Bristol General Steam Navigation Company
| Industry | Shipping |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1821 |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Bristol |
|
Area served
|
Bristol, Cork, Dublin, Waterford |
The Bristol General Steam Navigation Company provided shipping services between Bristol and ports in southern Ireland, principally Cork from 1821 to 1980. There were also services to other destinations including ports in southern England, south Wales and France.
The company was founded in 1821 by eight Bristol merchants as the War Office Steam Packet Company which started services to Ireland to carry out a War Office contract to transport troops, recruits and convicts.
In 1827, when the War Office contract expired, it became the General Steam Packet Company to avoid confusion with London’s General Steam Navigation Company with whom they were in direct competition for services to the continent. By 1834 the name became Bristol Steam Packet Company and in 1835 the Bristol General Steam Navigation Company. In 1877 it changed to the Bristol Steam Navigation Company which continued until 1980.
Charles Shaw Lovell established his shipping agent’s business in 1869 and the business relationship with Bristol General Steam Navigation Company began in earnest in 1896. As part of the deal that saw Bristol Steam buy Gloucester Steamship Company, Lovell was issued with almost 25% of the ordinary capital of the company. Lovell brought to the table a commission from the Great Western Railway which Bristol Steam facilitated until 1947 when the line was nationalised. Egerton Lovell, Charles’ son, became a director for Bristol Steam… in 1901-2 whilst in his twenties.
Originally offering passenger and freight services between Bristol and a range of ports in Southern England, Wales and Ireland, passenger services were terminated in 1914 because of competition from the Great Western Railway at Fishguard.
Freight services continued until 1980.
Records of Bristol General Steam Navigation Company are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. 39458) (online catalogue 1) and (Ref. 40621) (online catalogue 2).
On 21 January 1888 the 1871-built iron screw steamer Constance, which was from Rotterdam bound for Plymouth then Bristol, ran ashore outside Plymouth harbour in fog. The ship sank with the loss of three crew members.
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