The Heyday of Thames Pleasure Steamers

For several generations of Londoners the highlight of each summer was a day trip to the coast aboard a well-loved pleasure steamer. The inter-war years saw some of the finest ever pleasure steamers being built for Thames service and names such as Royal Eagle, Golden Eagle and Crested Eagle became bywords for luxury and speed as they took their passengers to coastal resorts such as Margate, Southend, Ramsgate and Clacton. By the mid-1930s, sleek modern motor vessels were replacing the older paddle steamers. Wartime service took its toll on the London's pleasure steamer fleet but, by the late 1940s, favourite old vessels returned and were joined by wonderful replacement vessels for wartime losses. By the 1950s, the Thames fleet was truly magnificent and it seemed that the peacetime queues of passengers would last. But, by the 1960s, it was all more or less over as the motor car became the preferred mode of getting to the seaside.