Royal Iris - Bring Her Back Home

[TommyMogan]

The Royal Iris Rotting in the Thames. A sorry sight to a vessel that means as much as the Liver Brird to most people in Liverpool.





In better time on the Mersey:


Petition to Bring Her Home:
http://www.royaliris.co.uk/

[leverpoole]

Nice pics John, similar to these by Dave Wood.

I see you have copied them onto your own tinypic account.

[guenuk]

Without the emotional attachment, I just see a rusty ferry, I do believe in the preservation of things but is it really vital to preserve this rust bucket? genuine question

[DaveRI]

Hiya Folks,
I'm here to ask you to please sign a petition to bring the Royal Iris back to Merseyside. You can sign up at http://www.royaliris.co.uk . I'll be giving the petition to the owner and also Greenwich Council who I think cover this part of Woolwich (please correct me if I'm wrong). The good news is that there's a Wirral based buyer, the bad news is that the owner can be a little elusive at times.

Here's the preamble from the petition website:
"As you are aware, the Royal Iris is in a perilous state, rotting away on the River Thames. She took on a load of water in February and the Port of London Authority is now concerned she may break up and create a hazard for the River Thames shipping traffic.

The Royal Iris is not loved in London and that's understandable. She is an eyesore and has no part in London's maritime heritage. She needs to be back on Merseyside where people care for her and recall the happy days when she sailed up and down the River Mersey."

Edit:
There's an article about her in tomorrow's Echo. Subject to any breaking news, it'll be on page 3. It'll be in the DP as well.

[Evertonian]

Originally Posted by guenuk

Without the emotional attachment, I just see a rusty ferry, I do believe in the preservation of things but is it really vital to preserve this rust bucket? genuine question

I believe there is merit in bringing the Iris back to Merseyside and it's something I would very much like to see happen. I've written about it in my blog here....

http://sochoice.wordpress.com/

To me it seems that the Iris has as much of a right to be preserved, if not more so, than the U Boat by Mersey ferries.

I have written about 3 ideas for the ship in my blog. These are....


1. The 'Beatle Boat' concept - Liverpool Docklands.



"Well that was me, royal iris, on the river
Mersey beat'n' with the band, that was me"
Paul McCartney - 'That Was Me'

....so sang Paul McCartney on his 'Memory Almost Full' album. The Beatle's - Royal Iris connection is very strong with the boat playing a massive role in the Merseybeat scene of early 60's Liverpool. The Beatles performed gigs on the Iris along with other Mersey giants such as Gerry and the Pacemakers and a load of Cavern acts.



"The Royal Iris" is a reference to Royal Iris, a ferry boat that used to sail on the River Mersey, and they used to have these things called 'riverboat shuffles', where people would buy tickets and there'd be a band, and booze, and food, and the ferry would go up and down the river and we'd play. So things like that. It's just remembering that I did all of those things". - Paul McCartney.

One idea for the boat could be to relocate her in a suitable Liverpool environment, perhaps one of the docks (any from Prince's up to the north docks), where it would lie a bit inland within the dock and be sheltered somewhat from the harsh marine environment of a river (be it the Thames or the Mersey). The boat would then be revamped and given bright psychodelic Sgt Pepper era colours and renamed 'The Beatle Boat' and ran as a Beatles tourist industry kind of thing. The boat could take part in the usual Mathew Street festival shenanigans and could host Beatles and Merseybeat events. Within 10-20 years Liverpool Waters would be built up around it and it would become a charming part of the scheme and 'part of the furniture'.


2. Wirral Waters leisure boat. - Birkenhead Docklands.

Wirral Waters is Peel Holdings £4.5 billion 50 year vision for a waterscape based new downtown area, for Birkenhead docklands. Word has it that a large element and focus of the scheme is an “international-quality leisure destination”. The company remained tight-lipped about this element of the scheme, but it is understood to include a number of leisure and retail elements and would probably also focus on outdoor, possibly water-based, activities. Could the Royal Iris, find a home within the Great Float/Vittoria Dock, perhaps as a Mersey Ferries museum peice, or as a private concern?


3. New Brighton Marine Lake - Fish 'n' Chip shop resturant concept.

My personal wish would be for the boat to return to the place it was synonimous with, in New Brighton. The Iris in it's heyday carried over 2,000 passengers a weekend to New Brighton, itself still a major seaside resort at the time, which had it's own Ferry stage. Onboard the Iris there was a dancefloor and stage, a tea room, buffet, cocktail bar, even a fish and chip saloon. The latter giving the Royal Iris the nickname "the fish and chip boat". The Royal Iris played a major part in the leisure industry of the seaside town of New Brighton.

Merseytravel the operators of Mersey Ferries have been making some moves into the museum and tourism industry with a Beatles museum in the new Pier Head Ferry Terminal, a 'Spaceport' at Seacombe ferry and even housing a historic and authentic German U-Boat at their Ferry fascility at Woodside.

