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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
Thames
Estuary, River Medway, Kent, Essex and East Anglia Coast, England,
U.K.
Mr E Kingsman
An entrepreneur
from Clacton, Mr Kingsman saw the opportunity of reviving services to
the Essex piers by obtaining the assets of the failed Coast
Development Corporation from its liquidators. In 1920 he was able to
run a London-Walton service with London Belle and Great
Yarmouth-Walton connecting service with Walton Belle under charter
from the liquidators.
The following year he had purchased most of the asets of the former
company including five piers. In 1922, the vessels were sold to the
PSM Syndicate and other assets except Clacton pier also disposed
of.
On the demise of the Syndicate after the 1929 season, Mr Kingsman
purchased Southend Belle and renamed her Laguna Belle and ran her on
a Clacton service from 1930 until 1935, after which she was sold to
the General Steam Navigation
Company.
Walton
Belle
Yarmouth Belle
Southend Belle / Laguna
Belle
Clacton Belle
London
Belle
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River Thames
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