Kingswear Castle Paddle Steamer - become a supporter

Kingswear Castle Paddle Steamer 

By now there can be very few people in Dartmouth who are unaware of the return of the historic paddle steamer Kingswear Castle to service on the river. Many, however, will know little of the epic story behind her survival.

Kingswear Castle was the last of a long line of paddle steamers built to operate between Dartmouth and Totnes. Launched in 1924 by Philips shipyard at Noss, she inherited a set of 1904 steam engines from her predecessor whose hulk can still be seen on the riverbank at Fleet Mill. By the 1960s, however, steam was out of fashion and the ageing paddle steamers were gradually replaced by modern, more economical motor ships.  Kingswear Castle made her last trip to Totnes in August 1965 and was  laid up in Old Mill Creek to await her fate.

Just as an undignified end at the hands of the ship breakers seemed inevitable, the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (P.S.P.S.)stepped in. The society had been formed in 1959 at a time when paddle steamers were fast  disappearing from British waters, with the aim of preserving one or more vessels in sailing condition, educating the public into the significance of paddle steamers  in the Nation’s maritime heritage and building up a core collection of steamer-related material.  

In June 1967 the P.S.P.S. purchased the old ship which left the Dart for the Isle of Wight where she was placed on charter to the proprietors  of a marina on the River Medina. Unfortunately the charterers did not undertake the promised work so, in 1971, Kingswear Castle was towed to the River Medway in Kent  where a dedicated team of volunteers spent the next thirteen years undertaking her restoration.

By 1984 she was back in steam carrying small groups on local cruises, and in 1985 she was granted a full passenger certificate and returned to commercial operation.

For the next 27 years she was based at the Historic Dockyard at Chatham, running an imaginative  selection of public sailings on the Medway, and the Thames Estuary to London, Southend and elsewhere. Her small professional crew and band of loyal volunteers ensured that she was wonderfully maintained and over the years she received a new boiler, bottom plates, and many other renewals.

Towards the end of 2012 an exciting and innovative an agreement was reached to return the ship to the Dart - the river for which she was designed and built - under long term charter to the Dart Steam Railway & Riverboat Co. who will operate and maintain her.  The ship remains the property of one of the P.S.P.S. ‘s associated charitable companies, and the society is now very keen to expand its local membership.

Members receive numerous benefits including 20% discount on Kingswear Castle , 2 free childrens’  tickets per year for use on board KC  or the society’s other ship the magnificent sea-going paddler Waverley, a quarterly magazine, regular regional meetings and much more.  

Membership leaflets may be obtained from all DSR&RBco ticket outlets, the museum and TIC or details obtained on line at www.paddlesteamers.org.  Why not join up and play your part in ensuring Kingswear Castle’s long and happy future?

The story of the Kingswear Castle is told in a new book available from the Dartmouth Community Bookshop.

First published May/June 2013 By the Dart