The period from 1935 could be considered the Golden Age of pleasure steamers on the Thames and Medway. After the rigours of war, the fleets of the Belle Steamers, General Steam Navigation Co. and the New Medway Steam Packet Co. were once again busy with trade. Some of the ships had failed to return from war duties and new builds saw the fleets updated. Motor ships had begun to take over from the venerable paddlers which had sailed the rivers for decades.
Golden Eagle, Crested Eagle, Royal Daffodil and the Medway are among the ships shown in the book. The steamers took Londoners away on their holidays and on day trips to the resorts of Southend, Clacton, Ramsgate and Margate as well as further afield to France and along the South Coast. After a resurgence at the end of the Second World War, by the late 1960s traffic had dwindled and many ships were sold or scrapped.
Andrew Gladwell brings together a superb selection of images of the Thames and Medway pleasure steamers, with many illustrations of the ships and the piers they served.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Gladwell is the archivist of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and has been a life-long steamer enthusiast. He lives in Kent. He has written numerous books on paddle steamers.
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| Publication: |
October 2009 |
Extent: |
144 pages |
| Availability: |
In stock |
Images Mono: |
200 |
| Format: |
235 x 156 mm |
Images Colour: |
30 |
| Binding: |
Hardback |
