I just happened to be cruising down the River Thames, and what I call the Beatles Ferry catches my eye. But more correctly called the: Royal Iris from Liverpool. A ferry with heavy Merseybeat history, abandoned far from home on a River Thames sandbank. Gerry and the Pacemakers performed onboard. Their famous song a big hit in its day ”Ferry Cross the Mersey", refers to this ferry, but, on the River Mersey its former home waters. Another group that performed on the ferry was the Beatles. Paul McCartney refers to the ferry in his song lyrics ‘That Was Me’ : “Well that was me, Royal Iris, on the river; Merseybeat n' with the band, that was me”. Many groups from the Cavern Club performed on this boat. Some years later Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on their Silver Jubilee were aboard the Royal Iris, for their Jubilee Mersey Review in 1977. However the Royal Iris of Liverpool is now far from home, looking homesick and in a sorry state of disrepair with only a sandbank under the shallow water stopping it from sinking completely into the River Thames. Woolwich, London, UK, 28 October 2023
Date: 28/11/2023
Location: River Thames. Woolwich, London, UK
Photographer: Richard Keith Wolff
