British Paddle Streamers the Twilight Years

In the aftermath of the Second World War paddle steamers in Britain initially did rather well, with four new ones built between 1946 and 1953 and about sixty still in service nationwide. By 1955 this tide of optimism had turned and from then on it was downhill all the way. In almost every subsequent year, one or two paddle steamers were withdrawn. Sometimes it was five or six. By the late 1960s, only a handful remained operational and, of these, all bar one owed their continued existence to their usefulness as people movers on the Clyde, Humber or Solent rather than for excursions. Some, like Freshwater, Princess Elizabeth, Consul and Jeanie Deans, enjoyed temporary new careers on services previously abandoned by their long-standing owners. A few like Medway Queen, Compton Castle and Caledonia became nightclubs, cafes or bars. Most ended up under the scrap-dealer's torch.