Features / cross-harbour ferry
The ferry that has not yet been replaced by a bridge
Once upon time, numerous ferries would have made their way back and forth across the River Avon and later the Floating Harbour and New Cut, transporting passengers to the opposite bank.
Gaol Ferry Bridge now takes foot traffic over the New Cut above the route of a former ferry, while Ferry Street in Redcliffe and Mardyke Ferry Road in Spike Island are other clues as to the locations of boat services that once operated from close to these locations.
Now only one such ferry remains in Bristol city centre: the Cross-Harbour Ferry, which runs between the Harbour Inlet and the SS Great Britain and hasn’t yet been replaced by a bridge.
The cross-harbour ferry service is shortlisted in the Business category of the Bristol Legends awards, taking place at Ashton Gate on March 6.
Get your tickets now for this special and unique event hosted by Jayde Adams which will be a celebration of Bristol.
The cross-harbour ferry is among the fleet of vessels operated by Number 7 Boat Trips.
Named Mary Brunel after Brunel’s daughter, Bristol’s much-loved cross-harbour ferry is a Sea Truck co-designed by James Dyson of bagless-vacuum-cleaner fame while he was still a student at the Royal College of Art.
The Sea Truck was Dyson’s first invention and was manufactured by Rotork in Bath.
It was designed primarily for use by military forces as a rapid-deployment landing craft but also proved useful in the oil, construction and offshore industries for logistics in remote areas.
Main photo: George Kanellos
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