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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
Orford
Ferries, Excursion Boats, Quays
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the Suffolk village of Orford and its ferries and excursion boats.
The town of Orford grew up around a
12th Century Royal castle
, of which the surviving 90 ft high Keep dominates the surroundings of Orford to this day. Henry II built the castle for coastal defence and against invaders from the sea, underlining the political and commercial importance of the area at that time. At this time Orford was on the coast, and it was a thriving port in Elizabethan times, but its importance diminished when the long shingle spit of
Orfordness
cut it off from the sea. Orford is now on the River Ore, which becomes the River Alde further upstream (the two towns of Orford and Aldeburgh each had their own name for the same river). The isolated
Orfordness
has been used by the military from 1913, when a large part of the Ness was taken over by the War Department. It was drained to form airfields for the Central Flying School’s Experimental Flying Section; and so began an intense seventy year period of military activity. Experiments during the First World War included those on parachutes, aerial photography, bomb and machine gun sights, the evaluation of aircraft and the development of camouflage. In the Cold War, tests relating to atomic weapons were undertaken in strange-looking '
pagodas
' which still remain.
The Ministry of Defence ran a number of ferries from
Orford Quay
to
Orfordness
, which in later years included the
Portree
of Caledonian SP Co. When the military pulled out,
Orfordness
was handed to the
National Trust
in 1993 for protection. They maintain a small passenger ferry
Octavia
to take visitors across the River Ore. The National Trust ferry runs through the summer months only (Saturday's only in October).
A second ferry to Orford runs across the
Butley River
.
Two excursion boats run from
Orford Quay
. The
Lady Florence
is a restaurant boat which runs all year, carrying 12 passengers on brunch, lunch and dinner cruises. She has been running cruises from Orford since 1984.
Regardless
runs short cruises around the RSPB bird sanctuary of Havergate Island, plus fishing and bird watching charters.
Sections on this Page:-
Excursion Boats & Ferries
Orfordness
Orford Quay
Orford Village
Boats on this Page:-
AWRE-No3
- Orfordness MOD ferry
Butley Ferry
Guinevere
- Orfordness BBC World Service ferry
Lady Florence
- Orford restaurant boat
Octavia
- Orfordness ferry - National Trust
Regardless
- Orford excursion boat
Suffolk Pages:-
Suffolk Excursion Boats & Ferries
Harwich-Shotley-Felixstowe ferry:
Brightlingsea
Harwich-Shotley-Felixstowe ferry:
Exporer 12
Orwell River Cruises
Lunch Cruise on Lady Florence
www.lady-florence.co.uk
- official company website
Associated Pages:-
UK Excursion Ships
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards
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Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards
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Home Page
References:-
www.suffolkimages.com
- Superb images of the fascinating Suffolk Coast
The Deben River
- by Robert Simper
-
Creekside Publishing
1992
Rivers Alde, Ore & Blythe
- Robert Simper
-
Creekside Publishing
1994
Trip Out Guides
- Written and published by G.P.Hamer
- various editions from 1977 to 2005 consulted
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Orford Excursion Boats & Ferries
Lady Florence
Contact:-
07831 698 298
Website:-
www.lady-florence.co.uk
Lady Florence
is an ex-Admiralty motor fishing vessel (MFV) one of over 1000 built during World War II as supply boats. She is 50 ft long, 16ft 6' in beam, draws 6ft of water and weighs 35 tons net, 54 gross.
Lady Florence
sales from Orford Quay as a floating restaurant, and carries 12 passengers. She usually runs a morning Brunch Cruise at 9:30 followed by a Lunch Cruise at 12:00. Between April and August she also runs an evening Dinner Cruise at 16:00, whilst in September to mid-October a High Tea cruise runs at the same time. Each trip runs both upriver on the Alde and downstream to the sea on the Ore, whatever the weather and tides. Food is served in the comfortable deck saloon, which has a coal fired stove in winter. She gets booked up well in advance, so bookings should be made at: 07831 698 298
Lady Florence
was built in Poole during 1944, at Jake Bolson's yard where many
Bournemouth excursion boats
were built. She was launched as
MFV 766
, and served initially at Glasson Dock in Lancashire, then from 1947 out of Plymouth and then Portsmouth from 1955. In 1963 she transferred to the Sea Cadets at Midhurst Sussex, then Hove from 1969. In 1971 she went into private hands. There is a gap in the history from 1971 to 1977, in which year she was registered as a British Ship, named
Margaret Jane
, and was back at Glasson Dock. She was sold in 1983 to Geoffrey Ingram Smith of Woodbridge who renamed her
Lady Florence
and set up the river cruise business in Orford in 1984. He subsequently sold the business to Susan and John Haresnape in 1992, and they and sons Rhys and Craig continue to operate the Lady Florence business.
Lady Florence
cruises the Rivers Alde and Ore, one river which has two names. The river is tidal as far as Snape Bridge, but although very wide, it becomes too shallow for
Lady Florence
beyond Cob Island, two miles above Aldeburgh Yacht Club and Slaughden Quay.
Images from a lunch cruise on
Lady Florence
Lady Florence
official postcard
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Lady Florence
Christmas card
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Lady Florence
as built as
MFV 766
Lady Florence
arriving back at Orford Quay after her morning Brunch Cruise.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Lady Florence
at Orford Quay
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Lady Florence
leaving Orford Quay for her lunch cruise
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Lady Florence
passing Orford Quay on her Lunch Cruise.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th October 2006
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Lady Florence
arriving back at Orford Quay on 27th December 2006 after her morning Brunch Cruise.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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The tide was exceptionally low and there was a delay before berthing was possible
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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On board
Lady Florence
on the 27th December 2006 lunch cruise.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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The saloon on
Lady Florence
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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The wheelhouse on
Lady Florence
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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The wheelhouse on
Lady Florence
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th December 2006
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Lady Florence
2005 brochure front
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Lady Florence
2005 brochure back
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Lady Florence
2006 brochure front
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Lady Florence
2006 brochure back
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The family runs a similar venture in Durban, South Africa, with the
Allen Gardiner
2006 brochure front
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