The History of the River Severn Ferry

There had a crossing of the River Severn of some kind for many years, but all had finished operating until with the growth of motor traffic a service was re-opened in 1926. Between 1931 and 1966, a ferry service was operated by Enoch Williams of the Old Passage Severn Ferry Company Ltd. Initially, this was only able to transport passengers with bicycles and motorbikes, but, by 1934, the Severn Queen was launched as a car ferry. It was able to carry just 17 cars.

Each car had to turn sharply off the ramp onto the ferry, then be turned on a manually operated turntable before being parked. The process was reversed for unloading. The last ferry crossing occurred on 8 September 1966, the day before the first Severn Bridge opened.

The club had a very interesting and entertaining talk by Tim Ryan about the history of the ferry and in particular about the restoration of  Severn Princess which was the last boat to be used on the ferry between Aust and Beachley before it closed. It was a trip down memory lane for many of us who used the crossing to get to the other side of the river saving a road trip of about 60 miles, despite the long queues that you experienced waiting to get on the boat on both sides of the river. The DVD that Tim showed gave a very vivid picture of what it was like for anyone who had not used the crossing. He also brought along a model of the boat which someone had made showing exactly how she looked in her hay day. They were also given a set of the original plans that were used when she was built.

When the ferry closed the last remaining ferry boat, the Severn Princess, which had been launched in 1959 was sold to a firm in Ireland  for carrying goods of any kind. It became very damaged because it had been run ashore for unloading each time and the hull was so badly damaged that it leaked. It was sailed to Kilkieran in Galway and in a storm was thrown on to the quay.It was found wrecked and abandoned in 1999 by Dr. Richard Jones, the grandson of Enoch Williams. As Galway County Council had put a demolition order on the vessel, a small group of Chepstow residents formed the Severn Princess Restoration Group to save the Severn Princess and return her to England.

The derelict vessel was eventually after a lot of negotiation purchased for a token 1 guinea and temporary repair work started to get the vessel to a state where it could be towed back.

The Severn Princess returned to Beachley in 2003 following a horrific five-day tow, having nearly sunk on it’s journey. For some years the vessel was alongside the Beachley slipway but was eventually moved to the west bank of the River Wye in Chepstow beneath the railway bridge. After some years of delay, during which the condition of the vessel deteriorated further, restoration finally started in 2014.

The first stage of the restoration was helped with the pledge and support from Chepstow-based firm Mabey Bridge Ltd which, as part of its Bridging Time community support programme, donated time, equipment and paint to help stop further deterioration. Mabey Bridge apprentices along with other employees of the company removed the turntable, winch and wheel capstan from the ferry and relocated them to the Mabey Bridge manufacturing facility to be refurbished. Holes were also drilled in the lower hull to drain the ferry of water.

This first phase of restoration was completed on Thursday 11th September 2014 and commemorated with a handover ceremony attended by the Mayor of Chepstow, members of the Severn Princess Restoration Group, and management and apprentices from Mabey Bridge Ltd.

The long term aim of the Severn Princess Restoration Group is to return the vessel to a state where it can sit as a permanent heritage display at the site. The Group has begun the process of clearing the area under the Brunel railway bridge to make the site more attractive to visitors and users of the Wales Coast Path which runs through Chepstow.

The project is very lucky to have the enthusiastic support and work from Tim and his colleagues in the restoration group.

Adrian Hale