Presented by Roger Calvert and Helen Steeple
Thursday, 22nd January 2026 @ 7.30pm
Venue: Barrow Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness. La14 2LD
Free admission, all are welcome
BDAE Press Release: The Edwardian Steamboat: SL Shamrock – Messing about in boats or working under pressure?
The Edwardian Gentleman’s Launch was the Rolls-Royce of steamboat luxury. But as the Edwardian Era faded, the boats had to earn their living in other ways. Few of them survived long enough to be caught and rescued by the heritage movement from the 1970s onward.
This is the story of SL Shamrock – where she came from and where she is now, and the issues of restoring, maintaining and operating her. In particular, we will follow the various propulsion systems she has had over the years.
The talk will be given by Helen Steeple and Roger Calvert. Helen Steeple is a long-time member of The Shamrock Trust, as well as having her own steamboat SL Helen. Roger Calvert has an academic engineering background and has been involved with steamboats for many years, including looking after SL Senta. He was until recently a trustee of The Shamrock Trust, and now assists with operations and maintenance.
