never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
I think it closed some time ago. Royal Standard offers entertainment for men but is fairly dodgy.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
There is nothing worthy of note on the wrong side of the river.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
The landlord is a Gillingham fan, lives in the caravan.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
The landlord is a Gillingham fan, lives in the caravan.
Lives in the second much smaller caravan and rents the other one out to his cousins mother who is also his sister
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
The landlord is a Gillingham fan, lives in the caravan.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
I think it closed some time ago. Royal Standard offers entertainment for men but is fairly dodgy.
Belay your style of speech Mr Guru, lest you’ll soon be finding yourself at the gunnels, where His Majesty’s cat awaits you and shall harshly score your poxed ridden back!
I'm gutted and had no idea this was happening. My mum's dad used to work at Woolwich Power Station and knew the ferrymen, he used to take me on the ferry's every week and we were allowed to watch the engines working from the engine room. Another piece of my childhood going.... I must try and get down there before the 5th.
Ffs Wally, they replaced that one ages ago.
Where did you get that pic, Ray?
That's the paddle steamer I remember when I was a little lad!
Looks like two 'squaddies' in the bow of the one astern. WW2 perhaps?
Well this is the third set of Ferries I will have seen, I was 5-6 years old when the old paddle ferries were retired. My mum took us on the ferry to Victoria garden North Woolwich for an afternoon out, the down stairs of the diesel ones became a bit of a necking place for young couples in the late 60`s.
Well, I can confidently confirm that it was 'necking' place in the early 70's. I used to skive off school, meet up with the girl of the day, and we just used to go backwards and forwards over the river unaware of anything else until it was time to go home.
You have to get off after every crossing now. They count people on and off and the numbers get recorded in the ship’s records.
Ha ha! That is the act of a spoilsport... wouldn't worry me today though?
Well this is the third set of Ferries I will have seen, I was 5-6 years old when the old paddle ferries were retired. My mum took us on the ferry to Victoria garden North Woolwich for an afternoon out, the down stairs of the diesel ones became a bit of a necking place for young couples in the late 60`s.
Well, I can confidently confirm that it was 'necking' place in the early 70's. I used to skive off school, meet up with the girl of the day, and we just used to go backwards and forwards over the river unaware of anything else until it was time to go home.
You have to get off after every crossing now. They count people on and off and the numbers get recorded in the ship’s records.
Don't underestimate @Ted\'s Addicksson in the early 70s he could "get off" on every crossing, sometimes twice.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
Bought my first ever pint in this pub about 45 years ago. Not sure that I’ve been there since.
In the early 70's when about 2-3 my mum used to take me on the ferry backwards and forwards as something to do because it was free and there wasn't a lot of money about in our house. I can recall a very tearful moment when I was playing with a little matchbox London Taxi my mum had bought me that day. Imagine how my joy turned to despair when, whilst playing on the deck the little taxi rolled along and through one of the water vents, thus dropping into the Thames.
We also used to go to an early Mcdonalds store in Woolwich i think where they had table service. We used to have a pass that allowed us to order free meals. It was signed by Bob Rae - McDonalds owner who happened to be my Grandad's boss, as he was a foreman for the company fitting out all of their stores in London.
Got the ferry today, fancied some nostalgia. I love to romanticise about how me and my best friend used to dick about on the ferry as kids (late 80s) It was exactly how I remembered it, only a lot smaller and time wise shorter. These are some of the last active relics of days gone by in the area. Take a final ride on one of the grubby boats and wave goodbye. Realistically, I think we are fortunate that the ferry hasn't been ditched all together.
There is sod all in North Woolwich/Newham for those on the ride.
Snap on both of those!! The other teacher I remember there was Mrs Poulter.
I expect she's in Paris at the moment ready to cheer on Ian and the boys.
Maybe not - she would be about 110 now!!
Another snap on Earl Rise. Mrs Poulter and her holidays in Asia Minor. Her husband used to pick her up in a blue Anglia. Also memories of Mr Donnelly, football up at Swingate Lane and that old boot cupboard.
Oh the ferry... I remember my mum lifting me up so I could look into the engine room pre-1963.
Later in the 60's Anthony Hawes and I spent a lot of time on the ferry and exploring Victoria Gardens. We were very cool on roller skates and in short trousers, raincoats and balaclavas... smoking a Park Drive. There used to be interesting shops and cafes on the old Ferry Approach and loads of tugs moored on the north side. Remember a kid drowned off Bell Water Gate... place always scared me after that.
Used to love getting the ferry sitting in the open side by the steps completely p***ed after a four pack of special brew on the train from Richmond. Quality.
That explains your username.
You're right. I could get to and from Richmond and all the way around North London dodging the fare.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
Snap on both of those!! The other teacher I remember there was Mrs Poulter.
I expect she's in Paris at the moment ready to cheer on Ian and the boys.
Maybe not - she would be about 110 now!!
Another snap on Earl Rise. Mrs Poulter and her holidays in Asia Minor. Her husband used to pick her up in a blue Anglia. Also memories of Mr Donnelly, football up at Swingate Lane and that old boot cupboard.
