The Mersey Maritime Museum's Pilot cutter Edmund Gardner
AN IMPORTANT part of Liverpool’s maritime heritage has now reopened for guided tours, after spending five years out of bounds to the public.
The Edmund Gardner was home to the River Mersey pilots between 1953 and 1981, when she was taken out of service.
Pilots would stay on board the vessel to await the arrival of ships, which they would then board to guide in and out of the Port of Liverpool.
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The Edmund Gardner on the River Mersey
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Ben Whittaker, Curator of port history, Mersey Maritime Museum, in the wheelhouse
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Edmund Gardner crew on board, in an old picture
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Volunteer James Dulson in the engine room
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The ship's galley
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The Edmund Gardner
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Tour guide Chris Cattrell in the Main Dining Saloon
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The ship's keeper Eamonn Farrell at the stern
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The chief engineer's cabin
The Edmund Gardner became redundant after the introduction of high-speed pilot launches, and she was later acquired by Merseyside Maritime Museum.
The pilot cutter was inaccessible to the public while building work was carried out on the new Museum of Liverpool.
Now, following the opening of the museum, the Edmund Gardner – regarded as one of the world’s 50 most important preserved ships – has been opened once again for guided tours.
One of the volunteer guides is Edge Hill University student Chris Cattrell, whose grandfather was a pilot on board the vessel in the 1960s.
