The Rownham Ferry was a boat service across the River Avon in

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 ...

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 ...

. It began operations by the twelfth century and ceased in 1932 after the construction of bridges across the river.

Description

The Rownham Ferry crossed the River Avon at the southern end of the

Avon Gorge The Avon Gorge () is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the r ...

, between

Bower Ashton Bower Ashton is a small district in south west Bristol on the western boundary with North Somerset, lying within the Southville, Bristol, Southville ward, approximately two miles from the city centre. Ashton Court estate, a recreational area ow ...

on the western side of the river and

Hotwells Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects the docks ...

on the east. The ferry was in operation by the 12th century, and may have previously been a fording point at low tide. The original endpoints were two inns - the New Inn in Bower Ashton and the Rownham Tavern in Hotwells. In the early 16th century a second ferry service was established in competition to that run by St Augustine's Abbey (now

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

). The case was heard in the

star chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judic ...

. Around 1600, the ferry is marked on

John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...

's maps as "Rounam Pasage" or "Rownam Passage". In 1793 the ferry was identified as being used by many passengers to "cross the river at Rownham ferry and walk to the sweet and wholesome village of Ashton to eat strawberries and cream". When the

Portishead Railway The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated ...

was built in 1866, the ferry became popular with users of

Clifton Bridge railway station Clifton Bridge railway station is a former railway station in the Bower Ashton district of Bristol, England, near the River Avon. It was opened in 1867 by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company as a single platform stop along t ...

. The ferry was moved in 1873 due to the expansion of Cumberland Basin, with new

slipway A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

s built on both sides of the river. At low tide, the crossing was a bridge of boats rather than a ferry. The toll was 1d, due to the tidal nature of the crossing and the need to clean the slipways of mud after each high tide. The ferry ceased operation on 31 December 1932. The slipways are still occasionally visible at low tide.

References

{{Coord, 51.4480, -2.6248, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Transport in Bristol Ferries of England 1932 disestablishments in England 12th-century establishments in England