Oh the ferry... I remember my mum lifting me up so I could look into the engine room pre-1963.
Later in the 60's Anthony Hawes and I spent a lot of time on the ferry and exploring Victoria Gardens. We were very cool on roller skates and in short trousers, raincoats and balaclavas... smoking a Park Drive. There used to be interesting shops and cafes on the old Ferry Approach and loads of tugs moored on the north side. Remember a kid drowned off Bell Water Gate... place always scared me after that
Oh, please confirm there was a boot room where second hand boots were donated for training. Mr Donnelly I'm pretty sure gave me responsibility of handing the boots out for football training and I found a pair of adidas and he gave me them to keep.
Snap on both of those!! The other teacher I remember there was Mrs Poulter.
I expect she's in Paris at the moment ready to cheer on Ian and the boys.
Maybe not - she would be about 110 now!!
Another snap on Earl Rise. Mrs Poulter and her holidays in Asia Minor. Her husband used to pick her up in a blue Anglia. Also memories of Mr Donnelly, football up at Swingate Lane and that old boot cupboard.
Oh the ferry... I remember my mum lifting me up so I could look into the engine room pre-1963.
Later in the 60's Anthony Hawes and I spent a lot of time on the ferry and exploring Victoria Gardens. We were very cool on roller skates and in short trousers, raincoats and balaclavas... smoking a Park Drive. There used to be interesting shops and cafes on the old Ferry Approach and loads of tugs moored on the north side. Remember a kid drowned off Bell Water Gate... place always scared me after that
Oh, please confirm there was a boot room where second hand boots were donated for training. Mr Donnelly I'm pretty sure gave me responsibility of handing the boots out for football training and I found a pair of adidas and he gave me them to keep.
I remember the boot room at Swingate Lane very well - generally filled with boots from pre-war days with nails coming through inside. You could barely walk in them, let alone run!
This wonderful discussion shows just what a significant but majorly undervalued part public transport plays in everyday life. Humble, unsung services such as the Woolwich Ferry just get on with the job.
It's curious that the ferry replacement will to some degree mimic the last changeover in 1963. The service will be unavailable for about 10 weeks while the terminals are made ready for the new vessels. Such was the case the last time, but then the process lasted over two years. The new ferries continued to use the old pontoons (but having to load from the side), while the new terminals were being built. In the case of Woolwich a new highway - John Wilson Street - was punched through the outskirts of the town centre as a kind of by-pass. No longer at busy times would vehicles overflow the Ferry Approach and steadily fill up Hare Street, reduced to the status of a car park. The new ramps were not ready until 1966. The neat little turning circle the trolleybuses had used at Parsons Hill until 1959, and thereafter their bus replacements, was swept away but fortunately left intact a decent chippie - the Welcome Fish Bar (now Happy House, a Chinese).
(If the long-moribund Hare Street is hard to think of as a major traffic artery, there is another example a few miles away, this time the river crossing being the Blackwall Tunnel. Along the Woolwich Road adjacent to the railway bridge carrying the freight line to Angerstein Wharf there is a modest turning called Farmdale Road. Prior to the motorway's construction Farmdale Road was an important part of the road network leading to Tunnel Avenue. Again, hard to believe.)
Nowadays, as ever, the ferry does not operate in foggy conditions.
Many South London folk worked over the water, certainly until the Royal docks closed. Meeting them at North Woolwich was bus route 101 which served the eastern side of the docks en route to Cyprus, East Ham and Wanstead. The service was scheduled in peak hours at 60 buses an hour, yep, one every minute.
As for there being nothing on north side?? There used to be a lovely little kiosk in the park next to the foot tunnel lift My dad used to buy me a wagon wheel but only if if we walked back though the tunnel to work it off Lovely times
Well the service is pretty shit today. Only one boat and one of the access ramps on the east side is fucked (as it has been all week), so don’t see that getting fixed.
never been on it but might go on Saturday to say farewell to the old boats. is there anything worth looking at on the north side? decent pub? could only see this place near by... Henley Arms. looks pleasant.
Jesus. I went in there once. Then I left.
Today i had my last trip on the existing ferries,James Newman northbound,John Burns southbound & also visited the picturesque 'Henley Arms'.It looks much better than the photo above,with a new pub sign.An immaculate pub inside,with a few friendly customers. Anybody else whose doing their last trip on the ferry & wants to visit the pub turn left on disembarking & first right & then turn second left & the pub is on the right.
Oh, please confirm there was a boot room where second hand boots were donated for training. Mr Donnelly I'm pretty sure gave me responsibility of handing the boots out for football training and I found a pair of adidas and he gave me them to keep.
Used to feel brave climbing to the top of the boot rack. Yes the boots were ancient but few of us had our own boots in those days. I'm sure the boot cupboard was near Miss Lambert's (Head of Infants) office. Was there also a boot store at Swingate Lane?
Oh, please confirm there was a boot room where second hand boots were donated for training. Mr Donnelly I'm pretty sure gave me responsibility of handing the boots out for football training and I found a pair of adidas and he gave me them to keep.
