1913 River Dart paddle steamer’s future in doubt
Posted by Chris Graham on 16th March 2022
We report on the sadly uncertain future of the 1913, former River Dart paddle steamer Compton Castle, which was withdrawn from service in 1962.
Compton Castle at Truro, where she has been used as a café and a fish and chip shop since her move there in the early 1980s.
Fears have been expressed about the future of the former River Dart paddle steamer Compton Castle, which is lying, landlocked, alongside Lemon Quay at Truro, on the River Fal, having been closed for the last couple of years.
She was built in 1913 for service on the River Dart, and two more virtually identical paddle steamers – Totnes Castle and Kingswear Castle – were added to the fleet after World War I. These three provided the mainstay of the service between Dartmouth and Totnes up to the early 1960s. Compton Castle was withdrawn in 1962, after which she found a new career as a tea shop at Kingsbridge. Then, in 1982, she was towed to her current berth at Truro.
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