King Harry Steam Ferry Company Ltd
The King Harry Ferry is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the River Fal between Feock and Philliegh approximately half way between Truro, the lowest bridging point on the estuary and the town of Falmouth, at the mouth of the estuary.
The ferry is owns and operated by the King Harry Steam Ferry Company Ltd. The current ferry boat, named No. 7, was entered service in 2006 and has a carrying capacity of 34 cars.
It is likely that there has been a ferry of some description at the King Harry Passage for centuries, but there are conflicting stories about the origins of the name. One such story is that King Henry VIII spent his honeymoon with Anne Boleyn at St Mawes, and signed a charter for the ferry on this site. A more likely origin lies in the fact that a small chapel formerly stood on the Philleigh side of the passage. All that remains of this today is a small pile of stones, but is mentioned in 1528 as "The Chapel of St. Mary and King Henry", commemorating King Henry VI, murdered in 1471.
The King Harry Steam Ferry was formed in 1888 to provide a steam powered ferry to replace a manually propelled barge which had been previously used.
Although the owning company has retained the words Steam Ferry in its name, all ferries since 1956 have used diesel-electric propulsion. The company is now owned by a syndicate of five local families.
The crossing of the River Fal has been voted one of the ten most scenic ferry trips in the world by The Independent newspaper, alongside the Staten Island Ferry in New York and the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. The Feock terminal of the ferry is adjacent to the renowned Trelissick Gardens.
A toll is charged for vehicular use of the ferry; a charitable donation is invited from pedestrians. Local people can purchase concession tickets to keep the price low. If the ferry is not operating, the alternative is a 26-mile (42 km) detour via the city of Truro.
Read MoreThe ferry is owns and operated by the King Harry Steam Ferry Company Ltd. The current ferry boat, named No. 7, was entered service in 2006 and has a carrying capacity of 34 cars.
It is likely that there has been a ferry of some description at the King Harry Passage for centuries, but there are conflicting stories about the origins of the name. One such story is that King Henry VIII spent his honeymoon with Anne Boleyn at St Mawes, and signed a charter for the ferry on this site. A more likely origin lies in the fact that a small chapel formerly stood on the Philleigh side of the passage. All that remains of this today is a small pile of stones, but is mentioned in 1528 as "The Chapel of St. Mary and King Henry", commemorating King Henry VI, murdered in 1471.
The King Harry Steam Ferry was formed in 1888 to provide a steam powered ferry to replace a manually propelled barge which had been previously used.
Although the owning company has retained the words Steam Ferry in its name, all ferries since 1956 have used diesel-electric propulsion. The company is now owned by a syndicate of five local families.
The crossing of the River Fal has been voted one of the ten most scenic ferry trips in the world by The Independent newspaper, alongside the Staten Island Ferry in New York and the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. The Feock terminal of the ferry is adjacent to the renowned Trelissick Gardens.
A toll is charged for vehicular use of the ferry; a charitable donation is invited from pedestrians. Local people can purchase concession tickets to keep the price low. If the ferry is not operating, the alternative is a 26-mile (42 km) detour via the city of Truro.
