Monthly paddle steamer articles written by John Megoran, author, manager and principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years on the Medway and the Thames as well as the River Dart.
You can read more of John’s paddle steamer reminiscences in his regular Megoran’s Musings features on the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society website here.
Choose a year to see more Pictures of the Month:
December 2006:
Paddle Steamers at Lyme Regis
Tucked away on the south coast between Portland and Exmouth is the delightful little seaside town of Lyme Regis made famous worldwide as the setting for the film “The French
November 2006:
Paddle Steamers Out of Season
This entertaining article from the early 1950s gives something of the flavour of paddle steamers in their winter rest. The paddler with much fevered activity on deck is Red Funnel’s
October 2006:
The Four British Paddlers Withdrawn in 1966
After the Second World War around sixty ferry and excursion paddle steamers were operational on the rivers, estuaries and coast of the UK. Although five were built for service after
September 2006:
Last Sailings of the Paddle Steamer Embassy in 1966
The paddle steamer Embassy, pictured alongside Bournemouth Pier in the early 1960s, made her last public sailings forty years ago in September 1966. Although Embassy had been used on Cosens’
August 2006:
Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Savoie
This summer the Lake Geneva paddle steamer Savoie, built in 1914 by Sulzer, has returned to service after a major rebuild including the installation of a new boiler. Here she
July 2006:
John S Richardson Recalls (Part 2 of 2)
I mentioned in my last selection (Part 1 here) that we very seldom went on a GSN ship but my favourite was the magnificent Crested Eagle. Compared with the Queen
June 2006:
Paddle Steamer Queen of the South In 1966
Knowing my interest in paddle steamers and, as a friend of the family, Captain Stanley Woods (pictured on the bridge of the Princess Elizabeth in 1965) kept my fifteen year
May 2006:
Lake Lucerne Paddle Steamer Schiller
The beautiful Lake Lucerne paddle steamer Schiller celebrates her one hundredth birthday this summer. Ordered from Sulzer in 1904 Schiller made her first official sailing on the lake on 17th
April 2006:
Party Night Aboard the Sir William Wallace in 1956
Many excursion paddle steamers ran evening cruises, sometimes with music and many were hired out for private functions. But of all the paddlers still operational in the 1950s, perhaps one
March 2006:
John S Richardson Recalls (Part 1 of 2)
Long standing PSPS member John S Richardson (pictured above with Capt Leonard Horsham aboard the Medway Queen) has sailed aboard paddle steamers for most of his life. This month he
February 2006:
Kingswear Castle’s Sister Ship Compton Castle
One of Kingswear Castle’s two sister ships is the Compton Castle pictured recently by Ian Liston at her berth in Truro in Cornwall. Although much altered from her heyday on
January 2006:
Southsea Piers and Paddle Steamers
Clarence Pier (pictured above) in the approaches to Portsmouth Harbour was much used by both the railway and excursion paddle steamers. In this picture Red Funnel’s Lorna Doone has backed
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