Builders: Kingswear 1880
Propulsion type: Paddle Oscillating
Owner: Dartmouth and Torbay Steam Packet Company, River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd
Service dates: 1880 - 1917.
Tonnage: Gross 73
Comments:
This lovely picture is of PS Berry Castle at Steamer Quay, Totnes, at the upper reaches of the River Dart. Whilst Berry Castle is not too clear in the picture, the setting alone justifies inclusion in the site. Berry Castle was an iron hulled boat and her design set the standard for almost all of the River Dart steamers that followed her. She had a refreshment bar forward with ladies and gents WCs, with a ladies saloon aft. Her boiler and tall narrow funnel were aft of the paddle box. She was launched on 27 July 1880 and she replaced the 25 year old Darmouth who was broken up at Bristol. She had an open bridge, which afforded no protection from the elements and she operated all year round. The road bridge shown in the background of this picture was the Totnes toll bridge, which charged tolls until the end of October 1881, a year after Berry Castle was launched. The boathouse in the centre of the picture belonged to the Totnes Rowing Club, although in later years the premises were used to hire motor launches to the public. Berry Castle served Totnes until 1917 when she was sold for breaking up.