Used to feel brave climbing to the top of the boot rack. Yes the boots were ancient but few of us had our own boots in those days. I'm sure the boot cupboard was near Miss Lambert's (Head of Infants) office. Was there also a boot store at Swingate Lane?
Yes definitely at Swingate Lane - that's where I used to get mine.
As for there being nothing on north side?? There used to be a lovely little kiosk in the park next to the foot tunnel lift My dad used to buy me a wagon wheel but only if if we walked back though the tunnel to work it off Lovely times
I recall Jools Holland say that he took his kid across on the ferry one day and buying two ice creams from a kiosk run by a one armed vendor. He (the one armed vendor) apparently stuck a cone under his stump while he prepared the first ice cream and then retrieved the armpit cone to prepare. To his eternal shame Jools gave the armpit cone to his kid ... hard to see what else he could do really.
I popped down to have a final ride on Tuesday. It'll be interesting what the replacements look like, the massive underfloor area for pedestrians isn't needed now, especially with the DLR extension
Comments
starstyresHa ha! That is the act of a spoilsport... wouldn't worry me today though?
Thank you SO MUCH for your confidence in me!
We also used to go to an early Mcdonalds store in Woolwich i think where they had table service. We used to have a pass that allowed us to order free meals. It was signed by Bob Rae - McDonalds owner who happened to be my Grandad's boss, as he was a foreman for the company fitting out all of their stores in London.
It was exactly how I remembered it, only a lot smaller and time wise shorter. These are some of the last active relics of days gone by in the area.
Take a final ride on one of the grubby boats and wave goodbye. Realistically, I think we are fortunate that the ferry hasn't been ditched all together.
There is sod all in North Woolwich/Newham for those on the ride.
Another snap on Earl Rise. Mrs Poulter and her holidays in Asia Minor. Her husband used to pick her up in a blue Anglia. Also memories of Mr Donnelly, football up at Swingate Lane and that old boot cupboard.
Oh the ferry... I remember my mum lifting me up so I could look into the engine room pre-1963.
Later in the 60's Anthony Hawes and I spent a lot of time on the ferry and exploring Victoria Gardens. We were very cool on roller skates and in short trousers, raincoats and balaclavas... smoking a Park Drive. There used to be interesting shops and cafes on the old Ferry Approach and loads of tugs moored on the north side. Remember a kid drowned off Bell Water Gate... place always scared me after that.
This wonderful discussion shows just what a significant but majorly undervalued part public transport plays in everyday life. Humble, unsung services such as the Woolwich Ferry just get on with the job.
It's curious that the ferry replacement will to some degree mimic the last changeover in 1963. The service will be unavailable for about 10 weeks while the terminals are made ready for the new vessels. Such was the case the last time, but then the process lasted over two years. The new ferries continued to use the old pontoons (but having to load from the side), while the new terminals were being built. In the case of Woolwich a new highway - John Wilson Street - was punched through the outskirts of the town centre as a kind of by-pass. No longer at busy times would vehicles overflow the Ferry Approach and steadily fill up Hare Street, reduced to the status of a car park. The new ramps were not ready until 1966. The neat little turning circle the trolleybuses had used at Parsons Hill until 1959, and thereafter their bus replacements, was swept away but fortunately left intact a decent chippie - the Welcome Fish Bar (now Happy House, a Chinese).
(If the long-moribund Hare Street is hard to think of as a major traffic artery, there is another example a few miles away, this time the river crossing being the Blackwall Tunnel. Along the Woolwich Road adjacent to the railway bridge carrying the freight line to Angerstein Wharf there is a modest turning called Farmdale Road. Prior to the motorway's construction Farmdale Road was an important part of the road network leading to Tunnel Avenue. Again, hard to believe.)
Nowadays, as ever, the ferry does not operate in foggy conditions.
Many South London folk worked over the water, certainly until the Royal docks closed. Meeting them at North Woolwich was bus route 101 which served the eastern side of the docks en route to Cyprus, East Ham and Wanstead. The service was scheduled in peak hours at 60 buses an hour, yep, one every minute.
There used to be a lovely little kiosk in the park next to the foot tunnel lift
My dad used to buy me a wagon wheel but only if if we walked back though the tunnel to work it off
Lovely times
Only one boat and one of the access ramps on the east side is fucked (as it has been all week), so don’t see that getting fixed.
Anybody else whose doing their last trip on the ferry & wants to visit the pub turn left on disembarking & first right & then turn second left & the pub is on the right.
Used to feel brave climbing to the top of the boot rack. Yes the boots were ancient but few of us had our own boots in those days. I'm sure the boot cupboard was near Miss Lambert's (Head of Infants) office. Was there also a boot store at Swingate Lane?
Used to feel brave climbing to the top of the boot rack. Yes the boots were ancient but few of us had our own boots in those days. I'm sure the boot cupboard was near Miss Lambert's (Head of Infants) office. Was there also a boot store at Swingate Lane?
Yes definitely at Swingate Lane - that's where I used to get mine.
DLR from Stratford to King George V and then on to ferry.
Surprised at feeling a bit sad.
Hearing the emergency recording now.