Megoran’s Musings

On Saturday 3rd September 1949 Ravenswood returned to service after her day off on the Friday with a largely new deck crew, two new fireman and a new deck chair

On the first Sunday in September 2023 PS Waverley called at Swanage Pier at 12.30pm for a trip to view the Bournemouth Air Show and the steamship Shieldhall. Fifty seven

With war about to be declared P & A Campbell cancelled all further Sussex Coast sailings and ordered Brighton Queen, Glen Gower and Waverley to return to the Bristol Channel

On Wednesday 1st September 1937 Cosens’s Victoria (pictured with her bow on the beach at West Bay) was scheduled to run a day trip from Weymouth at 9am around Portland

After spending the afternoon of Sunday 31st August 1958 running on the Bournemouth/Swanage service with departures from Bournemouth at 2.30pm and 4pm and returns from Swanage at 3.15pm and 5pm

P & A Campbell got into bed with other organisations to sell tickets for them to help fill up spare capacity on their steamers. As in other years, in 1950

Thursday 29th August 1957 was the last day in service of Red Funnel’s paddle steamer Bournemouth Queen. Built in 1908 as a slightly smaller and not quite as fast, version

On Tuesday 28th August 1956 Monarch rescued two men from a small dinghy, called Dumbo, off the Old Harry Rocks in Poole Bay whilst on passage on her regular route

During the period from their development in the 1880s up to their almost complete demise by the late 1960s excursion and ferry paddle steamers in the UK enjoyed an enviable

On Thursday 26th August 1937 Duke of Devonshire was scheduled to leave Torquay (10.45am) for the 17 nautical mile run along the beautiful Devon Coast passing the Ore Stone, Babbacombe,

On Saturday 25th August 1928 the paddle steamer Royal Sovereign was scheduled to sail from Old Swan Pier at London Bridge to Ramsgate with London Belle shadowing her from Greenwich

On Wednesday 24th August 1960 Princess Elizabeth was scheduled to run from Haldon Pier Torquay on the following timetable: 11am MORNING CRUISE viewing Thatcher Rock, Babbacombe, Oddicombe, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Berry

In issue number 14 of Paddle Wheels ex army officer Captain L G A Thomas, then a stalwart of the Wessex Branch, recounted a day out he had almost forty

Prior to the Second World War it was the usual practice of Red Funnel to schedule two sailings a week, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays or sometimes Fridays, in the summer

On Monday 22nd August 1955 Britannia ran the long day trip from Bristol and Cardiff to Ilfracombe in place of Bristol Queen. This was the route with which she was

On Saturday 21st August 1965 Princess Elizabeth was chartered at Weymouth on her usual day off service to play the role of a Dover Cross Channel packet for filming for

On Friday 20th August 1965 Princess Elizabeth left Weymouth at 9.30am for a day trip to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight with return at 7.30pm. It was a lovely day. The

On Thursday 19th August 1926 Columba was scheduled to leave Glasgow (7.11am) on the “Royal Route” for Rothesay (10.15am), Colintraive (10.40am), Tighnabruaich (10.55am), Tarbet (11.55am) and Ardrishaig (12.40pm) setting off

After service in the Second World War as an anti-aircraft vessel and latterly as an accommodation ship Red Funnel’s cross Channel flyer Balmoral was returned to Southampton in 1947 in

On Tuesday 18th August 1953, Bournemouth Pier was one of the busiest excursion hubs in Britain: fifteen paddle steamer departures in eleven and a half hours. Let’s look in detail:

On Sunday 17th August 1958 Embassy sailed from Bournemouth Pier at 2.30pm for a “Grand Channel Cruise to Portland Dockyard for a close up view of America’s famous nuclear submarine

Lulworth Cove was ever a beauty spot at which paddle steamers delivered far more passengers than they ever picked up but there were some staying in the vicinity who did

On Saturday 16h August 1958 Bristol Queen was scheduled to sail from Bristol (9am) to Clevedon (10.05am), Cardiff (11.05am), Penarth (11.15am) and, Barry (11.50am) for Ilfracombe (2pm). She was then

On Saturday 15th August 1959 Consul ran one hour trips from Weymouth at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm to view the United States Navy’s newly built nuclear powered submarine USS Skipjack

Although not propelled by paddle wheels I tend to think of La Duchesse de Normandie as an honorary paddle steamer. She was 180ft long. She had two triple expansion steam

On Friday 8th August 1924 St Elvies was scheduled to take the day trip leaving Prince’s Landing Stage Liverpool at 10.45am for Llandudno (1.05pm – 1.15pm), Beaumaris (2.10pm), Bangor (2.25pm)

On Monday 14th August 1939 Balmoral was scheduled to sail on a day trip from Southampton to Ryde, Southsea, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor and Bournemouth. She was due away from Southampton

Consul started her 1960 season on Saturday 4th June running a ferry service between Weymouth and Portland Naval Dockyard for Navy Days. Her last scheduled trips of the season were

On Wednesday 13th August 1952 Cardiff Queen was scheduled to run from Hastings (8.15am), Eastbourne (9.15am) and Brighton (10.30am) to Shanklin, Isle of Wight (1.30pm – 3.30m) then back to

On Monday 12th August 1935 Golden Eagle, “The Happy Ship” was scheduled to leave Tower Pier (8am), Greenwich (8.30am), North Woolwich (9am), Southend (10.45am) for Margate (12.30pm). She then ran

On Monday 11th August 1930 Snowdon was scheduled to leave Llandudno (10.30am) for Beaumaris (11.45am), Bangor (12 noon), Menai Bridge (12.15pm) and Caernarvon (1pm – 3pm) with return to Menai

On Wednesday 10th August 1960 Monarch was rostered to spend the day on the Bournemouth/Swanage service followed by a non-landing evening cruise to Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. She was

On Fridays from 6th July to 24th August 1962 Waverley was advertised in the steamer notices to run the “Up River Cruise to Glasgow Viewing the famous shipyards and docks