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| The Decline, Fall & Eventual Fate of the London County Council Paddle Steamer Fleet of 1905 |
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| The concept of a waterbus service on the Thames to ease London's traffic problems has often been discussed, and taking in account the success of water transport in other UK and European cities the lack of a Thames river passenger service has been regarded as something of an anomaly. Throughout recent history the idea has been visited and revisited but not since the mid 1800’s has it ever proved viable on a long-term basis. From the 1840s until the mid 1870s several companies provided regular steamboat services between Kew to the west and Woolwich and Greenwich to the east. From the mid-1870s onward, however, operations ceased to be profitable. In 1875 the London Steamboat Company was formed to combine the competing companies then on the river and bought together some 70 boats. On 3rd September 1878 the sinking of ‘PRINCESS ALICE’ below Woolwich due to a collision with the collier BYWELL CASTLE resulted in the loss of 460 (some reports state up to 700) lives, and was said to have had a very adverse effect on river transport. In 1879 the assets of the London Steamboat Company were leased out. When control was regained in 1882 it was unprofitable and went into liquidation. The liquidator, however, continued to run the service. Control was then passed to The River Thames Steamboat Navigation Company, which ran a service, but in 1886, when they tried to sell the fleet, a buyer could not be found. Subsequently fourteen of the boats were sold for scrap and by the end of 1887 they ceased trading altogether with the remaining boats being laid up. The The Victoria Steamboat Association bought the fleet in 1888 and managed to make a success of the operation. By 1893 it had increased its fleet to 46 boats. However, the company was wound up in August 1894, allegedly due to some underhand financial and managerial activities. The service restarted in 1896 under the name of Victoria Steamboats Limited, but lasted just the one season. In 1897 the Thames Steamboat Company, purchased the Victoria Steamboats fleet and by 1901 had added nine boats, taking it’s fleet to 36 boats. It also took over six piers and the leases of two others. The chairman of the Thames Steamboat Company was Mr Arnold Hills (1857-1927) who was also chairman and managing director of Thames Iron Works Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in West Ham. It was the biggest shipbuilder on the Thames and had built a number of warships for both British and overseas navies (including the preserved “WARRIOR” in Portsmouth Dockyard). The service he ran was not profitable but he hoped an injection of capital and the acquisition of the piers, which were costing in the region of his deficit, would allow him to improve the service, and his profits. However this did not materialise and his losses increased. In 1889, the London County Council (L.C.C.) was introduced. Its creation was forced by a succession of scandals involving its predecessor, the non-elected Metropolitan Board of Works, which had run London's infrastructure such as roads and bridges. The L.C.C. was created as the principal administrative body for the County of London; a lower tier of 28 metropolitan boroughs was created in 1899, replacing the earlier parishes and vestries. The L.C.C.'s administrative area was the County of London: an area smaller than Greater London is now and corresponding to today's London Boroughs of Camden, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster. It almost immediately became an aim of the new council to run a municipal ferry service on the Thames. |
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| A Brief History Of Ferry Services On The Thames 1840 - 1909 |
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| The history of the LCC paddle fleet has been the result of a series of letters in Marine News which started in July 2005 with a photo feature on the Paddle steamer Princess Patricia ex Shakespeare. The following is the collected input either submitted by members or found by further research. The information given has been gathered from various sources but is not necessarily cross checked therfore could very well contain errors but does form a "basis for discussion".. If you spot any errors or ommisions, or if you can help with any information about these little vessels that have, in some cases, travelled far and lived long, please contact via the website feedback form on the Home page. Thank you, it will be gratefully recieved and duly acknowledged. Acknowledgements are due to: Paddle Steamers of the Thames & Medway, Frank Burtt The "Tramscape" website LCC Ferry Tramscape The London Journal Ralph Turvey Paddle Wheels (Journal of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society) Alistaire Deayton WSS Members: Bruce Allan for information on Shipbuilders Napier Miller David Asprey for information on vessels requisitioned by Royal Indian Marine / War Office. |
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| LCC Ferry in the Pool of London Courtesy www.victorianweb.org |