The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society Collection forms the largest and most important collection of material relating to paddle and pleasure steamers in the UK.

Every Object Tells A Story!
Over 27,000 fascinating items are held. These include unique original fittings from paddle steamers, over 10,000 handbills, 5,000 nostalgic photographs and countless other wonderful items!

Alive with Surprises!
The collection is alive with surprises and waiting for you to explore it!

We Can Help You To

• Order a photograph of an old paddle steamer
• Find out more about the heritage of Waverley, Kingswear Castle and Balmoral
• Buy a nostalgic film showing old paddle and pleasure steamers
• Get help with your family history
• Obtain plans and photographs for modelmaking
• Get help with local history research
• Find out about booking a paddle steamer cruise

Photographs We have a wealth of amazing photographs in our collection! These range from photos showing Victorian paddle steamers to Waverley in 2010. Photographs show an amazing range of paddle steamers, people that worked and cruised on them and places around the UK.

Handbills Our collection of handbills is a window into history. Handbills give us so much information about paddle steamer cruises of the past. Our handbill collection covers the whole of the UK. The earliest handbill dates from 1837 and we have full collections for some areas of the UK!

Souvenirs Generations of people have purchased a souvenir of a cruise aboard a paddle steamer. We have an Aladdin's cave of wonderful items that people have bought. These range from a Waverley jigsaw, a box made from Princess Alice to the stunning launch mallet of the Mercury!

Bits of Ships! We have many large and important fittings from famous old steamers in our collection. These range from the engine cosole of the Ryde, the wheel of the Princess Elizabeth, last houseflag of the Medway Queen, telegraph from the Consul and the wheel of the London Belle!

For the Table Do you remember the stylish dining aboard the paddle steamers in the past? Our collection includes wonderfully evocative items from the steamers such as crested crockery, plated-ware, cutlery and menus. Of particular interest is the silverware from the Thames and Bristol Channel.

Posters Our collection of posters goes back to the Victorian era and covers all areas of the UK. A particular strength are the Edwardian posters advertising the Thames steamer fleets. We also have an ever growing collection of posters relating to Waverley and Balmoral.

Plans Our plans show general and specific details of paddle steamers. These are ideal for modelmakers. A particular strength are the plans showing the fleet of Cosens of Weymouth who operated steamers on the South coast.

Film & Recorded Material Our specialist film unit has restored a wealth of films dating back to the 1930s. These show our own three ships along with many others from around the UK. We also have many audio recordings made by enthusiasts over the past 30 years as well as records of paddle steamer music.

Books We have a huge collection of over 500 books on paddle steamers. These cover all areas of the UK and overseas. We also hold a number of booklets on specific paddle steamers as well as a full collection of the journal 'Paddle Wheels' dating back to 1960.

Tickets, Newspaper Cuttings & Ephemera Ephemera is often the most interesting of material. We have a huge and wide-ranging collection of material that includes tickets, newspaper cuttings, leaflets, receipts, memberships cards, cuttings and greetings cards.

Brochures & Handbooks Steamer companies of the past often produced beautifully illustrated colour brochures outlining their fleet and services. Our collection includes evocative examples from the Thames, Bristol Channel, Firth of Clyde and South coast.

Postcards We have a huge collection of postcards showing paddle steamers from all over the world. This includes a siginificant collection of postcards showing Waverley, Kingswear Castle and Balmoral. Our postcard collection is of special interest to those researching local history.

WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS!

We have a great collection but with your help we can make it even greater! Donations are always welcome!

The PSPS is a registered charity (No 298328) with a core aim of preserving historic material relating to paddle steamers and educating the public on their heritage. Its collection is managed under UK Museum Association guidelines. Any material donated would therefore find a safe and permanent home where future generations will be able to enjoy and use it.

If you would like to donate material to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society Collection please direct your enquiry to:

PSPS, 31 Meadow Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 7LR
or email: andrew.gladwell@yahoo.com