Kingswear Castle Britain's last steam powered river paddle steamer
1924 - 2024
Sail on
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle has finished her 2025 season. She will return in 2026 for her 102nd year of service.
Kingswear Castle is operated on behalf of the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.
Click on the button below to visit the operator’s website for timetable and ticketing information.
History of
Kingswear Castle
Built in 1924 for service on the River Dart in Devon between Dartmouth and Totnes, Kingswear Castle was withdrawn in 1965.
Purchased by volunteers in 1967 who painstakingly restored her to operating condition over ten years, entering service on the Medway and the Thames in 1985.
In 2012 she returned home to the Dart.
Support
Kingswear Castle
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild. We are continuing to fund raise for the second phase.
Find out how you can help with this to secure her future for the next twenty five years.
For information and enquiries regarding tickets, timetables and sailing updates please visit the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company website www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk or call 01803 555 872.
22nd November 2025:
Savoie Returns to Service
UPDATE 22/11/25: Savoie is not now scheduled to sail this weekend 21st – 23rd November. She is now down to run further trials on Tuesday 25th in preparation for returning
19th October 2025:
Season 2025 Lake Geneva
2025 was not a good summer season for the CGN paddle steamers on Lake Geneva with only the diesel electric Italie and Vevey in service during the peak weeks out
11th October 2025:
2025 Season in Switzerland
The Dampferzeitung magazine has asked the managements of paddle steamers on a number of the Swiss lakes for their assessments of how the 2025 season has panned out for them.
John Megoran recalls the heyday and decline paddle steamers, particularly the Weymouth based paddle steamers that he grew up with. He did not know then that he would go on to help restore, manage and be principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years.
1st December 1940:
Her Majesty
On Saturday 1st December 1940 Red Funnel’s paddle steamer Her Majesty was sunk in a German bombing raid on Southampton. It was a devastating air attack which did much damage
30th November 1933:
Sandown & Caledonia
On Thursday 30th November 1933 the Southern Railway placed an order with Denny of Dumbarton to build a new paddle steamer for their Portsmouth to Ryde route and for summer
29th November 1935:
Talisman
On Friday 29th November 1935 Talisman was, as usual that winter, scheduled to run the LNER ferry services connecting the north bank of the Clyde at Craigendoran to the Holy Loch,
28th November 1951:
Lorna Doone
On Wednesday 28th November 1951 Lorna Doone was slipped at Southampton for survey. She had been built as HMS Atherstone in 1916 as one of thirty-two paddle steamers specially commissioned during
The latest threefour of 0 paddle steamer orientated articles produced monthly by John Megoran, author, manager and principal captain of Kingswear Castle for nearly 30 years on both the Medway and Thames as well as the River Dart.
December 2025:
Same But Different
When airlines order new planes they often do so in batches. “We’ll have ten like that please.” And when they come all ten are the same in pretty much every
November 2025:
Paddle Steamers at Bognor
As the craze for visiting the seaside escalated Bognor Regis acquired a pier in its original form in 1865. Up to the 1890s the paddle steamers sailing on the Sussex
October 2025:
Collecting
The conductor Richard Bonynge, who has just celebrated his 95th birthday, confesses that he sees his passion for collecting as a disease. His Chalet Monet in Les Avants above Montreux
September 2025:
KC’s Log September/October 1985
2025 is the 40 anniversary of KC’s first season back in service in 1985. Based at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, which had opened for the first time as a “Living
