Dartmouth Lower Ferry crossing towards Dartmouth

The Dartmouth Lower Ferry is a vehicular and passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

which crosses the

River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

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 ...

. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth to

Kingswear Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth. It lies within ...

, the others being the Higher Ferry and the

Passenger Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

. The long

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...

crosses the Dart on either the Lower or Passenger ferries. Unlike the Higher Ferry, which operates somewhat to the north of the centres of Dartmouth and Kingswear, the Lower Ferry operates from slips directly in the centre of both places. This is more convenient for local traffic, but means the traffic must negotiate the narrow streets of Kingswear village. The ferry is owned and operated by the

South Hams District Council South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

. It is operated by unpowered ferry pontoons, carrying up to 8 cars each. Each ferry pontoon is pushed and pulled by a

tug boat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

and, when traffic demands, two such ferry/tug combinations are used in service at the same time. On 30 May 2012 one pontoon and tug was deployed as the venue for an unusual

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

street party.

History

There are records of a "Kingswear Ferry" as early as 1365. By the 18th century, a second ferry was sailing from Hoodown on the Kingswear side, upstream from Waterhead Creek, which had an easier approach than the steep

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 ...

in the village square. The

Dartmouth and Torbay Railway The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway Company, South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway. Most of the ...

was authorised by its 1857

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 ...

Dartmouth and Torbay Railway Act 1857 (20 & 21 Vict. c. ciii) to establish a steam ferry across the Dart from its station and agreed to purchase the ferries, although the Hoodown Ferry was discontinued in 1864 after the opening of the railway. The remaining Kingswear Ferry was leased out by the railway to a succession of local operators. In addition to the rowing boat that operated from Kingswear, a "horse boat" was operated that could convey a horse and cart. A steam ferry supplemented the rowed ferry in April 1867, and this could tow the horse boat when required. A new steam ferry, the ''Forester'', was brought into use in 1878. The rowing boat finally ceased operation in 1915 when the ''Relief'' was introduced. In the 1920s the railway sold the ferry rights to Dartmouth Corporation.

References

External links

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Ferry schedule and charges

Video and additional pictures
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{{River Dart Water Transport Water transport in Devon Ferry transport in England Dartmouth, Devon River Dart Industrial archaeological sites in Devon

History

See also

References

External links