On Thursday 24th July 1958 Cardiff Queen was scheduled to run a full Lundy day trip: Swansea at 8.45am, Mumbles at 9.05am, Ilfracombe at 10.50am and Clovelly at 12.10pm, landing on Lundy from 1.15pm to 4.15pm before returning via Clovelly (5.10pm), Ilfracombe (7.15pm), Mumbles (9pm) and Swansea (9.20pm).
The previous Friday the British and Commonwealth Games had been opened in Cardiff by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and on Wednesday 23rd July the Royal Yacht Britannia arrived for the occasion — an event witnessed by Glen Usk. It was a busy week on the Bristol Channel, even if the weather refused to cooperate.
1958 was a poor season for weather, passenger numbers and for P & A Campbell’s increasingly fragile finances. Late July brought several days of persistent gales and repeated cancellations, adding to the strain.
Talk around the decks increasingly turned to the company’s financial health, with some wondering whether things were now so bad that the Receiver might have to be called in. It was not a happy summer for P & A Campbell.
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2026 after the second part of a major rebuild which is designed to set her up for the next 25 years. The Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust is now fund raising for future rebuilds. You can read more and how you can possibly help here.
John Megoran
This article was first published on 24th July 2021.
