Megoran’s Musings

On Thursday 27th July 1889 Brodick Castle was scheduled to sail from Swanage (9.30am), Bournemouth (10.30am) and Boscombe (10.40am) for Totland Bay, Isle of Wight, (11.45am), Cowes (12.45pm) and Portsmouth

On Thursday 26th July 1934 Lorna Doone was scheduled to run a day trip from Southampton at 9am around the Isle of Wight. She then called at Ryde (10.15am) before

On Saturday 25th July 1959 one of the three Humber paddle steamers Lincoln Castle, Tattershall Castle or Wingfield Castle sailed down from Hull to the Royal Dock Basin at Grimsby

Looking back through the history of excursion paddle steamers we find that some summers were really good with endless sunshine and light airs. Others were terrible with loads of wind

On Friday 24th July 1964 the Clyde turbine steamer Queen Mary II was taken out of service with boiler trouble so her sailing “Down the River”, or as it was

On Thursday 24th July 1958 Cardiff Queen was scheduled to sail from Swansea (8.45am), Mumbles (9.05am), Ilfracombe (10.50am), and Clovelly (12.10pm) to Lundy Island to land (1.15pm – 4.15pm) and

On Tuesday 23rd July 1935 Killingholme was scheduled to run a two hour afternoon cruise at 3pm from the Royal Dock Basin at Grimsby on the Humber to view the

Balmoral was Red Funnel’s largest, fastest and most commodious excursion paddle steamer. Built to counter competition from P & A Campbell at the turn of the century she was in

On Monday 22nd July 1912 Killingholme was on charter to take King George V, Queen Mary and the rest of the royal party to open Immingham Dock. Killingholme and her

On Sunday 21st July 1968 Ryde was rostered to run four round trips between Southsea and Ryde. She sailed light ship from her overnight berth opposite the Harbour Station for

Although returned to Red Funnel in 1945 after war service it was not until July 1947 that Bournemouth Queen’s major rebuild was complete and she was ready to be returned

On Sunday 20th July 1997 Kingswear Castle ran one of our annual Teddy Bear Cruises to try to encourage a new generation to come aboard and fall in love with

On Monday 19th July 1971 Maid of the Loch was scheduled to leave Balloch (10.30am) for Tarbet (11.55am) and Inversnaid (12.10 – 12.20pm) before returning to Tarbet (12.35pm) and Balloch

On Saturday 18th July 1914 Cosens’s Majestic, described as “Second to None on the South Coast”, was rostered to run a day trip from Bournemouth to witness a “Grand Naval

On Wednesday 18th July 1962 Medway Queen left Strood as scheduled at 9.15am and Southend at 10.55am for Clacton where she was due to arrive at 1.25pm to take up

On Tuesday 17th July 1900 Balmoral ran her inaugural cruise for directors, shareholders and other invited guests from Southampton having arrived from her Clyde builders fresh and sparkling three days

On Wednesday 16th July 1947 three paddle steamers, Embassy, Monarch, and Princess Elizabeth offered no less than eight departures from Bournemouth Pier during the day not counting the evening single

Friday 15th July was Consul’s first scheduled trip of the season from Weymouth to Totland Bay, Isle of Wight in 1960. She was due away from Weymouth at 10am for

On Wednesday 14th July 1954 Glen Gower cancelled her day trip from Newhaven to Boulogne due to the weather. Before the Second World War day trips from the Sussex Coast

On Sunday 13th July 1958 Bristol Queen, Cardiff Queen and Glen Usk offered multiple trip options on the Bristol Channel from Swansea, Mumbles, Ilfracombe, Porthcawl, Barry, Cardiff, Penarth, Weston, Clevedon

If you had wanted an afternoon cruise from Bournemouth Pier on Sunday 12th July 1953 you would have had to choose between three different paddle steamers and three different trip

With all the South Coast piers breached during the Second World War to prevent enemy ships from landing alongside and disgorging troops, agents or whatever from their decks, it was

On Wednesday 11th July 1962 Whippingham returned to Portsmouth after her annual dry-docking at Southampton during which she had had a couple of hull plates renewed and her previously varnished

Following her post war rebuild, on Sunday 11th July 1948 Emperor of India was open to the public at Weymouth to inspect all the work which Cosens’ craftsmen had carried

At 8.43am on Wednesday 10th July 1936 Brighton Belle was struck by lightning off Eastbourne. She had spent the previous night at anchor off Hastings and, according to a local

On Friday 9th July 1948 Embassy ran aground in Poole Harbour on a falling tide whilst turning on a morning cruise from Bournemouth. The paddle steamers ran up and down

On Wednesday 8th July 1964 Jeanie Deans was rostered for the trip “Round the Lochs and Firth of Clyde” from Craigendoran (8.40am), to Gourock (9.25am), Dunoon (9.45am), Rothesay (10.25am), Largs

On Tuesday 7th July 1964 Caledonia’s trips from Ayr were cancelled due to the weather. The following day, Wednesday 8th July she set off from Ayr at 2pm for an

Ryde made her first appearance of the 1963 season on the Portsmouth/Ryde ferry service on Saturday 6th July having had a protracted and unexpectedly expensive refit which included replacing several

1951 was a poor year for the Sussex Coast with P & A Campbell positioning none of their steamers in the area for that summer. They returned in 1952 with

Wednesday 5th July 1961 was the first day of the season for Swanage Queen, ex Sussex Queen, ex Freshwater based at Poole and running a service between Bournemouth and Swanage

On Tuesday 5th July 1927 P & A Campbell’s paddle steamer Waverley was scheduled to run from Eastbourne at 9.40am and Brighton at 11am for a day trip giving about

Consul’s first trip of the 1961 season from Weymouth to Swanage and Bournemouth was rostered for Tuesday 4th July. She was set to leave at 10am for a cruise along