At the beginning of the last century it was possible to sail from London
to Glasgow via the south coast ports and Belfast, returning along the
east coast from either Dundee or Leith for as little as five pounds.
Those were the days when 300 passengers were landed twice weekly at
Grangemouth or Dundee from the London boat, and the coastal passenger
and cargo liner was in its heyday, catering both for the first class
tourist as well as offering keenly priced second class fares for the
like of football fans following away matches.
Sadly, these wonderful steamer services are now largely forgotten but
this new book will stir fond memories of the ships and their coastal
voyages. The Depression of the 1930s, coupled with competition from both
railway and the motor coach, were to spell the end for many of the
coastal liners, while heavy losses incurred in World War II left only a
few ships each offering just a handful of passenger berths.
The story of their one hundred years of service is accompanied by
numerous fascinating anecdotes, and the book focuses as much on the
social need for coastal passenger services, the men and women who
provided the services and the passengers who used them, as it does on
the nuts and bolts of the ships themselves. This beautifully presented
book will delight both ship enthusiasts and all those who enjoy the
maritime and social history of the British Isles.
