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:

October 2025:
Collecting
The conductor Richard Bonynge, who has just celebrated his 95th birthday, confesses that he sees his passion for collecting as a disease. His Chalet Monet in Les Avants above Montreux

September 2025:
KC’s Log September/October 1985
2025 is the 40 anniversary of KC’s first season back in service in 1985. Based at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, which had opened for the first time as a “Living

August 2025:
Whippingham at Bournemouth
In 1930 the Southern Railway commissioned two very large paddle steamers, Whippingham and Southsea, for their Portsmouth based services. At 244ft LOA and 825 GRT they were a huge step

July 2025:
KC’s Log July 1985
In her first season back in service in July 1985 KC ran on 26 operating days from her base at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. This included a visit to Gravesend,

July 2025:
Consul Laid Up at Weymouth
I love trying to date pictures from their detail. So what about this one taken upstream of the Town Bridge at Weymouth? We know that Consul did not go back

June 2025:
Weymouth Paddle Steamers 1934
After the First World War several major infrastructure projects were completed around Weymouth Harbour including damming the River Wey with Westham Bridge, much infilling of, and new harbour walls for,

May 2025:
Red Funnel 1936/39
The steamer notice from July 5th to September 27th 1936 for Red Funnel’s “Daily Steam Packet Service from Southampton to Cowes, Ryde and Southsea” lists the paddle steamers taking sailings

April 2025:
Yarmouth Pier IOW
Before Yarmouth Pier was opened in 1876 paddle steamers called inside Yarmouth Harbour on various Solent connections from Lymington, Southampton, Cowes and Portsmouth with the Solent Steamship Company becoming the

March 2025:
Audrey
Capt Shippick’s Audrey has a significant place in Medway and Thames excursion steamer history in providing one of the earliest links in the chain of expansion which culminated in the

February 2025:
Emperor of India 1922
P & A Campbell did not resume sailings on the Sussex Coast until 1923 so, seeing a gap in the market, two other organisations fielded one steamer each in 1922

January 2025:
Capt John Davey of Exmouth
Capt John Davey was born in Shaldon just down the road from Exmouth in 1844. He went to sea when he was eleven serving on various ships including Lord Raglan
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