Woolwich Free Ferry
1884 After conducting a survey, the Metropolitan Board of Works agreed to provide a free ferry across The Thames.
1887 Messrs Mowlem and Co were awarded contracts to build approaches, bridges and pontoons.
1889 The free ferry opened on 23 March with a celebration attended by locals and by members of the newly formed London County Council, the local MP and other dignitaries.
Initially there was only one boat, the Gordon, but the crowds poured on board to take advantage of the first free trips across the river. The Great Eastern Railway Company carried 25,000 people to its North Woolwich terminus that weekend, most of whom were intent on riding the ferry.
By 1893 three paddle steamers - the Gordon, the Duncan and the Hutton - weighed 490 gross tonnes, 60 feet wide and 164 feet long, were sharing the duty. They were capable of eight knots and were licensed to carry 1,000 passengers with room for 15 to 20 vehicles.
1905 In the year 1905 the ferry carried 54 million passengers, as well as over half a million vehicles. Since it began (in 1889) the ferry has ...[1]
From 1922 to 1930 these steamers were replaced by four similar paddle steamers - the Squires, the Gordon, the Will Crooks and the John Benn. These new vessels were larger, weighing 625 tonnes and were 166 feet in length and 44 feet wide.
However the paddle steamers loaded at the side, so getting large motor vehicles on and off was a long and complicated process. Such vehicles were difficult to stow, fewer of them could be carried and there were long delays at the terminals.
1963 The third series of ferry ships, motor ships, replaced the paddle steamers. They were more suited for the increased weight of motor traffic. These diesel-propelled boats loaded from the end, speeding up the process. A new causeway was also built on either side of the river with hinged traffic bridges to make loading and offloading easier.
2019 Transport for London replaced the diesel ships with modern, low-emission boats. These have increased capacity, cycle-specific facilities and use a quieter, low-emission engine.
The Woolwich Free Ferry (London County Council).[2]
The Woolwich Free Ferry of the London County Council for the conveyance of passengers and vehicles was opened for public use on 23rd March, 1889. A regular nine minutes service is maintained between North and South Woolwich from 5-0 a.m. until midnight. The ferry boats employed are of ungainly appearance, and their action reminds one of a crab, only for a short distance in midstream do they progress as other vessels. Most of the 1,050 feet journey is accomplished by side-way kicks of their paddle wheels as they push off from or sidle up to the pontoons. The sidling is accomplished with such accuracy that the four hydraulically controlled fallbridges can be lowered immediately into place for the passengers and vehicles to embark and disembark.
The average number of vehicles carried is about 16,000 a week, which is rather less than 2,290 a day, including Sundays. The ferry boats can carry 100 tons of vehicles, on one ordinary occasion the author counted 5 delivery vans, 2 large 15-ton lorries, 3 horse-drawn coal carts, 2 petrol wagons, 8 private motor cars, several pedal cycles and 5 motor cycles.
The machinery of these boats consists of two entirely independent sets of simple condensing engines, each with two opposed cylinders working its paddle entirely independently. They have a speed of 8.5 knots when the river conditions permit them to utilise it.
The fleet at the present time (1949) consists of four vessels: (with the first three withdrawn)—
The GORDON made the initial trip when Lord Rosebery declared the ferry open to the public; it was the first free ferry in England. Needless to say the ferry was a boon to the school boys at Woolwich on half holidays not excluding the author.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Morning Leader 04 January 1907
- ↑ 'Steamers of the Thames and Medway' by Frank Burtt