MY Raven
excursion vessel built in 1889 as the SY Raven and still in service on Ullswater in the English Lake District
MY Raven is a passenger vessel operating for Ullswater 'Steamers' on the lake of Ullswater in the English Lake District, where she has spent her entire working life. She was built in 1889 as a steam vessel, but converted to diesel power in 1934. She is a member of the National Historic Fleet.
The Raven has a length of 111.93 feet (34.12 m), a beam of 14.98 feet (4.57 m) and a draught of 2.85 feet (0.87 m). Her gross tonnage is 63, and she can carry 150 passengers. She is the largest vessel in the Ullswater 'Steamers' fleet.
History
The Raven was ordered by the Ullswater Steam Navigation Company, a predecessor of the current owners. Like her older sister ship, Lady of the Lake, she was built by T.B. Seath & Co. at Rutherglen near Glasgow, and transported overland from there to Ullswater, where she was launched on 11 July 1889. She was commissioned at the suggestion of Thomas Cook, in response to the growing popularity of Ullswater as a tourist destination, and because the previous year a breakdown of Lady of the Lake forced the cancellation of services.
“MY Raven” enters the record as excursion vessel built in 1889 as the SY Raven and still in service on Ullswater in the English Lake District. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Raven, excursion and vessel can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“MY Raven” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Raven, excursion and vessel provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27902475. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1889 and 1934.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “MY Raven”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow MY Raven primary sources, MY Raven archive and Raven research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “MY Raven”?
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “MY Raven” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.