Sunbury Ferry

There have been ferries crossing the River Thames for centuries, way before there were bridges of any kind. Sunbury has had its fair share over the years. Records show a Sunbury ferry was in existence at least as early as 1604 and there were still two ferries operating in Sunbury back in the 1950’s.

The river was regarded as a main highway and the narrow alleys that can still be seen between some of the houses in the village probably led to wharfs for use by barges. These barges may well have been carrying such goods as coal and wine. In 1860, these barges were liable to pay a tax for entering London and a ring of about 280 cast iron tax posts were placed around the capital to show when a tax would be due. One of those  posts can still be seen in its original location at our Sunbury ferry jetty.

A Sunbury map of 1722 shows a substantial ‘Foreland’ crossing Sunbury Park which may have been the genesis for the later Walled Garden whose Thames Street entrance faces directly on to Ferry House.

Census returns provide the following information on Ferrymen at 72 Thames Street:

Wilson’s ferry at Church Wharf came into being in 1907 and provided Sunbury with a second ferry service.

From another source: ‘Sunbury Remembered’ - by Bert Johnson, we know that Johnson’s father was asked by the boat builder, Horace Clark Jnr., to become the Ferryman and manage the repair premises on Lock Island in 1932, following the death of Edwin Clark Jnr. that year.  Johnson remained as Ferryman until the outbreak of war in 1939.

There were two ferry boats, a wherry for five or six people and a punt which could carry eighteen people and two bicycles.  His son Bert, then only 15, worked extremely hard for his father, rowing much of the day at weekends. 

A gentleman by the name of Jack Skinner (possibly related to Sunbury’s notable Albert Skinner) then took up residence at the Ferry House, but it is not known whether he actually operated the ferry service for Horace Clark Jnr. 

A bomb fell on the concrete steps of the landing stage in 1940 and the blast pushed the side of the Ferry House in, causing serious damage, although it did not fully collapse.

At some time during 1941 a chain ferry was installed and this can be clearly seen on the 1950’s photograph which shows Mr. Jeffrey and passengers aboard the ferry.  The chain ferry provided a really useful service to the local community and an enjoyable trip for holidaymakers wishing to visit Lock Island and access to the tow path into Walton.

This ferry operated until the 1960’s.

Further photographs show the Thames Street entrance to the Ferry House in about 1910 and another showing a Ferryman with his wife standing beside a ferryboat at the Ferry House landing stage around the same time.

With no regular Sunbury ferry operating for decades, it is exciting to be reviving that historical aspect of the village where many of the houses, pubs and businesses would have echoed to the busy sound of life on the river. This extract from Bert Johnson’s memoirs gives a hint to what life was like between the wars:

“Living at the ferry house was a very pleasant experience in the summer. The living accommodation was on the ground floor, with a large sitting room overlooking the river. Below, on the level with the river, were the cellars, kitchen and workshop. At night a flap dropped down over the stairwell to keep out the cold. We lived upstairs and went down to cook and do the washing. The staircase was like being on a ship.”

“The river was not so controlled as it is now, it rose feet at a time, five or six feet year after year. The floodwater would come into the kitchen and cellars. There were metal stanchions set into the concrete and stone floor, with planks of wood balanced on them so we could walk to the stove and the dresser without getting wet.”

“When the river was high, the only way to cross the river was by skiff, but where do you moor it? If left outside it would drift away. So the back door was propped open and the end of the skiff was pulled into the room and tied to the leg of the kitchen table! My mother cooked breakfast in these conditions until one Sunday morning she opened the oven door and a rat ran out. My mother screamed and fell into the muddy water!”

These days, our modern ferry is very different to those early ferries that were rowed, chained or even punted across the river. Most ferries today will be engine powered with the vast majority using petrol or diesel engines. Fossil-fuel boat engine technology has not kept pace with developments in car engines and electric boat engines are still few and far between.

We are pleased to say that we are using a new pontoon-style boat with one of the latest electric outboard engines that runs near silently and with no polluting fumes.

The ferry has a large flat deck that makes it easier to get on and off compared with a normal small boat. It is designed so that in the future, with additional funding, it can be fitted with a wheelchair ramp.

Shepperton Ferry

Shepperton also has a history of ferries going back centuries. Hampton Court State Papers from the time of Charles I in 1637, give a hint to its darker use!

‘The Council being informed that there are divers highway thieves that frequent the roads about Hounslow Heath and other parts between that and London, who having committed robberies usually take passage over Shepperton Ferry into Surrey, or shelter themselves in places near London, and that one of those thieves was lately hurt in the shoulder by one whom they attempted to rob, the Lords require them to lay wait about Hounslow Heath and Shepperton Ferry and elsewhere to apprehend them.’ [Copy. Nicholas's Letter Book, Dom. James I., Vol. ccxix., p. 139.]

Thankfully, today the busy Shepperton Ferry is used by tourists, commuters, school children and those walking the Thames Path National Trail which crosses the river at this point from one bank to the other. A bustling new cafe run by the ferry owners adds to the enjoyment and novelty of a ferry ride.

Hampton Ferry

The other local ferry on this stretch of the river is the Hampton Ferry. It is believed to date back to Doomsday, when the community comprised of mainly fishermen. Records show that the ferry has been transporting passengers almost continuously ever since.

Like the early Sunbury and Shepperton ferries, Hampton ferry was a broad punt-like craft, often crammed full of people heading to a cricket match, or prize fight on the Hurst.  Tradition has it that folks who found themselves around the edge of the ferry linked arms to ensure that no one fell overboard!

Thankfully, today’s Hampton ferry is a powered ex-army assault craft capable of carrying ten people, bicycles and pushchairs.

Shepperton Ferry ----------- 3 miles along tow path --------- Sunbury Ferry ------- 2 miles along towpath --------- Hampton Ferry