Leonard Bentley
Westminster Pier
This is a magic lantern slide showing a very early view of Westminster Pier and the new Victoria Embankment. The Westminster Pier was opened in 1868 at the same time that the Victoria Embankment was completed, the buildings in the background are from the left, Montague House, Whitehall Gardens and Charing Cross Railway Station in the distance. In 1905 part of the station’s roof collapsed and was subsequently truncated, this view is of the original roof which was to be obscured from this viewpoint by Whitehall Court, the National Liberal Club and the Hotel Metropole, all built during the 1880s. The paddle steamer nearest the camera on the left belongs to the Citizen Steamboat Company, founded in 1846, they were probably the most successful steamboat company on the Thames during the 19th and 20th centuries. All their boats were built on the Thames at either Battersea, West Ham or Blackfriars between 1845 and 1872, the company invested in a new boat every few years, thereby expanding their fleet using the profits made. In all there were eighteen boats built, each one was identified by a letter of the alphabet except the letter “I” on the paddle box together with the City of London Arms. On the deck side of the paddle box they were each named after a City guild such as, Haberdasher, Fishmonger or Spectacle maker. In 1867 the company amalgamated with the Woolwich Steam Packet Company together with some other steamboat companies but it would appear that the individual liveries were retained until 1876 when they merged with the London Steamboat Company. The other two paddle steamers are a bit trickier to identify, I think they may belong to the Woolwich Steam Packet Company. Best viewed with the zoom feature.
Westminster Pier
This is a magic lantern slide showing a very early view of Westminster Pier and the new Victoria Embankment. The Westminster Pier was opened in 1868 at the same time that the Victoria Embankment was completed, the buildings in the background are from the left, Montague House, Whitehall Gardens and Charing Cross Railway Station in the distance. In 1905 part of the station’s roof collapsed and was subsequently truncated, this view is of the original roof which was to be obscured from this viewpoint by Whitehall Court, the National Liberal Club and the Hotel Metropole, all built during the 1880s. The paddle steamer nearest the camera on the left belongs to the Citizen Steamboat Company, founded in 1846, they were probably the most successful steamboat company on the Thames during the 19th and 20th centuries. All their boats were built on the Thames at either Battersea, West Ham or Blackfriars between 1845 and 1872, the company invested in a new boat every few years, thereby expanding their fleet using the profits made. In all there were eighteen boats built, each one was identified by a letter of the alphabet except the letter “I” on the paddle box together with the City of London Arms. On the deck side of the paddle box they were each named after a City guild such as, Haberdasher, Fishmonger or Spectacle maker. In 1867 the company amalgamated with the Woolwich Steam Packet Company together with some other steamboat companies but it would appear that the individual liveries were retained until 1876 when they merged with the London Steamboat Company. The other two paddle steamers are a bit trickier to identify, I think they may belong to the Woolwich Steam Packet Company. Best viewed with the zoom feature.