WITH the next season of summer steamer excursions due to start in just a few weeks’ time, let’s cast our minds back to the ‘early days’ whence it all began...

By Brian Keitch

ABOUT 120 years ago, residents of Penarth had great interest in watching competing passenger excursion ships racing each other across the channel to Weston and back – sometimes even ramming each other to get into the piers first!

The main protagonists at the time were the local firm, Edwards and Robertson in Cardiff, and the Campbell brothers from the Clyde – based in Bristol.

Penarth, of course, could not be left out of the fun, and when Penarth Pier was opened in 1894, they were still at it.

Much has been written on P&A Campbell Ltd, which operated ships until 1980 (MV Balmoral still displays the Campbell livery of the White Funnel Fleet) – but here is a thumbnail account of the local company Edwards and Robertson, whose antics with their Scottish foes kept the local press, and the Board of Trade, with plenty to write about.

William Yeo Edwards moved to Cardiff and owned a tugboat called the Marie Joseph, a wooden paddler. When he died in 1880 his widow Clementia Edwards and George Robertson – then secretary of the Taff Vale Railway – took over as executors.

His son Frederick joined the business in 1882 and formed the firm of Edwards and Robertson.

The following details the ships of the fleet – once the talk of the town – which contributed about ten years of maritime entertainment for the townsfolk and the press.

Many of the Edwards and Robertson Fleet were bought second-hand, as was the case with their very first excursion steamer Lady Margaret.

Launched in 1883 at Greenock, near Glasgow, she was the first owned by the Bristol Channel Express Company.

Named after the Marquis of Bute’s daughter, she was one of the first purpose-built pleasure steamers on the channel. But she was not a success and was brought by Edwards and Robertson.

She ran excursions for them from Cardiff to Chepstow, Weston, Watchet, Minehead, Ilfracombe, etc. Her small size (about 140 feet in length) and slow speed (about 14 knots) was clearly a handicap when Alex Campbell arrived with his ‘greyhound’ from Scotland, Paddle Steamer Waverley.

Her consort in these early years was a tugboat, the Earl of Dunraven (which was on charter, but became something of a stalwart for the Cardiff company).

Lady Margaret was disposed of early in 1888 to be replaced by another vessel, the Carrick Castle, late of Scotland and Hastings. This vessel acquired the name Lady Margaret and was in the fleet until the end.

The first Lady Margaret was sold to the Medway Steam Packet Company, of Rochester, in which area she operated until accidentally burnt in 1903. She is pictured here.

* Next time: Lady Margaret (II)