....clearly there is a focused leisure and tourism strategy at their Mersey Ferries division, to add museum peices and other interesting leisure fascilities to go alongside their ferry terminals. All the evidence is that this has been succesful and is paying a great dividend. According to findings in research undertaken by England’s Northwest Research Service for economic development and tourism, the Ferries, together with The Beatles Story, Spaceport and the U-Boat Story attracted 343,000 tourists last year with 16 per cent visiting from overseas.

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, has said: "This is a fantastic success story. Ten years ago we decided to reposition the Mersey Ferries into the tourism market when it was evident that their future as a mere cross-river commuter service was bleak. We have invested more than £50 million in this policy and it is now paying handsome dividends for the region. The Mersey Ferries are the most popular paid-for attraction in the region and with our additional attractions their popularity is increasing. We now have the fabulous new Pier Head terminal building, which includes the Beatles exhibition, and a refurbished cafe alongside U-534 at the Woodside Ferry Terminal to attract even more visitors.”

The report concludes that the Mersey Ferries attractions have the potential to grow by more than 25 per cent over the next decade bringing in an additional 300,000 visitors. Word has it that Wirral Borough Council in conjunction with Neptune the developers of the new £75 million New Brighton developments are interested in creating a new Pier for New Brighton. Merseytravel in turn are said to be interested in the possibility of running a Ferry stage at such a Pier and continuing it's succesfull river cruises down to New Brighton.

A new ferry terminal at New Brighton (the last Ferry service to New Brighton being in the 1970's, when the landing stage was dismantled) would be a major plus for the resort's rising fortunes and is a massively exciting prospect. When you add to this Merseytravel's succesfull strategy of having leisure and tourist focused attractions at or near their Ferry fascilities, having the Royal Iris back as a destination in itself would make a lot of sense.

The Iris does not need to be operational as a sea going vessel. She doesn't need to move at all to still be an attraction. My idea would be to house the Royal Iris within the soon to be remodelled Marine Lake in New Brighton. In this way the ship could lie stable on the Marine Lake bed, perhaps the hull being held in place, and moored in a stable manner to the quayside. The movement of the ship would then be minimal and the sea and marine lake walls would ensure much calmer waters than the Thames or Mersey. In a similar way to the first idea of having the boat moored in one of Liverpool's docks, the ship would be somewhat sheltered from the harshness of the sea or a wild running river and would not be subject to any tides due to it being a marine lake.

This is Neptune's render showing what they plan to create at the new Marine Lake....



....as you can see the plans are for an attractive row of shops, cafes and quayside resturants running along a new boardwalk along the Marine Lake. You can see on the picture that space will be allocated for moorings for small boats. Why not also have the Iris along the quaysaide and run it as an attraction in it's own right? This could be operated by Mersey Ferries as a muesum piece with a resturantuer brought onboard to run a posh Fish 'N' Chip gastro resturant on the ship. On the lower levels you could have a nightclub with a focus on local bands or for a much needed over 21 year olds club night with decent DJ's.

I think the idea has some merit.

[Neilsatiscitycentre]

Some excellent ideas there Evertonian. It´s a crying shame the state the boat´s in. I remember going to a dance on the Royal Iris aged about 17 when I was told by my mother that she didn´t mind me having a pint or 2, but not to go overboard.

[Babaloo]

What's the estimated cost for purchasing it, renovating it, refurbishing the interior and maintaining it?

[Evertonian]

That's an interesting question i'd like to know the answer to myself.

I read somewhere that back in the day £3 million was required to fit her to Mersey Ferry standards to carry passengers. Of course there is no actual need for the ship to be that "sea worthy", she just needs to be berthed and doesn't need to actually move at all, nor does she need to carry passengers 'cross river.

Does anyone know how much it cost to house the U Boat? That was in a much worse state than the Iris and much larger. It had to be cut into peices and coated and a whole visitor attaction built around it.

Surely the Iris could be made tow safe to tow up to Birkenhead where she could be made right at Cammel Lairds, right!??? You would think this wouldn't be impossible. Then it could be moved as the U Boat was, via huge load trucks....or even towed down the Mersey to a New Home at one of the docks or at New Brighton, where she could be lifted into the lake.

Would it cost more than the U Boat costed? Don't know. The bloke might sell her for a quid for all we know to get it off his hands.

Surely the Thames river authorities don't want her rotting in their river and could force the guy to make a decision?

[Babaloo]

I suspect that the easiest part of the process might be purchasing her - providing her owner turns up for meetings convened to discuss the price. He sounds really dodgy to me. Heaven only knows what his agenda is all about.

There would then need to be a proper inspection to determine what was needed (how much of a rebuild etc). I guess she would have to be put on some kind of barge and towed to the Mersey. If left on the Thames the best will in the world won't save her - she needs to be local where her neediness can play on our collective guilty conscience!

I guess the group behind this are doing it on a one stage at a time basis - which is more digestible.

[yoshef]

...

[HollyBlack]

Originally Posted by Evertonian

That's an interesting question i'd like to know the answer to myself.I read somewhere that back in the day £3 million was required to fit her to Mersey Ferry standards to carry passengers. Of course there is no actual need for the ship to be that "sea worthy", she just needs to be berthed and doesn't need to actually move at all, nor does she need to carry passengers 'cross river.
...

