London’s Steamships: Their Functions and Their Owners in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

In the new technology of the steamship, London was by far the most dominant port in the UK. The Thames was where the steamship was more visible, and more visible in all its forms, than in any other location. Using a parliamentary return of 1851 this article analyses the characteristics and the ownership of the London steam fleet. Owners ranged from giants like General Steam Navigation Company and Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company to humble owners of single small vessels and steamship services embraced river ferries, tugboats and coastal, continental and oceanic routes. All contributed to change dramatically the nature of the capital’s commerce and city transport.