PS ''Tattershall Castle'' is a floating

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and restaurant moored on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfa ...

. It was a passenger ferry across the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary betw ...

estuary from 1934 to 1973, before being towed to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1976.

History

William Gray & Company William Gray & Company Ltd. was a British shipbuilding company located in West Hartlepool, County Durham, in North East England. Founded in 1863 by John Denton and William Gray as a partnership, it became a private and then a public limited compa ...

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

built the ship as a passenger ferry on the

for the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At tha ...

(LNER). She was launched on 24 September 1934. She plied the

Humber Ferry The Humber Ferry was a ferry service on the Humber between Kingston upon Hull and New Holland in Lincolnshire which operated until the completion of the Humber Bridge in 1981. History The Norse-derived names of North Ferriby and South Ferr ...

route between Corporation Pier in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from ...

, Yorkshire, and New Holland Pier in

New Holland, Lincolnshire New Holland is a village, civil parish and port on the Humber estuary in North Lincolnshire, England. In 2001 it had a population of 955, increasing marginally to 970 at the 2011 census. History New Holland was established in the early 19th-cen ...

. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

she was a tether for

barrage balloon A barrage balloon is a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult. Early barr ...

s and ferried troops and supplies along the River Humber. Due to the frequent heavy fogs on this river, she was fitted with

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, becoming one of the first civilian ships so equipped. After the war, with the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, she became part of

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...

Sealink Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland. Ports served by the company included: Dover, Folkest ...

service. In 1973, after long service as a passenger and goods ferry, she was retired and laid up. In 1976 the ship was towed to

. Repairs on the ship were deemed too costly and she was retired from service. The opening of the Humber Bridge made the ferry service redundant. ''Tattershall Castle'' was first opened on the

as a floating art gallery until her eventual disposal to the

Chef & Brewer The Chef & Brewer collection is a collection of over 140 licensed pub restaurants in the United Kingdom, owned by the Greene King subsidiary, the Spirit Pub Company. They provide more upmarket pub food, specials and cask ales and a number of the ...

group. Before opening in 1982 as a restaurant, she was sent to the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance ...

for further repairs. ''Tattershall Castle'' returned temporarily to Hull for a refit at MMS Ship Repair in 2015, at a cost of several million pounds. A sister ship also launched in 1934, the , is preserved at

Hartlepool's Maritime Experience The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) is a maritime exposition and visitor attraction in Hartlepool, County Durham, Northern England. The concept of the attraction is the thematic re-creation of an 18th-century seaport, in the time of L ...

. A third similar Humber ferry, the , built in 1940, was scrapped in Autumn 2010. PS Tattershall Castle Mars 2014

References

External links

Official websitePS ''Tattershall Castle'' at thisishartlepool.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tattershall Castle Pubs in the City of Westminster Tourist attractions in London Ferries of England Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Tees 1934 ships Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster Ships of British Rail Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels Victoria Embankment Floating restaurants