Woolston Floating Bridge

50°53′56″N 1°23′13″W / 50.898811°N 1.386928°W / 50.898811; -1.386928

The Woolston Floating Bridge crossing the River Itchen shortly before it was taken out of service, seen from the Itchen Bridge, the concrete structure that replaced it
The Woolston Floating Bridge embarking passengers on the Southampton side of the River Itchen on its last day of service (11 June 1977)

The Woolston Floating Bridge was a cable ferry that crossed the River Itchen in England between hards at Woolston and Southampton from 23 November 1836[1][2] until 11 June 1977.[3] It was taken out of service after the new Itchen Bridge was opened.

Initially there was one ferry, built and owned by the Floating Bridge Company, increased to two operating side by side in 1881. In 1934 the company was sold to Southampton Corporation.[4]

In the 1970s two diesel ferries operated side by side during the day with a single ferry late in the evening. There was a bus terminus at both hards on either side of the crossing, connecting foot passengers with the centre of Southampton and the city's south eastern suburbs. A maintenance slipway and cradle were built to the North of the Woolston hard to enable the ferries (or "Bridges") to be hauled out of the water. The third (or spare) diesel ferry was often to be found moored off the wires on the Southampton side of the river to the North of the hard in later years.[5]

  1. ^ Port cities website- Southampton floating bridge[usurped]
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference peep was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Southampton Echo, June 1977
  4. ^ The Illustrated History of Southampton's Suburbs. Jim Brown. 2004. ISBN 1-85983-405-1.
  5. ^ Farewell to the Floating Bridges. SCT & SUIAG. 1977