Kingswear Castle Britain's last steam powered river paddle steamer
1924 - 2024
Sail on
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle has finished her 2025 season. She will return in 2026 for her 102nd year of service.
Kingswear Castle is operated on behalf of the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.
Click on the button below to visit the operator’s website for timetable and ticketing information.
History of
Kingswear Castle
Built in 1924 for service on the River Dart in Devon between Dartmouth and Totnes, Kingswear Castle was withdrawn in 1965.
Purchased by volunteers in 1967 who painstakingly restored her to operating condition over ten years, entering service on the Medway and the Thames in 1985.
In 2012 she returned home to the Dart.
Support
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild. We are continuing to fund raise for the second phase.
Find out how you can help with this to secure her future for the next twenty five years.
For information and enquiries regarding tickets, timetables and sailing updates please visit the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company website www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk or call 01803 555 872.
19th March 2026:
KC Rebuild Phase 2 Update
Members of the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust board, along with PSPS Chairman John Allen, visited KC in the Dartmouth shipyard on Thursday 19th March to see how the work
4th February 2026:
Peter Walker Obituary
Peter Walker, who died on 29th December 2025, had a three-pronged career as Merchant Navy officer, Accountant and Farmer. Born in 1941 he went to sea as a cadet with
17th January 2026:
KC Rebuild Phase 2
KC was taken out of the water on the Old Mill covered slipway on Thursday 8th January. Work is continuing apace on Phase 2 of her major rebuild. This will
John Megoran recalls the heyday and decline paddle steamers, particularly the Weymouth based paddle steamers that he grew up with. He did not know then that he would go on to help restore, manage and be principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years.
23rd March 1954:
Arran
On Tuesday 23rd March 1954 the brand new Clyde car ferry Arran carried her 2,000th vehicle between Gourock and Dunoon with the lucky owner given a free ticket as a prize.
22nd March 1968:
Bristol Queen
On Friday 22nd March 1968 Bristol Queen had rounded Lands End and was on her way up along the south Coast of Cornwall under tow bound from Cardiff to the breaker’s
21st March 1947:
Farringford
The Diesel electric paddler Farringford was launched at the shipyard of Denny of Dumbarton on the Clyde on Friday 21st March 1947 for the Southern Railway’s Isle of Wight ferry
20th March 1961:
Monarch
On Monday 20th March 1961 when this picture was taken work was starting on the demolition of Monarch in the scrapyard of Haulbowline Industries in Cork. Not a lot has
The latest threefour of 0 paddle steamer orientated articles produced monthly by John Megoran, author, manager and principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years on both the Medway and Thames as well as the River Dart.
March 2026:
Paddle Steamer Captain Pensions
To some extent there has been some sort of support for the elderly since Medieval times through family, charity, guilds or the church but it was not until the 19C
February 2026:
Three Sandsfoot Captains
After the First World War a London builder named Edwin Denton set himself up in Weymouth. He bought the land overlooking Portland Harbour between Sandsfoot Castle and the beach in
January 2026:
Three Men in a Boat
Note the eau de nil green paint. This was around the time that surgeons started to wear green gowns in operating theatres allegedly because it was a more soothing colour
December 2025:
Same But Different
When airlines order new planes they often do so in batches. “We’ll have ten like that please.” And when they come all ten are the same in pretty much every
