Editing Mersey Ferry (section)

==History==
===Medieval ferries===
In about 1150, the [[Birkenhead Priory|Benedictine Priory]] at [[Birkenhead]] was established.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1019159|desc=Birkenhead Priory|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref> The monks used to charge a small fare to row passengers across the river. At this time, the Mersey was considerably wider with sand dunes and marshes to the north leading up to [[Ainsdale]] beach and sandstone cliffs and shorelines to the south near Otterspool. The only suitable landing point for the ferry was in the Pool, near the site of the present Merseyside Police headquarters. Weather often stopped crossings and passengers were delayed for days, taking shelter at the priory.

In 1317, a royal licence was issued, granting permission to the Priory to build lodging houses for men crossing the river at [[Woodside, Merseyside|Woodside]]. [[Edward II of England|King Edward II]] visited Liverpool in 1323, and the royal accounts show that he used local ferrymen to sail up the river to [[Ince, Cheshire|Ince]]. In 1330, his son [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] granted a charter to the Priory and its successors forever: ''"the right of ferry there… for men, horses and goods, with leave to charge reasonable tolls"''. At the time, there was only a small hamlet at Birkenhead, and a slightly larger village at Liverpool.<ref name=bri2e>{{cite web|url=http://www.bri2e.co.uk/places/woodside/intro.htm|title=Woodside Ferry, Birkenhead|first=Brian|last=Tuohey|access-date=17 April 2008}}</ref>
The Chester Indictments record criminal activities on the Mersey ferries in the 14th and early 15th centuries. In 1355, Richard, son of Simon de Becheton, was murdered on the ferry; the murderers escaped and took refuge at [[Shotwick]]. In 1365, it was recorded that there were four ferryboats operating without a licence, from [[Bromborough]] and Eastham. In 1414, William de Stanley, the servant of John Talbot, later [[Earl of Shrewsbury]], was on the ferry between Birkenhead and Liverpool when about 200 men assaulted him and stole his bay horse valued at £5 (current value - over £2,800), a bow and 14 arrows valued at 3s 4d (current value - over £95) and a barge valued at £10 (current value - over £5,700). The thieves were fined.<ref name=Hardman>{{cite web|url=http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=152|title=Ferries across the Mersey: Early history of Mersey ferries|publisher=E. Chambré Hardman Archive|access-date=15 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013205832/http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=152|archivedate=13 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A licence was issued in 1357 to the Poole family by [[Edward, the Black Prince]], for a ferry from [[Eastham, Merseyside|Eastham]]. The licence then passed to the [[Abbey of St Werburgh]], in [[Chester]], and became known as Job's Ferry. Early ferries also existed across the Mersey further upstream, at Ince and at [[Runcorn]].
[[File:Liverpool-1911.jpg|left|upright=1.5|thumb|Map from 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, showing ferry routes]]

===From the 16th to the 18th century===
The monks of Birkenhead Priory operated a ferry service until the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] and the priory's destruction by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII's]] troops in 1536. Ownership reverted to the Crown, and in 1544 the ferry rights as well as the Priory properties were bought by Ralph Worsley of Lancashire for £586. 11s. 6d (current value - almost £205,000).  The rights later passed to the [[Earl of Sefton|Molyneux]] family. By 1541 William Bromley had the licence for ferries at [[Seacombe]], and in 1586, [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] granted John Poole of [[Great Sutton|Sutton]] the rights at [[Tranmere, Merseyside|Tranmere]].<ref name="Hardman"/>

During this period, the private owners began to use fully rigged sailing ships. The use of sailing ships meant that bigger vessels could be employed, but in reality, these boats were even more at the bidding of the weather. The Mersey is famed for its thick fogs, and during these times during winter there was little wind and ferries could not operate. The frequency depended on demand and the weather.

By the 18th century, the commercial expansion of Liverpool and the increase in [[stage coach]] traffic from [[Chester]] spurred the growth of the transportation of passengers and goods across the river.<ref name="Hardman Woodside and the Mersey ferries">{{cite web|url=http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=154|title=Ferries across the Mersey: Woodside and the Mersey ferries|publisher=E. Chambré Hardman Archive|access-date=2 November 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018170205/http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=154|archive-date=18 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>  Ferry services from Rock House on the Wirral – that is, [[Rock Ferry]] – were first recorded in 1709. By 1753 the Cheshire side of the Mersey had at least five ferry houses at Ince, Eastham, the Rock, Woodside and Seacombe. The service from [[New Ferry]] to Liverpool was first mentioned in 1774.<ref name="Hardman"/>

===Steam ferries===
The first [[steam ships|steamship]] to operate on the Mersey was the ''Elizabeth'', a wooden paddle steamer, which was introduced in 1815 to operate between Liverpool and Runcorn.<ref name=museums>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/displayGuide.aspx?sid=33&serStr=&sorStr=s_no%20ASC%200&pgeInt=0&catStr= |title=Liverpool Maritime Archives & Library Information Sheet|publisher=National Museums Liverpool|access-date=17 April 2008}}</ref>  There was considerable debate as to the best way of boarding a ferry vessel. For the steam ferry ''Etna'', which entered service at Tranmere on 17 April 1817, the idea of extension stages was mooted. These were long piers that were mounted on wheels and, by using a steam engine, could be wheeled in and out depending on the level of the tide.

