Category Archives: Pictures of the Month

After his brave but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to run the paddle steamer Consul on the Sussex Coast and Thames in 1963 and from Weymouth in 1964 the young Mr A

In October 1965, half a century ago, there were twenty two paddle steamers left in the UK. Let’s have a look at where they all were that month and what

There was a lot going in paddle steamer circles in September 1965. Some of the news was good. Some was less good and, with the wind blowing the way that

Weymouth Harbour in an aerial shot taken in April 1965 with, in the Backwater on the left, the Princess Elizabeth, with her red funnel, getting ready to go to Southampton

The day after her return from slipping at Southampton and the day after the Embassy had had her close encounter with Ballard Point, the Princess Elizabeth (pictured above backing out

Fifty years ago, 1965 was a landmark year for paddle steamers with a Weymouth connection. It was the last year in which a paddle steamer was based at Weymouth with

On 1st January 1973 the Caledonian Steam Packet Company, owners of the Waverley, acquired most of the vessels in the fleet of MacBraynes and emerged newly constituted as Caledonian MacBrayne.

In response to a suggestion that Zostera green weed should be re-introduced to Poole Harbour to help stop the channels from silting up, The Bournemouth Evening Echo, for 3rd March

On 5th August 1937 Red Funnel’s Bournemouth Queen (pictured above) rescued two teenage girls from Walthamstow who got lost in fog in a rowing boat off the east coast of

The Golden Eagle was built in 1909 by John Brown & Co on the Clyde for the General Steam Navigation Company’s services on the Thames from Fresh Wharf, next to

The era from around 1900 to the outbreak of the First World War fourteen years later was a calm, peaceful and prosperous age for the UK and European tourism and

Built in 1900, the Balmoral was the crack long distance excursion paddle steamer of what came to be called Red Funnel emerging from her winter slumbers for only the peak

Wars are pretty unpleasant for all who get caught up in their trail of killing, blowing up and destruction. But there are those for whom wars are seriously good news.

In 1960 there were still eleven paddle steamers offering trips along the South Coast of England between Hastings in the east and Plymouth in the west. With the exception of

Weather was ever a problem for large sea-going excursion paddle steamer operators. If it was dull or rainy passengers did not want to sail. If it was too windy, the

With the blossoming of Victorian tourism in the 1840s, the beautiful Conwy Valley in North Wales, with its healthy climate and picturesque scenery, became immensely popular. The rediscovery of an

Amongst the many news stories in the May 2nd 1941 edition of “The War Illustrated” including “In Bombed, Blasted and Burnt London the Doctor Stands By”, “Belgrade: Tragic Capital of

June 1927 saw three paddle steamers from the P & A Campbell fleet based at Newhaven and offering a wide range of trips along the Sussex Coast. According to this

The Medway Queen Preservation Society held open days for their members and for the general public on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th April at their base in Gillingham, Kent. Here

The October 1948 edition of the Southern Region Magazine of the newly formed British Railways has on its cover a picture of Lady Missenden, wife of Sir Eustace Missenden, Chairman