The Great Western Railway's ships operated in connection with the company's trains to provide services to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Powers were granted by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

for the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

(GWR) to operate ships in 1871. The following year the company took over the ships operated by Ford and Jackson on the route between Wales and Ireland. Services were operated between Weymouth, the Channel Islands and France on the former Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Packet Company routes. Smaller GWR vessels were also used as tenders at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

and on ferry routes on the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

and River Dart. The railway also operated tugs and other craft at their docks in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and South West

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...

, the GWR's chief engineer, envisaged the railway linking London with the United States of America. He was responsible for designing three large ships, the (1837), (1843; now preserved at

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

), and (1858). The plans for the

transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film), ...

routes from Bristol failed to materialise but the ships found other uses. Although they were never owned by the Great Western Railway Company, several shareholders and officers of the railway also had interests in the ships. The company's first vessels were two tugs working on the River Dee that were acquired with the

Shrewsbury and Chester Railway The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, under the title ...

in 1854. Two years later a service between

Neyland Neyland is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The Cleddau Bridge carrying the A477 links Pembroke Dock with Neyland. Etymology The name of the town is ...

and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

was established in connection with the railway. This was operated by Ford and Jackson until 1 February 1872 when they were transferred to the railway company under powers obtained by the Great Western Railway (Steam Vessels) Act of 13 July 1871. The Act also allowed operation to the

and France. These services were eventually provided from Weymouth, although the French services were only operated on a regular basis from 1878 to 1885. After this only cargo services were provided, often on a seasonal basis. The Channel Islands services were operated for the GWR by the Weymouth and Channel Island Steam Packet Company until August 1889 when the railway took on the operation of the route. Meanwhile, the New Passage Ferry of the River Severn had become a GWR service when the

Bristol and South Wales Union Railway The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester. The ferry w ...

was

amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

in 1868. Another operation taken over by the GWR was the Plymouth Great Western Docks in 1876. The South Devon Railway Company held the majority of shares in the docks and was itself amalgamated with the GWR early in 1876. The docks used a fleet of tenders to land passengers and mails from transatlantic liners moored off-shore; the lighters also operated excursions to coastal towns in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. Some cargo services were later operated form Plymouth to

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

in France. Also in Devon, in 1901 the GWR took over the

Dartmouth Passenger Ferry The Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat company, is a passenger ferry that crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmout ...

that linked

Kingswear railway station Kingswear railway station is the terminus of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, England. It is situated in the centre of Kingswear, on the shores of the River Dart opposite Dartmouth. The station has level access t ...

with

Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to: Places * Dartmouth, Devon, England ** Dartmouth Harbour * Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States * Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada * Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia Institutions * Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...

. The GWR also acquired a large shareholding in the

West Cornwall Railway The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Pen ...

which itself owned a part of the

West Cornwall Steam Ship Company The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established in 1870 to operate ferry services between Penzance, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly. It became the West Cornwall Steamship Company in 1907 and was wound up in 1917. History The company wa ...

; GWR ships were occasionally used on its route from

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

On 30 August 1906 the GWR's Welsh terminal was moved to a new harbour at Fishguard. It was hoped that transatlantic liners would also call ''en route'' to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

but few did, Liverpool being forsaken for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

within a few years but this increased the number of liner calls at Plymouth. A similar change saw Rosslare become the principal railway harbour on the other side of

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

although some services were still provided to Waterford. This work was undertaken in a joint venture with the

Great Southern and Western Railway The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the ...

of Ireland known as the

Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the ...

