Megoran’s Musings

19th October 1961 was unusually mild for the time of year, with temperatures reaching around 20°C, a brief spell of fine weather before the gales and heavy rain that would

In the early days of excursion paddle steamers all sorts of designs were used for boilers including haystack and square boilers but the overwhelming majority of later excursion paddle steamers

At this stage in her career Glen Usk was generally the first out and the last to finish of all P & A Campbell’s paddle steamers. She was smaller than

Tony MGinnity was one of the great heroes of paddle steamer preservation in the 1960s. A memorial service was held for him at St Olave – often referred to as

Around 11am on Monday 15th October 1962 British Railways’ coal-fired paddle steamer Sandown left Portsmouth for Weymouth for refit work by Cosens & Co on her engine and boiler. After

Chris Collard records in his excellent book “White Funnels Volume 2” that on Thursday 14th October 1920 the “Yellow Funnel Fleet” steamer Lady Evelyn sailed light ship from Cardiff to

On Sunday 13th October 1963 Caledonia was rostered to be out and about on the Clyde ferry service starting and finishing her day at Gourock and taking in Millport. For

After her short trial running on the Bristol Channel for P & A Campbell, the former Red Funnel Vecta set off from Cardiff on Tuesday 12th October 1965 for the

On 11th October 1961 Lyme Regis Council met to discuss what to do about three ladders and six stone steps which allegedly had been damaged by the Princess Elizabeth on

On Tuesday 10th October 1922 there were 13 round trips by paddle steamer scheduled to run between Portsmouth and Ryde. First away from Portsmouth with the run put on specially

Monday 9th October 1961 unexpectedly turned out to be the last day of the season for Bristol Queen. This was not originally planned as she had already competed her scheduled

On Wednesday 8th October 1967 the former Tyne paddle tug Eppleton Hall was off the coast of Portugal making her way southward for Lisbon. She had been saved from the

Glen Gower was about five nautical miles seaward of Ilfracombe at 5am on the morning of Friday 7th October 1938 on her way back to Bristol from Brighton. It had

Monday 6th October 1958 was the last day of the season for Cardiff Queen with four round trips on the Cardiff/Weston ferry. She was due away from Cardiff (9.30am) for

We saw in an earlier post how the Southern Railway offered trips taking advantage of timings for “Early Closing Day” when shops generally closed for business on Wednesday afternoons. P

At 10am on Saturday 4th October 1919 Duchess of Devonshire returned to her winter lay-up berth at Exmouth from Bristol. She left Bristol on Thursday 2nd October and spent the

On Friday 3rd October 1997 Waverley left Tilbury (9.40am) for Southend (11am) and Chatham (12.30pm) where I berthed her alongside the quay wall just to the north of Thunderbolt Pier.

I believe that before Waverley came on the scene, the second last paddle steamer scheduled to call at, and pick up from, Folkestone Harbour was, rather improbably given her name,

The ever indefatigable Mrs Eileen Pritchard (PSPS Member number 1) organised a visit to the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service Paddle Tug Grinder at Portsmouth for 11am on Saturday 2nd October

Embassy was rostered to make her last trips of the 1953 season from Bournemouth on Thursday 1st October. She was due away from her overnight berth alongside Poole Quay at

On Thursday 30th September 1965 the Portsmouth/Ryde paddle steamers Sandown and Ryde were both tucked up for the winter in Newhaven Harbour. Sandown had been the first to cast off

On Tuesday 29th September 1964, Jeanie Deans made her last movement under her own steam of the season leaving Craigendoran on the morning tide for her lay up berth in

Just three weeks after the surrender of Japan brought the Second World war to a close, Cosens’s paddle steamer Empress set off from Weymouth for the Medway on 26th September

Embassy’s last trips of the 1963 season were scheduled for Thursday 26th September for a departure from Poole Quay at 9am for Bournemouth from where she was due to leave

Wednesday 26th September 1956 was the last day in service of P & A Campbell’s one time flagship paddle steamer Britannia. This was later than had been planned. Indeed Britannia

On Wednesday 25th September 1963 Consul was due back in Weymouth after a pretty disastrous season trying to run from Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings followed by a somewhat difficult week

At the end of the 1965 season P & A Campbell bought Red Funnel’s Isle of Wight excursion vessel and Southampton/Cowes ferry Vecta to join their Bristol Channel fleet. She

Friday 23rd September was the last scheduled day of the 1955 season for Consul with an “Afternoon Tea Cruise to the Bill of Portland” advertised in the steamer notice for

On Monday 22nd September 1958 Glen Usk was withdrawn from service earlier in the season than had been planned and was replaced by Cardiff Queen. The previous day, Sunday 21st

After having been returned to operational condition with full passenger certificates in May 1985, Kingswear Castle ran a trip from Strood and the Historic Dockyard Chatham on 21st September through

The Southern Railway paddle steamer Portsdown hit a recently laid German mine and sank while on passage between Portsmouth and Ryde on the 4am mail run on Saturday 20th September

On Saturday 19th September 1959 there were two round trips scheduled from Dartmouth at 9am and 3.45pm to Totnes returning at 10.45am and at 5.45pm. Totnes is tidal and cannot

Princess Elizabeth finished her season at Weymouth on Wednesday 17th September 1964 and the following day set off from the Pleasure Pier at 4.30pm up the harbour and through the