A New Chapter for Steam Tug Brent
Berthed at the picturesque town of Maldon in Essex, The Steam Tug Brent has been a much loved local landmark for over 50 years.
The Steam Tug Brent is incredibly special... one of only three steam ‘TID’ class tugs left in Britain, of 182 built for the Admiralty as part of the War effort mostly by women, using pioneering all welded flat plate construction. Brent is the only survivor of the many steam tugs that worked in the London Docks.
The Steam Tug Brent Trust are working hard to establish the feasibility of building a new pontoon at Prom Park, creating a visitor centre and restoring her to steam again on the Blackwater.
Come and see Brent for yourself on one of our Open Days
OPEN DAYS IN 2025
See the Brent closeup, take a tour of her deck, and engine room and hear the facinating history of this historic and important vessel.
Brent’s open days are throughout the Spring and Summer at her mooring on The Hythe in Maldon, Essex.
Dates & TicketsWhat Makes BRENT So Special?
Brent is the last surviving steam vessel of the Port of London Authority’s fleet. One of only three steam vessels left, of the many that were once in use on the River Thames and in the Docks’ system. She is one of three steam ‘TID’ class tugs remaining in Britain of the 182 built for the Admiralty as part of the War effort. She was built mostly by women using pioneering all welded flat plate construction. Brent is a classic small ‘lighterage’ steam tug, a rare survivor of many hundreds that once worked around British and overseas dockyards, ports, coasts and rivers. She is now one of only four of this class left in the UK.
How You Can Help
As a registered charity help from supporters is incredibly important to the future of Steam Tug Brent. Please help to get this historic tug steaming again!
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A Bright Future for Steam Tug Brent with a National Lottery Grant
It is with excitement, pleasure, and pride that the Board of Trustees of Steam Tug Brent Ltd announce that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has made them a grant award of £97,488.00. Explorations into the way forward will allow the continuation of the valuable restoration of the steam tug for future generations. The Trustees are immensely grateful to the National Lottery for granting this award and we extend our thanks to all those National Lottery players who have made it possible.
Brent on her voyage from Mistley to Maldon in 1971 after being saved from scrap by the Hall family
HISTORY OF THE BRENT since 1945
From her construction for the war effort in 1945 by William Pickersgill & Sons of Southwick, Sunderland, through her working days for the Port of London Autority until 9 October 1969, and her rescue by the Hall family of Maldon in 1971, Brent has had illustrious career. Her next chapter beckons...
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