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 2011:
Lake Neuchatel Paddle Steamer Fribourg
It is an autumn day and we are off in search of one of Switzerland’s rather less well know paddle steamers, the little Fribourg, which is tucked away in the
November 2011:
Lake Lucerne Paddle Steamer Unterwalden
The paddle steamer Unterwalden returned to service on Lake Lucerne this summer after a major renovation which included a new boiler, new decks and much else. Pictured here at Fluelen
October 2011:
One Man Paddle Steamer Factory
Brian Waters has had a life long love of paddle steamers fostered by childhood trips back in the 1930s aboard Cosens’s paddlers at Bournemouth, including their veteran twin funnelled Monarch.
September 2011:
Paddle Steamer Bordein
The Bordein was one of five paddle steamers ordered from Samuda Brothers of London from 1862 by the Khedive for their Ottoman use to expand Egyptian rule in Sudan and,
August 2011:
Paddle Tug United Service
The Paddle Tug United Service was built in 1872 by Wodehouse of North Shields with the hull constructed from a combination of elm and oak strakes ranging in thickness from
July 2011:
Paddle Steamers at Bournemouth in 1960
1960 was the last summer season in which Cosens based two paddle steamers at Bournemouth with a third coming up from Weymouth to augment the schedule one or two days
June 2011:
Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Simplon
Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Simplon has just emerged from a major re-build and refurbishment. Here she is seen arriving at Lausanne Ouchy on Saturday May 21 2011 ready to take
May 2011:
Royal Honeymoon Couple Paddle Steamer Trip
Apparently today’s newly married royal couple are not taking a honeymoon, well not yet anyway, with William heading back to work with his helicopters next week. How different from when
April 2011:
Paddle Steamer Cotton Blossom
Browsing through a copy of the magazine “Ships and Ship Models” for April 1936 I came across an article on a paddle steamer I had never heard of before, the
March 2011:
Paddle Steamer Twins?
Paddle steamer twins? Well they were not born on exactly the same day of exactly the same month in exactly the same place but these two paddle steamers were built
February 2011:
Paddle Steamer Royal Eagle
Built in 1932 by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead for the General Steam Navigation Company service from London to Margate and Ramsgate, the Royal Eagle was the zenith of UK excursion
January 2011:
Paddle Steamers At Newhaven
It is more than forty years now since paddle steamers regularly wintered at Newhaven on the Sussex Coast. Here we have the Portsmouth paddlers Ryde and Sandown alongside, resplendent in
potm-footer