Mapping Memory by National Museums Liverpool

Transcript for The Royal Iris, 1960s

The River Mersey in the 60s was a very busy and commercially active River. Passenger liners still frequented the landing stage at the Pier Head and the ferries still carried much commuter traffic from the Wirral to Liverpool. The Royal Iris owned by the Wallasey corporation operated regular river cruises by day and night, she ruled the Mersey from 1951 for forty years. Being pensioned off in the early nineties and sold off, she now languishes in South Wales uncared for. It's a great pity that no money was available in Merseyside to allow refurbishment, to keep the Royal Iris on the river as a tourist and leisure attraction. The other ferry boats were owned by the Birkenhead and Wallasey corporations and changed from steam to diesel at the beginning of the decade. At the end of the 60s they would be vested in the new Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority.