She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah!

I was a day tripper to Liverpool, home of the Beatles - a tourist and not Lennon's interpretation of a tripper ! My mum reckons my first words weren't 'mummy' or 'daddy' but "Yeah Yeah Yeah"from She Loves You. Proof that even toddlers weren't exempt from the influence of The Beatles in the sixties!

Aside from the obvious Beatles reminders everywhere, Liverpool is a fascinating city to visit. I wish I could transport you all there now with the wave of a wand - I know you'd love to explore. I remember Liverpool in the 1980s - a very low point for the city - high rates of unemployment, the council in debt and dominated by militants, areas of poverty and dereliction - and then the riots, the Hillsborough football stadium disaster and the shock of the killing of precious little Jamie Bulger in 1993. All of these events I remember vividly and with sadness. But over the last couple of decades or so the city has been transformed by huge investment and regeneration. Don't get me wrong, there are still areas of inner-city depravation here but generally there's a sense of optimism. If, like me, you enjoy history, music, galleries and museums, architecture, shopping, people-watching in dockside cafes then Liverpool has to be on your list of cities to visit.

And amongst all the delights I just mentioned, I unexpectedly came across a boat restoration in Albert Dock. Well you know I can't resist a restoration project so although I plan on blogging about Liverpool city next week, I wanted to give you a taster of one of my discoveries!

So…. I was casually strolling around the vast restored dockland warehouse area when I spotted a rickety looking boat - it turned out to be a historic steam powered tug-tender.

I peered over the railings and noticed shadows of people on deck. Being curious and noting the free admission of course I had to take a closer look!

The Daniel Adamson was originally built in 1903 for the Shropshire Union Canal and Railway Company.

In 2004 the boat was on the verge of being scrapped but was rescued at the very last minute. This is the only surviving tug-tender in the Uk and so is of historic significance.

The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society bought the vessel for a token £1 and a lengthy restoration project began. The tug is being lovingly restored by a team of volunteer enthusiasts.

Although it would appear that there's still plenty of work to be completed, it's clear that significant progress has already been made.

It was interesting to see the fabric of the vessel. Although most of the original wood had been stripped away, enough snippets remained for the colours to be rematched. In the 1930's the salons had been re-fitted in a lavish Art Deco style. It would've been in a similar style to the great liners of the time but on a much smaller scale.

A paradise for lovers of rust!

The boat was moved from the dry dock to the current location in Albert Dock earlier this year. It's due to be moved to to shipbuilders Cammell Laird for the engine to be fitted.

I don't have the best sea legs - even on still water in a dock - but I felt slightly uneasy on board!

And so the plan is to complete the restoration of the S.T. Daniel Adamson to her former glory within the next 18 months. This will be the oldest Mersey built steam vessel operating in the world.

How exciting! I can't wait to see the finished result and report back!