The Citizen Steamboat Company was started in 1846, with an up-river service to Chelsea and Kew, to run in competition with the Iron Steamboat Co. Later they ran to piers below London Bridge. The new Company had the largest fleet of steamboats on the Thames with the exception of the Woolwich Steam Packet Company, and was the last steamboat company to be formed on the London river until the formation of the London Steamboat Company in 1876. Furthermore, it retained its individuality until the advent of the London Steamboat Company.
The boats were built of iron, having flush decks with below-deck cabins fore and aft. They were painted black, had tall black funnels with two red bands a little way down from the top which was bell-mouthed with fancy work. The Citizen boats were identified alphabetically, as CITIZEN A, CITIZEN B, and so on, from A to S omitting I; on the paddleboxes were the City Arms with a large capital letter, and on the inner or deck side of the paddlebox they were named after various City Guilds, such as HABERDASHER, FISHMONGER, LORINER, MERCER, LEATHER-SELLER, SPECTACLE-MAKER, etc. A contemporary reference to CITIZEN E describes her as “ flat bottomed.”
In 1876, the boats of the Citizen Company with those of the Iron Steamboat and the London & Westminster Companies became merged into the London Steamboat Company.
1865 Amalgamated with the Woolwich Steam Packet Co
1876 The London Steamboat Co acquired most of the vessels.
Steamers
- PS Citizen A
- PS Citizen B
- PS Citizen C
- PS Citizen D
- PS Citizen E
- PS Citizen F
- PS Citizen G
- PS Citizen H
- PS Citizen J
- PS Citizen K
- PS Citizen L
- PS Citizen M
- PS Citizen N
- PS Citizen O
- PS Citizen P
- PS Citizen Q
- PS Citizen R
- PS Citizen S