At Woodside, a small slipway was built on the beach to allow the boats to berth, and in 1822 the paddle steamer ''Royal Mail'' began commercial operation between Liverpool and Woodside.<ref name="museums"/> The town of Birkenhead was just starting to develop at this point. In 1820, the Birkenhead Ferry began operating from a new site just to the south; this closed in 1870. The Woodside, North Birkenhead and Liverpool Steam Ferry Company was formed in 1835, and the slipway at Woodside was widened and constructed as a stone pier. In 1838, the Monks Ferry Company began operating rival ferries from a new stone slip and hotel about 400 metres south of Woodside, but this service closed in 1878.<ref name="Hardman"/>

From about 1830, steam ferries also operated from the new [[seaside resort|resort]] developed by James Atherton at [[New Brighton, Merseyside|New Brighton]], and from nearby [[Egremont, Merseyside|Egremont]]. Steam ferries also began operating from Eastham.

By the 1840s, Birkenhead was developing into a busy new town. The [[Chester and Birkenhead Railway|railway to Chester]] had opened, the town was growing quickly, and the docks were under construction. There were also competing ferry services and disputes over the rights granted to the monks, and there was a need to improve the facilities at Woodside. In the early 1840s, the old slipway was replaced with a new stone pier with a small lighthouse at the end. However, this soon became inadequate.<ref name="bri2e"/>

In 1847, the first floating landing stage, which rose and fell with the tide so that boats could dock at any time, was opened at Liverpool. The first portion, known as the Georges' landing stage, was designed by [[William Cubitt]] and was 500 feet long. It was rebuilt and extended in 1874.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Liverpool|volume=16|page=808|first=William Fergusson |last=Irvine}}</ref>

===Corporation years===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Birkenhead Improvement (Woodside Ferry) Act 1842}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to authorize the Purchase of a certain Ferry called "Woodside Ferry" by the Commissioners for the Improvement of the Township or Chapelry of Birkenhead in the County Palatine of Chester; and for amending the Improvement Acts for the said Township.
| year                  = 1842
| citation              = [[5 & 6 Vict.]] c. v
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 22 April 1842
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = {{ubli|[[Birkenhead Corporation Act 1881]]}}
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/5-6/5/pdfs/ukla_18420005_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Until the establishment of the [[Mersey Railway]] in 1886, the ferries were the only means of crossing the river, and so all of the routes were heavily used. All of the ferry routes were owned by private interests before coming under [[municipal]] ownership in the mid 19th century. The Woodside ferry was taken over by the Birkenhead Commissioners in 1858 and, in 1861, the Wallasey Local Board took over the ferry services at Seacombe, Egremont and New Brighton. At Woodside, land between the Woodside Hotel and the end of the old pier was reclaimed, and in 1861 the floating landing stage was opened. The pontoons were towed into position, moored by chains originally made for the [[SS Great Eastern|SS ''Great Eastern'']], and linked to the mainland by two double bridges.<ref name="Hardman"/>

The ''Cheshire'', the first passenger ferry steamer to have a saloon, operated from Woodside in 1864. The iron pier at Eastham was built in 1874. On 26 November 1878, the ferry ''Gem'', a paddle steamer operated from Seacombe by the Wallasey Local Board, collided with the ''Bowfell'', a wooden sailing ship at anchor on the River Mersey; five people died as a result.

In 1886 the [[Mersey Railway Tunnel]] was opened, providing competition for the ferry services. The Woodside ferry service began using twin-screw passenger steamers in 1890, which replaced [[paddle steamers]]. In 1894 trains were carrying 25,000 passengers per day and the ferries 44,000 per day.<ref name="museums"/> The ferry service at Tranmere, which had operated since mediaeval times, closed in 1897. The pier and landing stage at Rock Ferry was built in 1899, and Birkenhead Corporation also operated the ferry service at New Ferry.<ref name="Hardman"/>

