Description

Chris Handley. Softcover large format. Millstream 2001

The exploits of the Somerset & Dorset Railway’s maritime interests have taken a back seat for far too long. The story of their ships plays a full and exciting part in the railway’s history, with a fleet including paddle steamers, screw steamships and ketches in a fascinating montage where rail met sea. For nearly a century from the 1850s, the ports of Burnham and Highbridge saw a wide variety of shipping: regular ferry services to and from Cardiff, linking by rail and sea across the English Channel for excursions to Paris, coasters bringing rails and coal from South Wales to Somerset, Baltic traders unloading vast quantities of Scandinavian timber, and much more besides. This book is the product of 30 years of research by Chris Handley, a well-known historian of the Somerset & Dorset, and is illustrated with over 130 photographs, maps, plans, posters and drawings.