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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
Sussex
East Sussesx - West Sussex
Ferries, Excursions, Ports, Piers
This page is under construction
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the ferries, excursion boats, ports and piers of the counties of East and West Sussex. Both current and historic vessels are shown.
Boats operating in 2007 are:-
Danny Lee
,
Freedom
,
Itchy Bosom Ferry
,
The Robert
,
Swallow
and
William Allchorn
Sections on this Page:-
Bewl Water
Brighton
Eastbourne
Itchenor Ferry
Kingfisher Cruises
River Arun
River Rother
Vessels on this Page:-
Danny Lee
-
Bodiam Ferry Company
Freedom
-
Kingfisher Cruises
Itchy Bosom Ferry
- Itchenor Ferry
Regency Belle
The Robert
-
Allchorn Pleasure Boats
Swallow
-
Bewl Water
William Allchorn
-
Allchorn Pleasure Boats
Other Sussex Pages:-
Allchorn Pleasure Boats
- Eastbourne-Beachy Head Services
Bodiam Ferry Company
- Newenden Bridge-Bodiam Castle service
British Railways/Sealink - Page 6
- Newhaven Services
Chichester
- Chichester Canal & harbour cruises
Kingfisher Cruises
- Littlehampton-Arundel services on the River Arun
London Brighton & South Coast Railway
- LBSC Newhaven-Dieppe Services
Southern Railway - Page 2
- Newhaven Services
Transmanche Ferries
- Newhaven-Dieppe Services
Associated Pages:-
UK Excursion Ships
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards
-
Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards
-
Home Page
References:-
Trip Out Guides
- Written and published by G.P.Hamer
- various editions from 1977 to 2005 consulted
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Bewl Water
The
Swallow
operates cruises on Bewl Water straddling the boundary between Kent and East Sussex. Between April and September,
Swallow
runs hourly cruises of 45 minutes duration between 11am and 4pm. She can carry 88 passengers and has a bar on board (but no toilet). Cost is a reasonable £4, but there is also an admission cahrge to Bewl Water of £6 per car. The operator is referred to as both Bewl Cruises and Swallow Cruises on different notices. Phone:-
01892 890171
Swallow
Excellent company postcard of
Swallow
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Swallow
leaving on a cruise
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 13th June 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 13th June 2007
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Brighton
Queen of the South
(Channel Excursion Steamers: 1922-1924)
Queen of the South
was built as
Woolwich Belle
for
Belle Steamers
by William Denny & Bros in 1891. Actual ownership of
Woolwich Belle
was London, Woolwich & Claction-onSea Steamboat Co (1891), Belle Steamers (1897), Coast Development Company (1898) and Coast Development Corporation (1905).
Woolwich Belle
was the smallest of the
Belle Steamers
, and was used mainly on feeder services from Ipswich and Harwich to Clacton, connecting with the London boats. The Coast Development Corporation failed in 1915, and after her war service,
Woolwich Belle
was acquired by her builders Dennys for refurburbishment at their works to provide employment. She was not ready until the spring of 1922, and she was used by Channel Excursion Steamers as
Queen of the South
for excursions from Brighton, a year in which P.& A.Campbell could not spare vessels for south coast services. P.& A.Campbell were back the following year, and
Queen of the South
was withdrawn and laid up in September 1923. She was bought by
The New Medway SP Co
in November 1924, entering service the following summer, mainly on Strood-Southend services, but also general excursion work.
Queen of the South
was laid up at the end of the 1931 season and sold for scrap the following July.
D,M&W postcard of
Queen of the South
(ex-
Woolwich Belle
) at Brighton
Note the stump mainmast fitted for Brighton service
Click to open larger image in new window
Regency Belle
Regency Belle
ran at Brighton in 1951. She moved to Scarborough in 1952. In 1954 the
Regal Lady
had joined the Round's fleet at Scarborough, which then had four excursion ships for this season only.
Regency Belle
moved to Torquay for the 1955 season, leaving three ships
Coronia (1)
,
Yorkshire Lady
and
Regal Lady
at Scarborough.
Postcard of
Regency Belle
Eastbourne
William Allchorn
(Allchorn Pleasure Boats - built: 1950)
The
William Allchorn
of
Allchorn Pleasure Boats
is 54 feet in length, weighs 36 tons, is constructed of wood using double-diagonal planking, and is almost certainly the largest beach-launched pleasure boat in service today. She was purpose built as a pleasure boat in 1950, in Newhaven, East Sussex, by E. Cantell & Son.
