Local ferries in Suffolk

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The ferries in Suffolk are a series of local ferry services in the county of Suffolk in Eastern England. Most cross rivers within the county, and one connects Suffolk with Essex to the south.

Contents

Suffolk UK location map.svg
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Bawdsey Ferry
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Butley Ferry
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Harwich Harbour Ferry
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Southwold to Walberswick Ferry
Local ferries in Suffolk

Bawdsey Ferry

The Lady Beatrice carrying a horse and cart across the Deben in 1906 RiverDebenChainFerry TheLadyBeatrice (1894).jpg
The Lady Beatrice carrying a horse and cart across the Deben in 1906
Aboard the modern Bawdsey Ferry Crossing the Deben.jpg
Aboard the modern Bawdsey Ferry

Bawdsey Ferry carries foot passengers and bicycles across the mouth of the River Deben between Felixstowe Ferry and Bawdsey and provides continuity for the Suffolk Coast Path and Regional Cycle Route 41. It operates from Easter weekend until the end of October on a varying timetable, [1] and can also be used as a water taxi to moored yachts. [2]

Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway Act 1887
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Citation 50 & 51 Vict. c. xxvi
Other legislation
Repealed by Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Abandonment) Act 1892
Status: Repealed
Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1890
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to extend the time for the purchase of Lands for and for the completion of the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway and for other purposes.
Citation 53 & 54 Vict. c. xxxv
Dates
Royal assent 22 May 1890
Other legislation
Repealed by Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Abandonment) Act 1892
Status: Repealed
Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Abandonment) Act 1892
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act for the abandonment of the Railways authorised by the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway Act 1887.
Citation 55 & 56 Vict. c. xvi
Dates
Royal assent 20 May 1892
Text of statute as originally enacted

Prior to 1894 the small passenger boats ran ferry trips. In 1894 Sir William Quilter, owner of Bawdsey Manor, established a steam-drawn chain ferry which the family owned until 1931. From 1931 until the start of WW2 Charlie Brinkley then operated a launch for passengers with his son Robert (senior). [3] Bawdsey Manor was purchased by the RAF in 1936 to become RAF Bawdsey [4] and the ferry was closed to the public during WW2. After the end of the war a daily service was operated until 1974 under contract to RAF Bawdsey and since 1974 it has operated on summer weekends only. [3] The Bawdsey Ferry is mentioned in three acts of Parliament, the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway Act 1887 (50 & 51 Vict. c. xxvi), [5] the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. xxxv) [6] and the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Abandonment) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. xvi) [7]

Butley Ferry

The Butley Ferry Butley Ferry.jpg
The Butley Ferry

A small ferry operates across the River Butley for foot passengers and for cyclists using Regional Cycle Route 41. It is operated by volunteers on weekends and bank holidays during the summer. It is the smallest licensed ferry in Europe. [8] [9]

Harwich Harbour Ferry

Operates across the River Stour and River Orwell running between Harwich Quay and Landguard Fort near to the Port of Felixstowe and also to Shotley Gate on the Shotley Peninsula (summer only).

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry

The Southwold to Walberswick ferry across the River Blyth uses a traditional rowing boat. In 2017 it operated daily from the start of April to the first week of November, other than most of May and October when it ran on weekends only. [10]

Until 1885 a rowing ferry was used when a floating bridge chain ferry was started, initially hand-cranked ferry later being replaced by a steam ferry which ran until 1942 after improvements to the harbour made operation of the ferry too difficult. Frank Palmer then restarted the old rowing ferry and was succeeded by Bob Cross and David Church.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwold</span> Coastal resort in Suffolk, England

Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 11 miles (18 km) south of Lowestoft, 29 miles (47 km) north-east of Ipswich and 97 miles (156 km) north-east of London, within the parliamentary constituency of Suffolk Coastal. At the 2021 Census, the population was 950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felixstowe</span> Human settlement in England

Felixstowe is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 72 miles (116 km) northeast of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walberswick</span> Human settlement in England

Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, around 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Walberswick is around 11 miles (18 km) south of Lowestoft on the North Sea coast. It is 7 miles (11 km) east of Halesworth and 28 miles (45 km) northeast of the county town of Ipswich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Suffolk Coastal is a parliamentary constituency in the county of Suffolk, England, which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, a Labour Party Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Blyth, Suffolk</span> River in east Suffolk, England

