The first Maid of the Loch visitors have taken a seat on a little piece of history, with the vessel’s original buoyancy benches now fully restored.

The benches’ return to their home on the historic ship is another step on the path to the vessel’s transformation, with the aim of bringing her ‘back to life’ and making her fully operational once again.

Currently docked at Balloch Pier as a static tourist attraction, the Loch Lomond Steamship Company have been working tirelessly since 1996 to achieve that dream.

Due to years of continuous weather exposure, the benches were in need of some serious TLC – and were transported to the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine back in 2016 where they have been transformed.

The buoyancy seats were part of the paddle steamer’s original lifesaving apparatus, designed to float if the boat were to sink, giving passengers something to grab onto until help came.

A ‘lost’ seat was discovered by a diver in 2014 and restored by a Maid volunteer. Now, they are all joined together and positioned on the rooftop deck, seating up to eight people and giving a stunning northerly view of Loch Lomond from Inchmurin to Balloch Country Park.

The refurbishment comes as part of the £5.5m project and is expected to see a footfall of up to 95,000 visitors each year once the Maid is operational once again.

John Beveridge, Director of the Loch Lomond Steamship Company, said: “We’re thrilled to have our buoyancy seats back onboard, they’re part of Maid legacy and it’s come just in time for our guests to bask in the Scottish sunshine whilst enjoying the scenic views.

“The Scottish Maritime Museum did a fantastic job of restoring the seats to their original state and none of it would be possible without the help of our local company Galt Transport. Everyone who has contributed to the Maid, whether it be financially or through hard labour, significantly helps us reach our end goal to get her sailing again.”

David Mann, Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, added: “It has been a joy and privilege to watch our boat building team of apprentices and trainees work on the buoyancy seat. The Scottish Maritime Museum has been supportive of the herculean task the team at the Maid have undertaken and hope that we can continue to do so as they start work on the refit of this wonderful old vessel.”