I would be very surprised if it wasn't a great deal more than that.

In fact a great deal more than the cost of a new ship. A full-size look-alike replicas, identical from outside. Twin-screw diesel electric 1250T, 160ft LOA.

Reportedly (Wallasey News) she cost GBP256,000 in 1950. Using the most appropriate measure (average earnings) that would be around GBP20,000,000 as an upper bound in today's money. Using another measure (RPI) that would be about GBP6,600,000 and gives some indication as to today's third-word shipyard cost. http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/

Surely Cammell-Lairds could build it for a price somewhere in between those figures as a way to jump start itself back into the shipbuilding business?

That has to be a better way to spend money, a new ship would have a longer life, modern amenities onboard and a lot more capabilities and commercial possibilities. Back in Wallasey Corporation livery the nostalgia factor would be totally huge.

[DaveRI]

There's an article about her in the Echo today.

[Scarecrow]

Great work Dave!

Added your link to my Facebook status too.

[Tom Hughes]

Anyone know the actual reasons for selling the Royal Iris in the first place and what it has been doing in the meantime (apart from decaying)? I see there's another old boat in the Echo today, currently at the bottom of a Birkenhead dock. Surely all these things should be permanently berthed alongside the Albert (and other Docks) and utilised as restaurants/hotels/clubs/homes/living-exhibits etc. Nothing more dead than an empty dock, and nothing more alive than a full one!

[Paul D]

I was reading that with disgust,the council and politicians have no repect for history in this city.A historic boat in need of repair next to a ship repair yard allowed to sink,people need to be held to account for this.

Plea for historic Merseyside D-Day landing craft to be saved

Mar 5 2010

Plea for historic Merseyside D-Day landing craft to be saved

AN HISTORIC Merseyside naval vessel which saw action in the D-Day landings is in danger of being lost for ever after she started sinking.

The Landfall is the last surviving tank landing craft to take place in the D-Day landings and was rumoured at one stage to be on the point of being acquired by Steven Spielberg for use in his World War Two blockbuster Saving Private Ryan.

The vessel’s future has been uncertain ever since her former owner, the Warship Preservation Trust, went into liquidation in 2006.

She is now largely submerged in the Birkenhead dock which has been her home for more than a decade.

After being taken out of military service, the D-Day Mark III Tank Landing Craft LCT 7074 was converted and used as a floating club and restaurant based at Liverpool’s Canning Dock in the 1960s and 1970s

Former joint owner, George “Jud” Evans, said: “She is the only part of our maritime history linking us to the D-Day landings.

“Most cities would prize something like that and put her on display as a tourist attraction.

“Instead, she has been laid up in a Birkenhead dock for many years and has now sunk, which is outrageous.”

Mr Evans, 75, has written a book and also has a website on the history of the vessel. He is now hoping a “Save The Landfall” campaign can be started to raise money for her restoration and berthing in the Albert Dock system as a major tourist attraction.

He said the Landfall was the last truly British-built and crewed vessel of her type to land troops on the shores of France.

Mr Evans said: “I was truly shocked by the news she was allowed to sink, particularly when one remembers the valiant men who crewed her and the soldiers who sailed in her, many of whom gave their lives that we might remain free.”

When used as the headquarters of the Merseyside Master Mariners’ Club, the Landfall was the first port of call for officers and sailors of visiting Royal Navy vessels.

After being commissioned in 1944, she was sent to join the Normandy invasion fleet. Tanks and troops of the Desert Rats were landed and in the following months she sailed back and forth across the Channel carrying equipment and fighting units.

Hostilities ceased while the 500-ton vessel was undergoing a refit in Liverpool. Just as the scrap dealers were ready to swoop, she was turned into a clubhouse and began a new era.

[the pool08]

signed.

[design_man]

Excellent work by Mr Wood! It takes guts to decide to go for something like this, and he deserves all our thanks for making the effort and going for it.

It would be fantastic to see this ship back, and whether it's as one of Evertonian's ingenious ideas or used as something else it would bring part of the heart back to the city. It was by far the most graceful of the ferries of the modern era, certainly of my lifetime.

It's only because Liverpool is such a poor city (and region) that we lose so much of our heritage. If it were a building in the city centre, it would be listed, but in many senses it's more evocative and important than that to our collective memory and identity.

[TommyMogan]

I fear a replica will be the ony option. A new look-alike with a completly new interior with conference facilities and a party cruise boat.

[Evertonian]

Originally Posted by TommyMogan

I fear a replica will be the ony option. A new look-alike with a completly new interior with conference facilities and a party cruise boat.

Wow....im amazed the world isnt full of philistines for not spending the millions required to excavate a dock to house the fixed up Iris, no matter what the outlandish cost.

Dickhead.

[DaveRI]

A Wirral man with very deep pockets will fund everything and he has also found a place to berth her

The plan is to have her cruising up and down the Mersey and making money within 4 years. Subject to the current owner, obviously.

Please sign www.royaliris.co.uk