Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle
Rebuilt and returned to service after WW2 in 1947 Bournemouth Queen ran for only ten more seasons before being withdrawn and scrapped. Her last trip was on Thursday 29th August from Southampton to Ryde: 29th August 1957: Bournemouth Queen – Kingswear Castle
The paddle steamer route between Bournemouth and Swanage was ever a hotspot for weekend sailors getting themselves into difficulties as the tide swept them out to sea from Studland. Here is one such occasion on Tuesday 28th August 1956: 28th August 1956: Monarch – Kingswear Castle
From their development in the 1880s onwards excursion paddle steamers enjoyed an enviable reputation for carrying their passengers safely. But bizarrely one date – 27th August – stands out for things going seriously wrong: 27th August 1886, 1928, 1934 & 1935: A Bizarre Day – Kingswear Castle
At 10.45am on Thursday August 26th 1937 we could have boarded the now red-funnelled PS Duke of Devonshire at Princess Pier Torquay for the 2 hour run along the Devon Coast to have the day ashore at Sidmouth: 26th August 1937: Duke of Devonshire – Kingswear Castle
On 25th August 1928 you could have boarded the veteran paddle steamer Royal Sovereign at Old Swan Pier, next to London Bridge, for a day trip to Southend, Margate and Ramsgate. She was then towards the end of her career with only one more season to go: 25th August 1928: Royal Sovereign & London Belle…
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People are different. They have different budgets, tastes and expectations. Paddle steamer operators have always had to cater for these varied market segments. Let’s take a couple of examples on the River Thames: From when she was built in 1909 right up until 1949 (apart from the war years) Golden Eagle was the GSN’s mass…
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If you had travelled to Torquay on 24th August 1960 for a trip to Exmouth and Sidmouth on PS Princess Elizabeth you would have been disappointed. To find out more: 24th August 1960: Princess Elizabeth – Kingswear Castle
You could have taken a trip from the East Coast Piers of the Isle of Wight to Bournemouth right up to 1966 although the time you spent afloat after 1956 was only one and a half hours each way. How did that work? Sandown, Shanklin & Ventnor to Bournemouth – Kingswear Castle
On Monday 22nd August 1955 there was a re-arrangement of which ship ran what Bristol Channel service after an accident involving Glen Usk at Newport the previous Friday. To find out more: 22nd August 1955: Britannia – Kingswear Castle
On Saturday 21st August 1965 PS Princess Elizabeth became a film star for a day as a Cross Channel packet boat in a movie starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier: 21st August 1965: Princess Elizabeth – Kingswear Castle
On 20th August 1965 Princess Elizabeth ran a day trip from Weymouth to Yarmouth IOW. How did it go? Were they on time? And who were some of the people doing it? 20th August 1965: Princess Elizabeth – Kingswear Castle
On 19th August 1926 RMS Columba ran, as usual, on the Royal Route from Glasgow to Ardrishaig. She was a huge and luxuriously appointed paddle steamer loaded with high end amenities – you could even get your hair cut aboard:19th August 1926: Columba to Ardrishaig – Kingswear Castle
On Tuesday 18th August 1953 you could have boarded any one of four paddle steamers at Bournemouth Pier which offered fifteen departures including to Swanage, Totland Bay IOW, Southampton and Weymouth. This is what they did: 18th August 1953: Bournemouth – Kingswear Castle
On the afternoon of Sunday 17th August 1959, the 1911 built PS Embassy had a rendezvous at Portland with Nautilus, a US nuclear powered submarine from a different age and another world: 17th August 1958: Embassy – Kingswear Castle
Cosens not only offered paddle steamer trips to Lulworth Cove but also from it as well. If you had been there on 17th August 1937 you would have had 5 trip options to take you to Weymouth, Swanage or Bournemouth: 17th August 1937: Sailings from Lulworth Cove – Kingswear Castle
On 16th August 1958 Bristol Queen was scheduled to run from Bristol to Ilfracombe. But P & A Campbell were already in deep financial trouble. Would the receiver have to be called in? Would she come out again next year? 16th August 1958: Bristol Queen – Kingswear Castle
In the 1960s former Plymouth tender Sir Richard Grenville found a new life in the Channel Islands running a complex schedule including connecting Jersey and St Malo – previously run by British Railways. She had an old-fashioned feel to her even then: 15th-22nd August 1966: A Week in the Life of La Duchesse de Normandie…
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On Saturday 15th August 1959 Consul had an unusual roster to view a very unusual ship: 15th August 1959: Consul – Kingswear Castle
On 14th August 1939 Balmoral ran a long day trip from Southampton to Bournemouth taking in the piers at Ryde, Southsea, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor on the way. Then there was a round trip to Swanage before returning via the same route: 14th August 1939: Balmoral – Kingswear Castle
Standing on the pier at Hastings on Wednesday 13th August 1952 you might have been surprised to see a paddle steamer called Cardiff Queen arrive to take you on your day trip to Shanklin IOW. But there she was, based on the Sussex Coast in 1952 & 1953: 13th August 1952: Cardiff Queen – Kingswear…
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On 12th August 1935 Golden Eagle was on her summer roster from London to Ramsgate with balloon-blowing competitions, skipping, musical chairs, tug of war & streamer throwing offered. 20 years earlier she carried 6,329 Chinamen. Why did she do that? 12th August 1935: Golden Eagle – Kingswear Castle
At a loose end in Llandudno on 11th August 1930? Why not take a trip on the veteran PS Snowden at 10.30am along the N Wales coast to Menai Bridge and Caernarvon? To find out more: 11th August 1930: Snowdon – Kingswear Castle
On 10th August 1962 Waverley was scheduled to run an “Up-River Cruise” from Largs to Glasgow but didn’t. To find out why not: 10th August 1962: Waverley & Caledonia – Kingswear Castle
In the blistering heat of the summer of 1976 on 9th August Balmoral ran from Penarth to Weston and Ilfracombe and ended the day in Swansea. What was she doing for the rest of the week?: 8th-16th August 1976: A Week in the Life of Balmoral – Kingswear Castle
On Monday August 8th 1955 Cardiff Queen left Swansea early in perfect weather for Ilfracombe for a 10.30am departure for Milford Haven to see the Royal Yacht with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh aboard. Was this super long and most unusual day trip a spectacular success or a commercial flop?: 8th August 1955: Cardiff…
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On Sunday 7th August 1960 Monarch returned to service after a rare day off. To find out more: 5th-11th August 1960: A Week in the Life of Monarch – Kingswear Castle
After the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna (1815) created an order in Europe where diplomacy stood higher than war. That changed in the late 19C. By 6th August 1914 Majestic was forced to alter her trips as the world slid towards the abyss: 6th August 1914: Majestic – Kingswear Castle
Where was PS Consul – sporting a primrose funnel and bottle green hull – 63 years ago on 5th August 1963? What was she trying to do and was she having any luck in the doing of it? : 5th August 1963: Consul – Kingswear Castle
On Saturday 4th August 1962 Medway Queen was rostered for two round trips between Strood and Southend. To find out more and why a crew member was sacked: 4th August 1962: Medway Queen – Kingswear Castle
On the return from her day trip from Southampton and Bournemouth to Cherbourg on Tuesday 3rd August 1937 Balmoral didn’t make it back to Southampton in the evening. To find out more: 3rd August 1937: Balmoral – Kingswear Castle
