STeam Tug-Tender "Daniel Adamson"- restoration given boost by appointment of Patron

Dr Paul Atterbury - Antiques Roadshow expert to become patron of
the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society
Liverpool April 6th 2010
ANTIQUES Roadshow expert Paul Atterbury has agreed to become the patron for the campaign
to restore Britain's last steam-powered tug tender, the Daniel Adamson, and he hopes to be more
than just a figurehead for the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society.
Dr Paul Atterbury, a Roadshow expert of twenty years standing who appears regularly on this long
running and popular TV programme, has been enthusiastic about transport history all his life, with
an emphasis on trains and boats.
He has explored most of Britain's navigable waterways and is a Vice President of the Waterways
Trust. On the Antiques Roadshow he specialises in the art and design of the 19th and 20th
centuries, and has also worked on other TV and Radio programmes, including a recent BBC4
series on liners.
Paul is a lecturer and writer, with over 30 books to his credit, mostly on ceramics, canals and
railways. He researched and wrote, with Andrew Darwin, the first series of Nicholson's Guide to
the Waterways. He has also worked as an exhibition curator, notably with the Victoria & Albert
Museum in London where he was responsible for Pugin: A Gothic Passion in 1994 and The
Victorian Vision in 2001.
For Paul, the restoration of the Daniel Adamson is a very exciting project. He said: "I am delighted
to be involved with the Daniel Adamson, a project that brings together three of my great interests,
steam power, maritime and waterway history and Art Deco, the design style of the 1920s and
1930s.
"No surviving vessel can better express both the vitality of the canal age and the stylish elegance
of the 1930s ocean liner, and for this reason the restoration of the Daniel Adamson is for me
Britain's most important maritime conservation project."
The Edwardian tug tender Daniel Adamson was built in 1903, at Tranmere, Birkenhead, for the
Shropshire Union Railway & Canal Co.
Initially placed on ferry and barge towing between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool, it was sold to the
Manchester Ship Canal Co in 1922. Rebuilt as the directors' inspection vessel, an art deco-style,
double-deck passenger saloon was incorporated, which was inspired by Cunard Line's first Queen
Mary and fitted out by the same company that built the 1934 super liner - John Brown & Co,
Clydebank. After a long lay-up, the ship is undergoing total restoration at Sandon Dock, Liverpool,
for public excursions on the Rivers Mersey, Weaver and MSC.
Dan Cross, DAPS chairman, said: “On behalf of the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society, I am
delighted that Paul has accepted our invitation to become our patron.
"His clear passion for everything embodied within Daniel Adamson shines through with his
unfaltering support and enthusiasm. When seeking a patron for a project, it is vitally important that
the person invited to fill such a role is seen to be more than just a name, with Paul we certainly
have a Patron who is determined to assist in taking the project forward. I look forward to working
with Paul through this vitally important time for the Daniel Adamson, leading up to full restoration
and safe guarding the vessel’s future for future generations to enjoy."