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A historic passenger ferry which has been serving customers since 1908 is looking for a good local home.
The open wooden boat has most recently served as a ‘back-up’ to the Teignmouth to Shaldon passenger ferry in South Devon, but has now reached an age and condition where it can’t meet the rigorous standards required to carry paying passengers. It is, however, still usable for sailors looking for an unusual, historic vessel suitable for casual use, or alternatively could make a great exhibit for a maritime museum.
The hunt for a home is underway as Teignbridge District Council, the boat’s current owner, has launched a tender process for the vessel in the hope of finding it an appropriate home. It is hoped that a local group may take it on, preserving its historic local importance. Community groups, private buyers and local organisations are all welcome to bid for the vessel, with applications welcome before noon on Wednesday, July 7.
The vessel is the smaller of the two ferries used until recently for the Teignmouth to Shaldon ferry service. Launched in 1908, the ferry was built at the Cremel yard in Plymouth for a cost of £27.11s.3d. Originally owned by the Teignmouth Bridge Company, the ferry company was purchased in 1948 by Devon County Council. It later transferred ownership to Teignmouth Urban Council and then to Teignbridge District Council when it was formed in 1974.
Anybody who’d like more information about the ferry and the tender opportunity can contact the council on economyandtourism@teignbridge.gov.uk or call 01626 215609. Written applications should be sent to: Tender for Teign ferry, Economy and Regeneration, Teignbridge Council, Forde House, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4XX.
• New operator Greg Allen has signed a 15-year lease to run the much-valued local service, and has also purchased a suitable back-up vessel to make sure that the service runs smoothly.
(from a press release)
A dancing entertainment at The Ferry Boat Inn
Wednesday evening at the Ferry Boat Inn, Shaldon, is the place to be this week! A colourful spectacle of music and dancing will be offered to residents and holidaymakers by two local sides of Morris Dancers.
The entertainment is provided by Grimspound Border Morris, and the Heather and Gorse Clog Dancers. They begin the evening programme just as the sun sets after 8 pm. Fittingly, this is the site of the oldest working ferry in England having been in operation across the river Teign since the 10th century, and the Grimspound Border Morris dancers make a similar claim to preserve ancient English rituals! Grimspound is an ancient hut circle on a western facing slope on Dartmoor. The atmosphere of the place has inspired this team of morris dancers to try to re-create the way things could have been for the people who lived there in terms of their rituals and their approach to life. The side was formed in 1994 from a group of ex-Cotswold style dancers and a few friends, some of whom were also Rapper Sword dancers. Right from the outset they all set out to dance with vigour and in an uncompromising “border” style that celebrates “maleness” with a balance between the rude (but never totally crude) and the dark side! The style of dancing is a border morris style, although the dancers now use their own unique figures and movements.
Accompanying the men will be the Heather and Gorse Clog dancers who are a ladies only dancing side, with male musicians, from nearby Combeinteignhead. The dancers always perform in their smart traditional kit of blue skirt, white bloomers, white blouse and black waistcoat. The dancers wear black clogs with bells and perform to their own band of drums, melodeons, and accordians who play a large repertoire of toe tapping jigs and polkas. The picture shows the Heather and Gorse dancers at a recent folk festival performance. They perform every Wednesday evening in Summer at local pubs and beauty spots and practise during the Winter months at Combeinteignhead Village Hall. New dancers and musicians are welcomed each year to begin the new practice season in September and details can be found on the dancers’ website: http://tinyurl.com/3t4bbdu
Come and be entertained from 8pm on Wednesday!