. Although it had a reputation as the "Great Way Round", the GWR opened several new lines to shorten its traditional main lines to the ports. The Severn Tunnel opened in 1886 to avoid a lengthy detour via

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, although this saw the end of the company's ferry service across the River Severn. Further improvements to the route between London Paddington station and Neyland came in 1903 when the

South Wales and Bristol Direct Railway The Badminton railway line is a railway line opened in 1903 by the Great Western Railway between the Great Western Main Line at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire and Patchway and Filton, north of Bristol, England. Forming the eastern section of the ...

bypassed the congestion around , and again in 1913 when the Swansea District Lines allowed trains to avoid . In the meantime, trains to Weymouth had been speeded up following the opening of the Stert and Westbury Railway in 1900, and the special trains carrying passengers and mails off the transatlantic liners at Plymouth used this and the Langport and Castle Cary Railway which opened in 1906. The

Railways Act 1921 The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...

brought a number of additional railway companies into the GWR, several of which operated docks and several had small vessels operating in these. The companies concerned were the

Barry Railway The Barry Railway Company was a railway and docks company in South Wales, first incorporated as the ''Barry Dock and Railway Company'' in 1884. It arose out of frustration among Rhondda coal owners at congestion and high charges at Cardiff Dock ...

Cardiff Railway From 1839 the Trustees of the Marquis of Bute, operated a large dock operation in Cardiff, the "Bute Docks". This was very successful, but was overwhelmed by the huge volume of coal exported through Cardiff. At the same time it was seen that ra ...

Taff Vale Railway The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stag ...

Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway The Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway (ADR) was a company formed in 1882 from the former Newport Dock Company of 1865. There was considerable demand for dock accommodation in Newport, South Wales, chiefly for the export or co ...

, Port Talbot Railway and Docks and the Swansea Harbour Trust. The GWR was nationalised on 1 January 1948 to become part of

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

but the shipping services continued much the same as before for several years.

Sea-going ships

River ferries

* ''Chepstow'' (1874–1890) 188 tons :A new paddle steamer was delivered to the New Passage Ferry in 1874. She was made redundant by the new Severn Tunnel railway line at the end of 1886. She was sold to a

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

owner who converted her to screw propulsion and renamed her ''Rover''.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 187. * ''Christopher Thomas'' (1868–1890) 168 tons :Named after the company’s chairman, this paddle steamer was built for the

by Henderson, Coulborn and Company at Renfrew in 1854. She was transferred to the GWR when the B&SWUR was amalgamated ten years later, she was redundant after 1886. * (1901–1908) 61 tons :This paddle steamer had been built in 1869 by Harveys of Hayle for the to service and was transferred to the GWR when the railway took on its operation. On 7 March 1902 she conveyed

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

to Dartmouth to lay the foundation stone of the Britannia Royal Naval College. For this duty she was fitted with a carpet, curtains, a table and upholstered chairs. * ''Ferry No. 2'' (1922–1947) 8 tons :A small ferry used on Bute Docks at Cardiff, acquired with the

.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), pages 381–3. * ''Ilton Castle'' (1927 – ca.1930) 53 tons :Originally built in 1906, this paddle steamer came to the GWR from March and Southwood of

Salcombe Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of ...

and was used for excursions from Salcombe.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 199. * ''Kenwith Castle'' (1927–1932) 53 tons :Built in 1914 for the Kingsbridge ferry, this paddle steamer came to the GWR from March and Southwood of Salcombe and was used for excursions from Salcombe. She was sold to the Tamar Transport Company who sold her in 1935 to the Millbrook Steamboat and Trading Company at Plymouth who operated her on the Millbrook Ferry as the ''Whitsand Castle''. * (1908–1947) 117 tons :A replacement vessel for the Dartmouth ferry, she was built at Falmouth and was a familiar sight on the service for 47 years until withdrawn by British Railways on 8 October 1954.

Tugs and work boats

A to M

* ''Archibald Hood'' (1922–1947) 164 tons :A

tug, built in 1898 at Falmouth, she served with British Railways until 1950. * ''Armine'' (1899–1936) 7 tons :A small,

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

-built 13-year-old launch added to the Weymouth fleet in 1899. She was mainly used to move coaling barges around the harbour but held a certificate for 12 passengers. The last coal-fired vessel at Weymouth, the ''Great Western'' (1902) left in 1932 and the ''Armine'' was sold in September 1936 for conversion to a motor boat. * ''Baron Glanely'' (1946–1947) :See ''Lord Glanely''. * ''Basingstoke'' (1920 - ?) 402 tons :A double-grab excavator-dredger purchased from the London and South Western Railway. * ''Beaufort'' (1923 – ?) 119 tons :A former Swansea Harbour Trustees vessel.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 198. * ''Bruce'' (1922 - ?) 141 tons :A dredger at Alexandra Docks, Newport. * ''Clevedon'' (1876–1886) 167 tons :A paddle steamer used around

by the

Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with ...

