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Woolwich Ferry, River Thames, London
From
1866 until 1897 the Great Eastern Railway operated the Blackwall to
Greenwich ferry in east London following the leasing of the local
railway line from the London & Blackwall Railway Company (who had
operated a fleet of steamers on the river) and also assumed operation
of the Woolwich ferry from 1868 to 1908 by which time a free service
had been inaugurated by the newly-established London County Council.
The Blackwall ferries ended with the opening of the tunnel in
1897 but the Woolwich ferries have continued in the absence of a road
tunnel (a pedestrian tunnel runs at this point and a recent extension
to the Docklands Light Railway now duplicates the ferry run)
Great Eastern Railway
Middlesex (1879-1908, sold for conversion to a sailing ship)
Woolwich (1890-1908, sold for use on the Queensferry Crossing, Firth of Forth)
London County Council
Gordon (1889-1923)
Duncan (1889-1931)
Hutton (1893-1922)
Gordon (1923-1963)
Squires (1923-1963)
Will Crooks (1930-1963)
John Benn (1930-1963)
Return to
Historical Database