Victoria Embankment

This is a W. H. Smith postcard in their Kingsway Real Photo series showing the scene looking north towards the Victoria Embankment from the south bank with from the left, The Adelphi, The Hotel Cecil, The Savoy Hotel and the Medical Examination Hall. Travelling upstream in line with Cleopatra’s needle is a paddle steamer belonging to the City Steamboat Company operating a former London County Council paddle steamer. In the foreground are a number of dumb barges and another two paddle steamers in City livery also formerly LCC paddle steamers, the boat on the left nearest the camera is a screw driven steamer also belonging to the City Steamboat Company. When the ill fated LCC river bus service was wound up in 1907 several of the boats were moored at this location between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge until they were all sold by auction in 1909. Twelve of the thirty boats were bought by the City Steamboat Company and used on the Thames, some were sold on and that was the fate of “PS Raleigh” which is the paddle steamer on the right, it was sold to a company in Belgium. When the boats were built, they cost the LCC £6000.00 each, the “Raleigh” was sold to the City Company for £393.00, they probably made a profit when they sold it on. This is probably 1910 or 1911. The Adelphi and The Hotel Cecil were demolished in the early 1930s, The Adelphi was replaced by The New Adelphi which is an Art Deco building and the Hotel Cecil was replaced by Shell Mex House which is also Art Deco. The Savoy Hotel and the Medical Examination Hall still stand but the Hall has been given a new façade and is no longer recognisable as the same building.

Done