[[File:The Mersey ferries HMS DAFFODIL and HMS IRIS II at Dover soon after the vessels returned from the Zeebrugge Raid (22-23 April 1918). Q18888.jpg|thumb|Mersey ferries ''[[SS Royal Daffodil|Daffodil]]'' and ''[[SS Royal Iris|Iris]]'' at [[Dover]] in 1918. The vessels had been requisitioned for war service and had recently returned from participating in the [[Zeebrugge Raid]].]]
In 1914 [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] travelled on the ferry ''[[SS Royal Daffodil|Daffodil]]'' from Wallasey to Liverpool. During the [[First World War]] the steamers ''[[SS Royal Iris|Iris]]'' and ''Daffodil'' were taken out of service from Wallasey to be used as troop ships in the [[Zeebrugge Raid|naval raid on Zeebrugge]] in Belgium. The ferries had a shallow draft, allowing them to skim over the [[Naval mine|mines]] floating beneath the surface, and were robust enough to approach the heavily defended [[Mole (architecture)|mole]] curling into the [[North Sea]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-special-features/2008/03/15/how-the-mersey-ferries-helped-win-the-first-world-war-64375-20627075/ |title=How the Mersey Ferries helped win the First World War|publisher=Liverpool Daily Post|date=15 March 2008|access-date=17 April 2008}}</ref> They both saw action, which was described on 24 April 1918 by [[Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes|Vice–Admiral Sir Roger Keyes]] of the [[Royal Navy]] in a message to the ferries' manager:
<blockquote>
''"I am sure it will interest you to know that your two stout vessels carried Bluejackets and Marines to Zeebrugge, and remained alongside the Mole for an hour, greatly contributing to the success of the operation... The damage caused by enemy gun fire has been repaired"''.
</blockquote>
Because of their work King George V allowed the vessels to use the word ''"Royal"'' in their name. They needed extensive refitting before they could resume peacetime activities.<ref name="Hardman"/>

In the boats themselves, there was quick development. The early incarnations of today's modern vessels can be seen in some of the early propeller driven ships, mainly the 1906 pair, ''Royal Iris'' and ''Royal Daffodil''. The Wallasey [[twin screw steamer|twin screw]] vessels all had [[flying bridge]]s with port and starboard docking cabs. As built, the two ferries still had the wheel at promenade deck level, however this was subsequently moved up onto the bridge, so navigation was all on one level. They were all fitted with ahead and astern reciprocating engines and most vessels could achieve a speed of around 12 [[Knot (unit)|knots]], which is about the same as today's trio of ferries. On early paddlers, the wheelhouse and side cabs were open largely due to the transition from sail to steam, and most ships at the time had open navigation bridges with the ferries being no different. Birkenhead did not use flying bridges, instead having a central wheelhouse and two outer navigation boxes which were raised up higher above deck level. Wallasey ferries employed a funnel [[livery]] of white and black and Birkenhead red and black. Birkenhead changed to orange and black after the second world war.

When the railway tunnels were constructed and opened, the ferry service did suffer somewhat but it always remained popular. It was really the advent of the road tunnels that caused trouble. When the [[Queensway road tunnel]] opened in 1934, the ferry service from Seacombe lost two million passengers because people started to use the tunnel rather than the ferry. The opening of the road tunnel also had an effect on the luggage boats which were introduced in 1879. Both ferry companies earned a substantial amount from luggage boats, which carried vehicles and goods across the river. When the road tunnel opened, traffic dropped by 80%. By the 1940s, luggage boat services from both Woodside and Seacombe to Liverpool had ceased. From Woodside in 1941 and from Seacombe 1947.{{cn|date=September 2020}}

Due to financial losses incurred from a gradual reduction in patronage, Birkenhead Corporation gradually closed its southern terminals; New Ferry (officially) on 22 September 1927, Eastham in 1929 and Rock Ferry on 30 June 1939. The closure of Eastham marked the last use of ferry paddle steamers on the river.<ref name="Mersey Ferries - Volume 1">{{citation|title=Mersey Ferries - Volume 1|first=TB|last=Maund|publisher=Transport Publishing Co. Ltd|year=1991|isbn=0-86317-166-4}}</ref> Wallasey were always trying to close Egremont, but faced stiff opposition from locals who got petitions to keep the ferry open. The chance came to close Egremont during the [[Second World War]] for economic reasons, after the pier was damaged in a collision. This was in similar circumstances to the demise of New Ferry twenty years earlier. As a result, the Egremont service never reopened.

In 1941, mines which had drifted into the River Mersey stopped ferry crossings. The ''Oxton'' and ''Bebington'' vessels were fitted with cranes to enable them to unload United States aircraft from mid-river and deliver them to the Liverpool landing stage. The ''Upton'' vessel was taken by the army and used as a ferry and supply vessel for the anti-aircraft forts in [[Liverpool Bay]].

In 1950, the ferries carried almost 30 million passengers a year, including 11 million on the Woodside ferries and 15 million on Seacombe ferries, but by 1970 the total number fell to 7 million. Night boats across the river were withdrawn and replaced by buses through the tunnel in 1956.

