Builders: William Denny & Bros 1890
Propulsion type: Paddle, compound diagonal
Owners: Belle Steamers Ltd, PMS Syndicate Ltd, Royal Sovereign Steamship Co, East Anglia Steamship Co.
Service dates: 1890 - 1929
Tonnage: Net 186 Gross 458
Comments:
This picture comes from a glass plate negative that I have recently acquired. It shows PS Clacton Belle in the upper reaches of the Thames, possibly around Greenwich, in the 1890's. Clacton Belle was the first of the famous Belle Steamers. Like Woolwich Belle, she originally had a telescopic funnel, which was later replaced by a fixed one. Again like Woolwich Belle, she also had a bow rudder fitted to aid manouevrability in the busy Thames. In the first World War, Clacton Belle was requisitioned as a minesweeper and destroyed 342 mines. Due to the financial difficulties of her owners she was sold several times after Belle Steamer ownership and she was eventually sold to T W Ward in Grays for breaking up in 1929. Happily some artifacts from her were saved by W E Groom and many of these items, including her bell have been preserved, remaining in the private ownership of the family. Some unique pictures of her taken by Ted Groom at the breakers yard have recently been given to me and are shown on a new page on T W Ward. Click here to see them. Click to see her bell and her makers nameplate, both of which were rescued from the breaker's yard by Ted Groom. For an 1890 picture of her First Class dining saloon, click here.