Dartmouth Passenger Ferry

The Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth Steam Ferry, is a passenger ferry which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth to Kingswear, the others being the Higher Ferry and the Lower Ferry. The 630-mile (1,010 km) long South West Coast Path crosses the Dart on either the Lower or Passenger ferries.

The passenger ferry is operated by Dart Pleasure Craft Limited, which is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, the owner of the Heritage Dartmouth Steam Railway. The ferry connects the Dartmouth water front to the steam railway's terminus at Kingswear railway station. At one time adjacent to the Dartmouth landing of the ferry was the unique "Dartmouth railway station", but this has been converted into a restaurant and the ferry now shares an adjacent landing stage with cruise boats also operated by Dart Pleasure Craft under their River Link brand.

There are records of a "Kingswear Ferry" as early as 1365. By the 18th century, a second ferry was sailing from Hoodown on the Kingswear side, upstream from Waterhead Creek, which had an easier approach than the steep slipway in the village square.

The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was authorised by its 1857 Act of Parliament to establish a steam ferry across the Dart from its station and agreed to purchase the ferries, although this was not completed until 18 November 1873, by which time the railway was a part of the South Devon Railway. Within three years it had become part of the Great Western Railway who continued to operate the Steam Ferry up until nationalisation into British Railways on 1 January 1948.

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