Hammerton's Ferry is a pedestrian and cycle ferry service across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 ...

. The ferry links the river's northern bank near

Marble Hill House Marble Hill House is a Neo-Palladian villa, now Grade I listed, in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was built between 1724 and 1729 as the home of Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, who lived there until her ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

with its southern bank near

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan cou ...

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

. It is one of only four remaining ferry routes in London not to be replaced by a bridge or tunnel.

Historical background

Although ferries (and later bridges) had crossed the river to the east at Richmond since 1459 and to the west at

Eel Pie Island Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above the only lock on the Tideway and is accessible by boat or from the left (generally ...

since at least 1652, the lands to the south of the river at this point had historically been privately held by the

Tollemache family The Tollemache family (also historically spelt Talmach or Tallemache) is an English noble family, originally from Suffolk. The family's surname is pronounced . Members of the family have had a significant impact on the economy and politics of E ...

(owners of Ham House) and were off limits to the public. Consequently, despite the distance from the nearest crossings there was little demand for cross-river services at this location. Additionally, the Tollemache family had licensing rights for the Twickenham Ferry at Eel Pie Island (sometimes known as Dysart's ferry after the family), and consequently had little interest in promoting a competing service. The Twickenham Ferry is a setting for some action in ''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Walter Hammerton

In 1901

on the north bank of the Thames and the surrounding park were purchased for public use and in 1902 the footpath on the southern bank near

became a public right of way by Act of Parliament, resulting in increased passenger traffic in the area. In 1908 local resident Walter Hammerton began hiring out boats to leisure users from a boathouse opposite Marble Hill House, and in 1909 began to operate a regular ferry service across the river at this point using a 12-passenger clinker-built

skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have deve ...

, charging 1d per journey.

Legal challenge

In 1913, William Champion and Lord Dysart, operators of the nearby Twickenham Ferry, took legal action against Hammerton to remove his right to operate the ferry. Although Hammerton won the initial case, the judgment was reversed on appeal. Following considerable public interest in the case, a public subscription raised the funds for Hammerton to take the case to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, who ruled in his favour on 23 July 1915. The legal case resulted in considerable publicity for Hammerton, culminating in the release of the song "The Ferry to Fairyland" celebrating the case. ("Fairyland", in this case, referring to Marble Hill House, recently purchased by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

for public enjoyment.) In 1947 Hammerton retired after 38 years of operating the ferry, leaving the ferry and boathouse to Sandy Scott. The business had been given a royal warrant in the early 20th century, which Hammerton kept in the family even after the ferry and boathouse were under new management. The drummer Phil Collins is the grandson of the original proprietor, Walter Hammerton, and is said to be in possession of the original warrant.

Current operation

The ferry is currently owned by Francis Spencer and operated by Stan Rust. The current ferry, ''Peace of Mind'', was designed and built by Thanetcraft Limited in South Wales in 1997. Hammerton's original wooden skiff is now on display at the

Museum of London Docklands The Museum of London Docklands (formerly known as Museum in Docklands), based in West India Quay, explains the history of the River Thames, the growth of Port of London and the docks historical link to the Atlantic slave trade. The museum is pa ...

. The ferry currently operates between a floating boathouse on the north bank of the Thames and on the south bank, a rudimentary

jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying some ...

used at high tide and a set of stairs in the embankment used at low tide. The boathouse is also in use as a private

mooring A mooring is any permanent structure to which a vessel may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to forestall free movement of the ship on the water. An ''an ...

for leisure craft. Weather permitting, the ferry operates on weekends year-round, and weekdays between February and October. As well as the ferry service, rowboats,

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

s and

motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...

s can also be hired from the boathouse. In July 2007 the ferry briefly made headlines when owner Francis Spencer saved from drowning a woman found floating in the Thames. After the rescue, the woman left the scene and was never identified. The ferry is just downstream of the finish line of the

Great River Race The Great River Race is an annual competition held on the River Thames for any traditional-style coxed boat propelled by oars or paddles. The date of the race for 2022 has been set for the 10th September The competition was started in 1988 ...

and is on the course of the Twickenham Regatta. As the ferry has right of way over rowed craft, the races have to be carefully timed to ensure that the ferry does not interfere with their running.

Image gallery

Image:Hammerton's Ferry south pier.jpg, View across the river from the Ham side, showing the wooden jetty and the private boats moored at the boathouse on the north bank Image:Hammerton's Ferry casting off.jpg, The ferry departing from the north bank Image:Hammerton's Ferry northbound from s bank.jpg, The ferry running empty from the south to north bank to collect passengers Image:Hammerton's Ferry north pier.jpg, The boathouse on the north bank Image:Hammerton's Ferry moored.jpg, ''Peace of Mind'' moored at the boathouse

References

External links

Official website
*
{{LB Richmond 1909 establishments in England Ham, London River Thames ferries Transport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Twickenham