William Allchorn
is licensed to carry 100 passengers. For details of excursion see:-
www.allchornpleasureboats.co.uk
More images of
William Allchorn
Official postcard of
William Allchorn
when new c.1950
This is a modern reproduction printed by The Postcard Company
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Official postcard of
William Allchorn
- still with yellow funnel
Printed by The Postcard Company
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William Allchorn
at the Eastbourne mobile jetty, 3rd July 2006
Photo: ©2006 Copyright Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards
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The Robert
(Allchorn Pleasure Boats - ex-RNLI Lifeboat)
For details of excursion see:-
www.allchornpleasureboats.co.uk
Official postcard of
the Robert
Printed by The Postcard Company
Click to open larger image in new window
Itchenor Ferry
A ferry runs from Itchenor jetty to Smugglers Lane, Bosham linking public footpaths. Trips can also be made to and from moorings from Deep End to Birdham. Enlarging the images shows that the ferry is called the
Itchy Bosom Ferry.
Smugglers Lane Ferry Hard is the site of a ferry crossing which dates back to the 17th Century. For generations foot passengers have made their way across the channel between Itchenor and Bosham saving them a journey of 13 miles around the harbour edge. Over the years fewer people needed to go back and forth to Bosham. In 1964 the ferryman applied to the House of Lords to discontinue the ferry service, which until then had been operated 24 hours a day. In 1976 the ferry service was brought back into service by Chichester Harbour Conservancy to join the footpath network and to provide a taxi service for yachtsmen. Today the seasonal ferry takes passengers and bikes between Smugglers Hard and Itchenor Jetty, linking the public footpaths and allowing for a circular walk via Bosham and Fishbourne.
Running times: 0900-1800. Daily 16 May - 30 September. Weekends and bank holidays only 25 March - 11 May and 1 October - 31 October.
For more information see the website:-
www.itchenorferry.co.uk
- Phone
07970 378350
The Itchenor Ferry at Itchenor
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 24th July 2007
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The Itchenor Ferry at Itchenor
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 24th July 2007
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The Itchenor Ferry at Itchenor
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 24th July 2007
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River Arun
Freedom
(Kingfisher Cruises: 2003- )
Kingfisher Cruises
' boat
Freedom
leaves the quay at Littlehamton at 10am on most days (charters permitting - phone 07814 183824 to check) and takes about an hour to sail up the six miles of the River Arun to reach Arundel, where she berths just downriver of the town bridge. She then runs some short trips further upriver until 2pm, when she returns to Littlehampton. Passengers making the return trip from Littlehampton have three hours in Arundel. Further short trips from Littlehampton are then run from 3pm. 2007 is the fifth season of operations from Littlehampton. Both scheduled and charter fish & chips cruises are also available. For more information on scheduled sailings and charters see the Kingfisher Cruises website:-
www.kingfishercruises.com
phone:
07814 183824
Freedom
was built as a Norfolk Broads holiday cruiser for Weald & Sons Cruisers some time between 1968 and 1972. She later spent a period as a house boat in London before moving to Littlehampton around 2000. The current owners
Kingfisher Cruises
acquired her and commenced operations as 12-passenger day boat in 2003. Over the winter 2006/2007
Freedom
was refitted internally, strengthened and given increased buoyancy to receive an MCA certificate for 28 passengers. Whilst largely enclosed, there is a small open area in the bow, plus the panoramic windows and a section of the roof can be opened.
More images of
Freedom
and Kingfisher Cruises
Freedom
at Arundel
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th July 2007
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Freedom
at Arundel
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th July 2007
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Freedom
at Arundel
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th July 2007
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River Rother
Danny Lee
(Bodiam Ferry Company)
The
Bodiam Ferry Company
operates the delightful little
Danny Lee
(24 passengers) along the River Rother between Newenden Bridge and Bodiam Castle.
Danny Lee
is run in association with an adjacent Tea Garden. Cruise & Dine options are also available with the White Heart Inn. Rowing boat hire is also available. The Kent & East Sussex Railway runs in parallel. The Bodiam Ferry Company contact number is:-
01797 253838
email:-
bodiamferry@hotmail.com
web:-
www.bodiam-ferry.co.uk
More Images of the Bodiam Ferry Company
Danny Lee
of the Bodiam Ferry Company at Newenden Bridge
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 6th July 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 6th July 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 6th July 2006
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