===The MPTE takes over===
[[File:Snowdrop at irlam locks on manchester ship canal.jpg|right|thumb|''[[MV Snowdrop|Snowdrop]]'' at Irlam Locks on the [[Manchester Ship Canal]]]]
As a result of the [[Transport Act 1968]], the transport functions of both Wallasey and Birkenhead Corporations came under the control of the [[Merseytravel|Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive]] (MPTE) on 1 December 1969.<ref name="Mersey Ferries - Volume 1" />  By this time, New Brighton had declined as a tourist destination and coupled with silting problems near the landing stage, the ferry service was withdrawn in 1971, with the stage and pier subsequently demolished.

In spite of the close proximity of Wallasey and Birkenhead and their respective ferry landing stages, each corporation had used different gangway spacing on their vessels. This meant that a Wallasey ferry could not utilise both gangways at Birkenhead's terminal at Woodside, and that a Birkenhead boat would be similarly disadvantaged at Seacombe and New Brighton. The Pier Head at Liverpool was obliged to have gangways to suit both sets of ships. When the combined ferry fleet was rationalised, Seacombe Ferry landing stage required the construction of an additional gangway to cater for the Birkenhead vessels.

The 1970s economic situation in Britain saw costs escalating, with funding limited by the MPTE, which was embarking on an expensive operation to construct the [[Merseyrail]] "Liverpool Loop" extension. Compounded with the opening of the [[Kingsway Tunnel|Kingsway road tunnel]] on 28 June 1971 and a further decline in passenger numbers (only 4,000-5,000 a day), the future of the service was uncertain. It was sentimental, rather than economical grounds which resulted in the retention of the ferries, after much public protest to keep them. However, service frequency was reduced, with ferry fares being linked to bus and rail fares.<ref name="Mersey Ferries - Volume 1" /> During this period, maintenance on the ferries was limited considerably, with the ''Woodchurch'' being laid up as a salvage for parts for ''Mountwood'' and ''Overchurch''. At this time, the large brass [[Steering wheel (ship)|helm]] from ''Overchurch'' was damaged and was replaced by that from ''Woodchurch''. After the damaged helm was repaired, it was placed on ''Woodchurch''. This has remained the case, even after both vessels were extensively rebuilt.

1984 was a momentous year for the ferries and can be seen as the beginning of their rise from the slump of the 1970s. For the duration of the [[International Garden Festival]], a special ferry service was provided to [[Otterspool Promenade]]. This service was usually operated by the ''Overchurch''. The ferries also began to operate summer [[Manchester Ship Canal]] cruises, a service which had been popular for many years since the canal opened but declined somewhat in the 1960s and 1970s. Sailing ships from the [[The Tall Ships' Races|Tall Ships' Race]] visited the river in August 1984, which helped bring patronage to 250,000 over four days, a level unseen for forty years.<ref name="Mersey Ferries - Volume 1" />

===Bus deregulation and the 1990 changes===
{{Infobox company
| name                = Mersey Ferries
| logo                =
| logo_size           = 300px
| type                = [[Private limited company]]
| foundation          = 
| location            = [[Liverpool]]
| subsid              = 
| industry            = [[Public transport]]
| revenue             = 
| operating_income    = 
| net_income          = 
| parent              = [[Merseytravel]]<br>[[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]]
| homepage            = {{url|http://www.merseyferries.co.uk}}
| footnotes           = 
| area_served         = [[River Mersey]]
}}
On 26 October 1986 as a result of the [[Transport Act 1985]], bus services were deregulated and restrictions which prevented regular bus services through the [[Mersey Tunnels]] were abolished. As a result, many buses which formerly stopped at the Birkenhead Woodside bus/ferry terminal were extended into Liverpool. This was another blow to the Mersey Ferries and the ferry service had to be re-focussed away from commuter traffic, which had declined, to tourist needs.

From 1990 a commuter shuttle has operated Monday-Friday peak period with an hourly River Explorer Cruise.  At weekends River Explorer cruises operate from 10:00 to 18:00. The morning peak service until 2010 ran every 30 minutes on a Liverpool-Birkehead-Seacombe-Liverpool circuit, but since then only runs every 20 minutes from Liverpool-Seacombe Ferry and back.

The evening peak service runs Liverpool-Seacombe every 20 minutes. The Explorer cruises follow a Liverpool-Seacombe-Birkenhead-Liverpool pattern and sail slightly further upstream with a commentary of what can be seen.

These operations run with a bias towards Seacombe Ferry as the vicinity of Seacombe lacks the rail and bus connections of Birkenhead. In the summer there are also cruises up the Manchester Ship Canal.