- Length overall 41ft 6in
- Length waterline 33ft 6in
- Beam 6ft 5in
- Draught 2ft
Built of Mahogany on Oak with alternate Teak and Ash decks
Lady Lena built in 1890 is believed to be the oldest electric launch in existence and still powered by electric.
She was built on the Thames at Kingston by Alfred Burgoine to an order placed by Moritz Immisch` company the General Electric and Traction Co.
In June 1891 she was licensed to operate as a river service on smooth waters and carry 24 passengers. She operated in the Maidenhead area and was drawn out of service with Immisch in about 1914.
In 1919 she was added to the Bedford Steamboat Co’s fleet, and along with another Maidenhead electric launch Lorne Doone ran a regular service along the River Ouse at Bedford. At the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, all the fleet lay submerged in a backwater. In 1943 the Bedford Steamboat Co was bought by Mr and Mrs E.H. Smith, but unfortunately only Lady Lena was worth salvaging and, after restoration with substandard materials, was renamed Silver Stream and joined two smaller boats for regular trips at Bedford.
In 1956 Silver Stream was the first boat to use the newly restored Bedford Town Lock.
Silver Stream was taken out of service in 1963 and left on the river bank to rot. She was saved by Mr Peter Bridge of Cotterstock, who stored her in his garden up until 1980. As Mr Bridge had sold his house and the new owners were going to burn the hull, Jenkyn Knill paid £1.00 for the hull to secure its future. The now very fragile Lady Lena was strapped onto a trailer and transported to Bath Boating Station were she was restored over a three year period. A steam engine was installed and Lady Lena was taken to her new home at Bathampton on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
She was used intermittently over the next 19 years, the high light being the official boat at the reopening of Dundas Aqueduct by Sir Frank Price in 1984.
In 2004 Lady Lena was converted back to electric propulsion by the Thames Electric Launch Co. She was then taken out of the water and had a saloon fitted, and a new stern post, counter keel and 8 planks replaced due to rot. She was re launched in January 2007 and transferred to John Knill And Sons Ltd for skippered charter, and is now regularly seen cruising between Bath and Bradford on Avon.
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