The River Blyth is a river in east Suffolk, England. Its source is near Laxfield and it reaches a tidal estuary between Southwold and Walberswick on the North Sea coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bawdsey</span> Human settlement in England

Bawdsey is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, eastern England. It is situated on the other side of the mouth of River Deben from Felixstowe. It had an estimated population of 340 in 2007, reducing to 276 at the Census 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwold Railway</span> Disused narrow gauge railway in Suffolk

The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in the English county of Suffolk. 8 miles 63+12 chains (14.15 km) long, it was 3 ft narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Deben</span> River in Suffolk, England

The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham, though a second, higher source runs south from the parish of Bedingfield. The river passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry. The mouth of the estuary is crossed by a ferry connecting Felixstowe and Bawdsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotley</span> Human settlement in England

Shotley is a village and civil parish 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the Babergh district and gives its name to the Shotley peninsula between the Rivers Stour and Orwell. The parish includes the village of Shotley and the settlements of Shotley Gate and Church End. In 2011 civil parish had a population of 2,342. In reference to the 2021 census, the population of Shotley was 550.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haven ports</span> Group of five ports in Essex and Suffolk, England

The Haven ports are a group of ports on the east coast of England. Traditionally, only the three deep-water ports of Ipswich, Harwich and Felixstowe, on the confluence of the River Orwell and River Stour, were included. The name has since changed to mean the following five ports:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felixstowe Ferry</span> Human settlement in England

Felixstowe Ferry is a hamlet in Suffolk, England, approximately two miles northeast of Felixstowe at the mouth of the River Deben with a ferry to the Bawdsey peninsula.

National Cycle Route 51 is an English long distance cycle route running broadly east-west connecting Colchester and the port of Harwich to Oxford via Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Bicester, and Kidlington.

Regional Cycle Route 41 in Suffolk runs from Snape to Bramfield through the Suffolk Coast and Heaths, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich Harbour Ferry</span>

The Harwich Harbour Ferry is a foot and bicycle ferry for 58 passengers that runs from April until end of October between Ha'penny Pier near Harwich to Landguard Fort near Felixstowe and Shotley marina. As well as for local traffic, this ferry can be used as a short cut on the Suffolk Coast Path; it takes bicycles, prams, e-bikes and is used by National Cycle Route NCR 51 and the North Sea Cycle Route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bawdsey Manor</span>

Bawdsey Manor stands at a prominent position at the mouth of the River Deben close to the village of Bawdsey in Suffolk, England, about 75 miles (120 km) north-east of London. Built in 1886, it was enlarged in 1895 as the principal residence of Sir William Cuthbert Quilter. Requisitioned by the Devonshire Regiment during World War I and having been returned to the Quilter family after the war, it was purchased by the Air Ministry for £24,000 in 1936 to establish a new research station for developing the Chain Home RDF (radar) system. RAF Bawdsey was a base through the Cold War until the 1990s. The manor is now used by PGL for courses and children's holidays. There is a small museum in the radar transmitter block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Cuthbert Quilter, 1st Baronet</span> British politician (1841–1911)

Sir William Cuthbert Quilter, 1st Baronet was an English stock broker, art collector and Liberal/Liberal Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in East Anglia</span>

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The Shotley Peninsula is a rural area east of the A137 Ipswich-Colchester road located between the rivers Stour and Orwell in Suffolk, England. The peninsula is named after the settlements of Shotley and Shotley Gate which are situated near its south-eastern tip. Other villages on the peninsula include Chelmondiston, Erwarton (Arwarton), Freston, Harkstead, Holbrook, Stutton, Tattingstone, Wherstead and Woolverstone.

References

  1. "Felixstowe Travel Watch – Foot and Cycle Ferries". Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  2. "Felixstowe Ferry-Bawdsey – River Deben" . Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Felixstowe-Bawdsey Ferry" . Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  4. "A walk around Bawdsey". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  5. "Rights of Way Sub-Committee – 26 May 2004". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  6. "Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom – Part 95 (1890a)" . Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  7. "Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom – Part 92 (1887)" . Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  8. "Orford – Ferries, Excursion Boats, Quays" . Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  9. "Rural rides - The Suffolk Coastal Cycle Route". Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  10. "Southwold–Walberswick Ferry" . Retrieved 4 January 2018.

Bawdsey Ferry

Butley Ferry

Harwich Harbour Ferry

51°56′22″N1°18′17″E / 51.93944°N 1.30472°E / 51.93944; 1.30472 (Harwich Harbour Ferry)

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry