best part of this already marvellous story? Stalls are offered for free but they would appreciate a donation. You can have a stall for one day or as many as you like, you just need to book a space in advance by emailing them. The stalls are available 11.30am to 3pm Dec 3rd to Dec 18th and some evenings will also be available when the new light displays are on at the docks which promises to be a great tourist attraction.
Contact them here.
Beautiful pictures taken by Sam van Geffen. Check more of his work out here: www.instagram.com/geffensam.