Kingswear Castle Britain's last steam powered river paddle steamer
1924 - 2024
Sail on
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle completed her 2023 season at the end of September. Thank you to all who have sailed on her during 2023 as well as those who have donated to our ongoing rebuild appeal.
Kingswear Castle is operated on behalf of the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.
Click on the button below to visit the operator’s website.
History of
Kingswear Castle
Built in 1924 for service on the River Dart in Devon between Dartmouth and Totnes, Kingswear Castle was withdrawn in 1965.
Purchased by volunteers in 1967 who painstakingly restored her to operating condition over ten years, entering service on the Medway and the Thames in 1985.
In 2012 she returned home to the Dart.
Support
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild. We are continuing to fund raise for the second phase.
Find out how you can help with this to secure her future for the next twenty five years.
For information and enquiries regarding tickets, timetables and sailing updates please visit the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company website www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk or call 01803 555 872.
16th March 2024:
Online Tickets Now Available
Tickets are now available online for KC’s three 2024 Fund Raising trips in June, August and September. All proceeds of these sailings go directly to the Rebuild Appeal. For more
20th September 2023:
Waverley at Ipswich
Waverley is scheduled to make her first trip from Ipswich for 20 years on Saturday 23rd September with a second trip now scheduled for Thursday 5th October. Sailing down the
17th September 2023:
Waverley at Shoreham
There was a buzz of excitement at Shoreham Port on Wednesday 13th September as Waverley arrived for her inaugural cruise from the Port. Around 650 passengers joined the ship for
John Megoran recalls the heyday and decline paddle steamers, particularly the Weymouth based paddle steamers that he grew up with. He did not know then that he would go on to help restore, manage and be principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years.
29th March 1955:
Cosens’s AGM
Cosens & Co Limited held their Annual General Meeting at 12.15pm on Tuesday 29th March 1955 in the company’s board room in their office in Weymouth at which they presented
28th March 1948:
Embassy
28th March 1948 was Easter Sunday and Cosens’s Embassy was ready to start her season. However it was not a nice day with wind and general murk so she stayed
25th March 1967:
Caledonia
Easter was early in 1967 and the weather terrible with wind, rain and heavy seas. Although both Waverley and Caledonia were rostered to be out from 24th to the 27th March, passenger
27th March 1960:
Princess Elizabeth
On Sunday 27th March 1960 Princess Elizabeth was in a mud berth at Northam, a suburb of Southampton, being prepared for a new career running excursions from Torquay. In 1958 Red Funnel
The latest threefour of 0 paddle steamer orientated articles produced monthly by John Megoran, author, manager and principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years on both the Medway and Thames as well as the River Dart.
March 2024:
Sirius Crosses the Atlantic
The paddle steamer Sirius is credited as being the first ship to cross the Atlantic under continuous steam power in 1838 the voyage taking fifteen days and ten hours. The
February 2024:
Talisman’s Last Summers
Between 1954 and 1966 Talisman spent her summers primarily running the ferry connections between Millport, Largs, Wemyss Bay and Rothesay. Yes she occasionally filled in for other steamers elsewhere sometimes
January 2024:
Embassy Replacement
Capt H F “Harry” Defrates was a keen exponent of paddle steamer preservation in the 1960s and was in the forefront of trying to find new lives for both Princess
December 2023:
Ryde & Sandown 1964
By 1964 British Railways still needed two paddle steamers Sandown and Ryde to provide extra capacity on busy summer Saturdays for their Portsmouth/Ryde route augmenting the capacity of their three