Western Daily Press (Saturday)
The ferry found wrecked in an Irish dock brought back to life again
For decades the only way to cross the River Severn was by ferry – and then the bridge came. The Severn Princess was no longer needed and was days from being scrapped in an Irish dockyard when she was rediscovered by a group of enthusiasts, and they gave h
IIt’s amazing how many share great stories and memories. So many people in the town have relatives who worked on the ferries. There is so much goodwill for it out there and that’s what we need more of TIM RYAN
F Tim Ryan could be transported back to any time in his life it would undoubtedly be the hours he spent on the ferries crossing the Severn between England and Wales.
He did it 11 or 12 times a year with his parents and sister – and each journey was as adventurous as the last.
“It was just like going abroad,” the 67-year-old retired headteacher said from a quiet corner of Wales where he is hellbent on recreating those memories for future generations.
It’s been a 23-year mission, which is now finally beginning to bear fruit.
“My father had a sister in Burnham-on-Sea and my mother was from Wiltshire, so we were on the ferries a lot,” he said, proudly standing aboard the Severn Princess, which has found its way home in remarkable circumstances.
It now sits beneath Brunel’s rail bridge in Chepstow just metres from where it used to be moored on the River Wye from 1959 to 1966.
The Princess – alongside the Severn King and Severn Queen – offered the only means of crossing for motorists before the construction of the M48 Severn bridge.
“The pillars were originally built by Brunel in 1852, and there is a body in that pillar right there,” Tim explained, pointing to the giant pillar closest to us.
“The workmen filled it with concrete and then one of them fell in, and they couldn’t get him out.”
Then pointing to the buttress to our left, he said: “You can see what a genius Brunel was. He could have built an easy straight wall, and yet he created this. It’s absolutely amazing.
“Now we’ve got the ferry here I’d hope the long-term plan would be to get the bridge all cleaned up and maybe a visitors’ centre here. There’s a long way to go.”
For Tim, now co-ordinator of a modest team that makes up the Severn Princess Preservation Trust, it has been a labour of love long in the making.
“One of our members, Richard Jones, is the grandson of Enoch Williams,” Tim said. “Enoch was the owner of the Old Passage Severn Ferry Company and operated the three ferries.
“My father was a blacksmith on the shipyard here and did lots of work repairing the boats, including the Princess. He was in demand as the only person who could weld phosphor bronze.
“I remember as a kid being aboard and it being such a real adventure. I’d be in the back of the car with my sister and if we guessed the ferry we’d be on correctly we’d get sixpence every time.”
After the final ferry crossing in September 1966, the day before the Severn bridge opened, the Severn ferries made their final crossings and the company was wound up. Mr Williams was paid more than £160,000 in compensation.
As the Princess – which could hold 19 cars – was only seven years old it was still a valuable vessel, and was dispatched to the Connemara coast at Galway.
Tim said he sometimes thought of the ferries but that they had “vanished from public consciousness”. That was until 1999 when he had an unexpected call that would transform his life.
“A friend called us and said they were convinced that they’d seen the Princess docked up and discarded in Galway,” he said. “They’d gone out there and just came across it. It was sheer luck.
“Richard and I and our wives went out to Dublin and then across to Galway and we found it, completely wrecked.
“Galway County Council had placed a demolition order on her and were going to scrap her in a matter of days.
“I was really excited, absolutely. When we found it I just fell in love, really, and thought there is no way this can happen. We were set on getting her home.
“We got quite friendly with the locals, who were brilliant, and they got us in touch with the owners. Quite quickly we’d managed to buy her for a guinea.
“It was a mad rush because it had to be done then and there. We had no time to think about it.
“When we brought her back under the Severn bridge it was absolutely rammed with people celebrating. It was lovely to see. Then the work started.”
Trustee Sue Kingdom explained the state the Princess was found in. “It looked really terrible washed up on the side. You see those little squares there,” she said pointing to the bottom of the boat. “That’s where they cut holes in her to try to make her sink. They had a quote on fixing her but decided she wasn’t worth it.”
You need only listen to Tim’s stories for a few minutes to realise how ridiculous it would have been to let the last of the Severn ferries disappear. Just one of his many tales shows how crucial the ferries were.
“I met two ladies from Pilning over the Severn and they told me they bunked off school when they were kids,” he remembered. “They didn’t want to be seen in the village so they went to Aust and got the ferry across to Beachley and then the bus to Chepstow for a milkshake and a walk around town.
“They then got the bus back to Beachley to get on the ferry, but the last one had gone. They found a phone box and one of the girls’ parents had a phone in the house, which was quite rare back then.
“They rang and her father drove from Pilning up to Gloucester and then around to Beachley and back, which took two and a half hours at that time.”
During the Princess’s few years in operation on the Severn, three people fell overboard – and unsurprisingly all three of them were on Chep
stow’s renowned race days.
“One of them was in real trouble and had to be rescued,” Tim said. “It was a really dangerous operation and the rescuers won gallantry awards for it.”
The vessel also carried The Beatles to their final live gig in Cardiff, as well as Bob Dylan – the latter had a picture boarding the ferry, which later became the cover of one of his albums and one of the most iconic rock photographs of all time.
“The ferry is really famously connected to Dylan now,” Sue said. “Bill Lennon [Dylan tribute act] came and retraced Dylan’s steps with us. He’d been booed off stage at Bristol hours before.
“There are loads of people around who still remember all those stories. Just last night I was at a friend’s birthday party chatting to people and you realise in those moments just how many people have connections to the ferry.
“It’s amazing how many share great stories and memories. So many people in the town have relatives who worked on the ferries. There is so much goodwill for it out there and that’s what we need more of.”
The group is committed to furthering the Princess’s renewed connection with the community, and Tim, who has delivered 600 talks about the ferry and provides tours called ‘Hidden Chepstow’, is thrilled that local schools are open to it.
“I’ve got so much admiration for The Dell [school] because they let the children come out with us to learn outside of school. To do that within a jam-packed national curriculum takes a lot of bravery.”
The trust now hopes its work can lead to a main event at the end of the Wales Coastal Path beside the Wye, with a standing platform beside the
Princess so more people can learn about the ferries.
Recent work on the Princess includes removal of the decking timbers and sealing of the metal deck, and a new turntable – back in its rightful place after 55 years. The old turntable was developed to make vehicles more manoeuvrable on board. “Hopefully we’ll be able to have a couple of cars on here again to show how it worked,” Tim added.
“I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done. It’s not what I’ve achieved, it’s what we’ve all achieved. There are a hell of a lot of voluntary hours that have gone into this – especially in the last couple of years. We’ve gathered a real pace and we’re really excited about it.”
Will there ever come a time when volunteers can hang up their brushes? “No, there won’t,” Tim responded. “It’ll never end because we’re out in the elements and there will always be repair and restoration work that needs to be done. But I’ve no doubt that will carry on after we’ve gone, because people care so much about it. It’s deep-rooted again in the community, and that’s really exciting.”