Andrew Gladwell - Böcker

The first commercial paddle steamer was the Comet of 1812. Soon competitive steamer services developed, resulting in bigger and more magnificent vessels, and before long no seaside resort was complete without a pleasure steamer moored alongside the pier. By the 1970s, however, the ships had almost all disappeared and now only three remain in service – Waverley, Balmoral and Kingswear Castle – delighting a new generation of daytrippers. Andrew Gladwell gives us a wonderful glimpse into the bygone age when a pleasure steamer trip was an essential part of countless seaside holidays, and outlines the ongoing efforts to preserve what remains of pleasure steamer heritage in Britain.

Perhaps the most delightful outcome of the Victorian era was the seaside holiday. From the sedate seaside watering place to the hustle and bustle of the larger resorts, each was overfilled with an array of delights such as piers, pleasure palaces, grand hotels and impressive promenades. One area probably towers above all as the epitome of the Victorian seaside the resorts of the Lancashire coast. From the leafy and genteel pleasures of Lytham St Anne's and Southport to the fishing port of Fleetwood, or the bustle of breezy Blackpool and Morecambe, every conceivable entertainment device was available. But one aspect of these resort's development has been long neglected the pleasure steamers that conveyed happy passengers to and from the Lancashire coast resorts from the 1840s until the mid-twentieth century. From the first Fleetwood steamers to the Waverley and Balmoral of today, the history of the myriad pleasure steamers that once served the Lancashire Coast is told here for the first time.

Embassy, Consul, Monarch and Emperor of India were just some of the well-loved paddle steamers operated by Cosens of Weymouth along the scenic Dorset coast before services ceased when Embassy was withdrawn in 1966. The distinctive Cosens fleet with their buff funnels became a part of the Dorset coast scenery for a century. Cosens offered passengers from the crowded piers at Weymouth and Bournemouth the opportunity to cruise to the Isle of Wight, Swanage, Portland as well as landing by ramp onto the beach at the picturesque Lulworth Cove. In addition, they offered cruises to West Dorset and Devon resorts such as Torquay, Seaton and Lyme Regis as well as to France during the busy Edwardian period. Cosens became an important part of daily life at Weymouth, with their extensive and busy workshops providing employment for townsfolk who helped repair many famous South Coast steamers. Cosens were a central and well-loved part of the life and scenery of Weymouth and Dorset during the heyday of the paddle steamer and are fondly remembered by former passengers and holidaymakers alike.

For over 150 years, pleasure steamers and paddle steamers operated on day trips from the Yorkshire coastal resorts, sailing from Scarborough, Whitby and Bridlington up and down the coast, giving the day tripper a taste of life aboard in exchange for a few shillings. From the Bilsdale, Frenchman, Yorkshireman, Coronia and the other steamers that served the Yorkshire Coast, Andrew Gladwell presents a unique glimpse of these tourist steamers at the peak of their careers in the period from the 1900s to the 1960s. He tells the story of the pleasure steamers that once plied these waters, using many rare and previously unpublished images of the ships and the resorts they served. Learn of the musicians that would once perform aboard, see the steamers cruising the dramatic coastline and learn about the paddle and pleasure steamer captains and crew that worked the Yorkshire coast.

For several generations of Londoners the highlight of each summer was a day trip to the coast aboard a well-loved pleasure steamer. The interwar years saw some of the finest pleasure steamers ever being built for Thames service and names such as Royal Eagle, Golden Eagleand Crested Eaglebecame bywords for luxury and speed as they took their happy throng of passengers to coastal resorts such as Margate, Southend, Ramsgate and Clacton. By the mid-1930s, sleek modern motor vessels were replacing the older paddle steamers. Wartime service took its toll on London’s pleasure steamer fleet but, by the late 1940s, favourite old vessels had returned and were joined by wonderful replacement vessels for wartime losses. By the 1950s, the Thames fleet was truly magnificent and it seemed that the peacetime queues of passengers would last forever in those sun-drenched days of the 1950s. But, by the 1960s, it was all more or less over as the motor car became the preferred mode of getting to the seaside. For many, though, there would be nothing like a day trip aboard a pleasure steamer such as the Royal Daffodil, Queen of the Channel or the Royal Sovereign.With a wonderful array of nostalgic photographs, Andrew Gladwell celebrates this golden era of Thames pleasure steamers.