from 1875. * ''Cymro'' (1854 – ca.1881) 70 tons :A wooden paddle tug acquired with the

. She was launched in 1826 and taken out of service sometime after 1878. * ''David Davies'' (1925–1947) 962 tons :A bucket dredger for Barry Docks. * ''Don Frederico'' (1923–1947) 481 tons :A Swansea Harbour Trustees dredger. * ''The Earl'' (1922 – ca. 1931) 101 tons :A former

tug. * ''The Earl'' (1931–1947) 148 tons :A replacement tug for Cardiff. * ''Emily Charlotte'' (1922–1933) 122 tons :A tug acquired with Port Talbot docks. * ''Foremost 27'' (1925–1947) 512 tons :A self-powered hopper barge used at Cardiff Docks. * ''Francis Gilbertson'' (1928–1947) 275 tons :A grab dredger used at Bristol Channel ports. * ''Horace'' (1922–1947) 141 tons :A tug at Alexandra Docks, Newport. * ''Lady Tredegar'' (1922–1947) 105 tons :A tug at Alexandra Docks, Newport. * ''Lord Glanely'' (1927–1946) 156 tons :A tug for use at Cardiff, she was renamed ''Baron Glanely'' on his lordship’s elevation in 1946. * ''Manxman'' (1891 – ca.1897) 56 tons :A tug for the River Dee at

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, built at Middlesbrough by R Craggs and Son.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 191. * ''Mudeford'' (1924–1947) 232 tons :A grab dredger for Cardiff docks.

N to Z

* ''Palmerston'' (1883 - ?) 109 tons :Originally built in 1864, she was purchased from the Dover Harbour Board and normally worked in West Wales. * ''Porteur No. 5'' (1899 – ?) :A small ship for the Fishguard and Rosslare works. * ''Robert Vassall'' (1922–1947) 317 tons :A bucket-dredger acquired with the

.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 197. * ''St Baruch'' (1922–1947) 177 tons :A tug built at Falmouth in 1916 for the

. * ''Sir Ernest Palmer'' (1924–1947) 753 tons :A self-powered hopper barge used at Cardiff Docks. * ''Sir Henry Mather Jackson'' (1924–1947) 735 tons :A self-powered hopper barge used at Cardiff Docks. * ''Sir John R. Wright'' (1921–1938) 95 tons :A tug stationed at Fishguard. * ''Swansea'' (1923–1947) 147 tons :A former Swansea Harbour Trustees tug. * ''Test'' (1854 – ?) :A wooden paddle tug acquired with the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway in 1854; she was withdrawn from service in the 1880s.Duckworth and Langmuir (1968), page 184. * ''Thames'' (1886–1903) 103 tons :This tug was twenty years old when she came into Great Western ownership. * ''Trusty'' (1923–1947) 148 tons :A former Swansea Harbour Trustees tug. * ''Viscount Churchill'' (1924–1947) 735 tons :A self-powered hopper barge used at Cardiff Docks. * ''Voltaic'' (1896–1900) 580 tons :Built in 1867, this steamer was the first owned by the Fishguard and Rosslare Harbours and Railways Company and was employed by them on a service from Bristol to

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

. * ''Weston'' (1876–1885) 166 tons :A paddle steamer built for the

in 1875 for use around Bristol. * ''Windsor'' (1932–1947) 150 tons :A tug for use at Barry Docks.

Liveries

Hulls were painted black with red below the waterline; from 1889 to 1914 there was a white band at main deck level. Paddle-boxes and upper works were buff coloured, funnel red, and the company's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was carried on the bow. Fishguard and Rosslare vessels were similar but had brown, later white, upper works. The flag was white with narrow red bands at top and bottom.

References

{{Reflist