Old Torpoint

Unloading the Ferry c1930. By 1920, the condition of the early [Rendel see tor-002] ferries and the poor service they offered had led to several mass public meetings and using powers given to Local Authorities in 1919, Cornwall County Council eventually took control of the service on 21st July 1922 for a price of £42,000. The new manager, an engineer called T P Endean, seems to have been much involved in the design of the replacement ferries and in major works ashore, constructing new gantry towers for the counterweights, offices, waiting rooms and ticket offices. Although the ferries used the Rendel principles of operation, the new designs took on the shape of the present day craft, with a central traffic deck and two flanking passenger cabins. Some curiosities remained: the ferries themselves used coal to provide steam, with all the associated labour costs, despite the fact that there was a general move to oil, and the low set "control cabs" did not directly control the movement of the ferries, but only telegraphed instructions to the engine room. Two new ferries together cost £34,650 and to get better use out of these assets, the County Council acquired additional land in 1929 to provide a continuous two ferry service and, to ensure that the hourly 64 car capacity was maintained, a third "standby" ferry was brought into service at a cost of £20,000 in 1931. During the Second World War, the ferries were equipped with barrage balloons and some Royal Navy personnel received a "draft chit" to the Torpoint Ferry. Information courtesy of Torpoint Ferry Website