{"product_id":"the-heyday-of-thames-pleasure-andrew-gladwell-9781445680699","title":"The Heyday of Thames Pleasure Steamers","description":"For several generations of Londoners the highlight of each summer was a day trip to the coast aboard a well-loved pleasure steamer. The interwar years saw some of the finest pleasure steamers ever being built for Thames service and names such as \u003ci\u003eRoyal Eagle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGolden Eagle\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCrested Eagle \u003c\/i\u003ebecame bywords for luxury and speed as they took their happy throng of passengers to coastal resorts such as Margate, Southend, Ramsgate, and Clacton. By the mid-1930s, sleek modern motor vessels were replacing the older paddle steamers. Wartime service took its toll on London's pleasure steamer fleet but, by the late 1940s, favorite old vessels had returned and were joined by wonderful replacement vessels for wartime losses. By the 1950s, the Thames fleet was truly magnificent and it seemed that the peacetime queues of passengers would last forever in those sun-drenched days of the 1950s. But, by the 1960s, it was all more or less over as the motor car became the preferred mode of getting to the seaside. For many, though, there would be nothing like a day trip aboard a pleasure steamer such as the \u003ci\u003eRoyal Daffodil\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eQueen of the Channel\u003c\/i\u003e, or the \u003ci\u003eRoyal Sovereign\u003c\/i\u003e. With a wonderful array of nostalgic photographs, Andrew Gladwell celebrates this golden era of Thames pleasure steamers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Gladwell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1445680696\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781445680699\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Amberley Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/15\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 96\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Andrew Gladwell","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48453645140223,"sku":"9781445680699","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9f476d8f-fd06-4098-9c0d-87cea210ddaa.jpg?v=1777301391","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-heyday-of-thames-pleasure-andrew-gladwell-9781445680699","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}