Repairs set the course for paddle steamer restoration

The work will be carried out on the paddle steamer Wingfield Castle, which is moored in Jackson Dock as part of the Museum of Hartlepool collection but has been closed to the public for a number of years.

The emergency repairs – which will take three months to complete - will tackle the issue of water leaking through the decks into the bilges due to weathering and will help protect the vessel until the start of the restoration work.

The repairs will include:

* Draining the bilges and installing bilge pumps and an alarm to monitor water levels in the bilges.

* Removing the concrete screed on the promenade and the timbers on the main deck to allow inspection of the steel plating underneath and the installation of a temporary covering.

* Removing the timber decking in the First and Third Class Lower saloons and draining the bilges below.

* Making safe the bridge deck and removing all loose or degraded timbers.

* Removing the glass skylights for conservation and replacing them with a temporary covering.

The repairs will be carried out by specialist marine engineering company Southbay Civil Engineering and will cost about £300,000.

The wider repairs and renovation will be phased in over the next two years, with the final year of restoration requiring the Wingfield Castle to be dry docked in the Trincomalee Dock, with HMS Trincomalee temporarily floated out.

The repair and restoration of the Wingfield Castle is part of the Council’s Waterfront Regeneration Programme funded primarily by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Built in Hartlepool by William Gray and Company and launched in 1934, the PS Wingfield Castle formerly served as a Humber Estuary ferry and later, while moored in London, featured in the 1980 film The Elephant Man.

It is part of the National Historic Fleet, as well as being recorded on the National Register of Historic Ships alongside such illustrious names as the Mary Rose, the Cutty Sark and HMS Victory.

Councillor Mike Young, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “The Wingfield Castle is a much-loved and important part of Hartlepool’s maritime heritage.

“I am delighted that we now have the funding in place to be able to enable us to start these initial repairs which will set us on course for the major restoration of the Wingfield Castle, securing her long-term future as a visitor attraction as part of our massive revitalisation of the waterfront area.”

Councillor Bob Buchan, Chair of the Council’s Adult and Community-Based Services Committee, added: “The Wingfield Castle has been a familiar sight on the Hartlepool waterfront for many years and it’s really exciting to see the start of these repairs as a prelude to her full restoration.

“We look forward to the day when this wonderful, historic vessel will once again lower her gangplank and welcome aboard visitors as a fascinating and thriving visitor attraction for people of all ages.”