Catalogue description COWES FERRY COMMITTEE

Documents:- This Collection represents the archives of the Cowes Ferry Committee Managers. The actual Minutes would be preserved at Northwood House and the Clerk's papers mainly with Damant & Son. The Collection was deposited in 3 sections, which accounts for the peculiarities of the listing. The first section with no letter references were deposited by Mr Purdy of Clerk's Department, County Hall. Sections IWCC/CFC/A/- were collected from the Managers office and Section IWCC/CFC/ were later deposited by him. Some documents especially of a recent date have been retained at the Managers office on the West Cowes side.

As the Floating Bridge is a very rare institution, virtually no weeding has been done by the Record Office. The Boiler and Engine Certificates are of especial interest to the historian of Technology. The correspondence about and inspections of the Diesel Electric Bridge of 1936 are of exceptional importance. The advertisements of firms wishing to deal with Cowes Ferry Committee are useful. The day to day running by the Manager of the Ferry can be traced in the Rough Minute Books, letter files and account ledgers.

Up to 1859 the ferry rights were leased by the Crown to Mr John L. Roberton, who died aged 88 and was described as of East Cowes in 1895 (see I.W. Observer for that year). In 1859 these rights were sold to a Ferry Company. According to W. White's Commercial Directory 1859, it had a capital of £3000 'for the purpose of connecting East and West Cowes by a Floating Bridge'. In 1868 the right of ferry was leased to 'Southampton, I.W. and South of England Royal Steam Packet Company'. According to the 'I.W. Observer' 1900 public meetins were held in both East and West Cowes in December. They both ratified with acclamation the decision of the 2 District Councils of these towns to promote a Bill in Parliament for acquiring the Ferry rights at Cowes on the Expiration of the lease of the Southampton, I.W. and South of England Royal Steam Packet Co. The Joint Committees of the two Councils ran the ferry from October 1901 - 1933 when the 2 Councils amalgamated. The new authority ran it till 1971/2, when it was taken over by I.W.C.C.