London and Edinburgh Shipping Company Brochure

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

51520

Title

A brochure colourfully illustrated with the City of London and Edinburgh coats of arms, a trident, scallop shells and a photograph of a steam ship

Description

One brochure detailing the Summer sailings in 1937 by the London and Edinburgh Shipping Company. The brochure is colourfully illustrated with the City of London and Edinburgh coat of arms as well as a trident, scallop shells and a photograph of a steam ship. The brochure details weekly sailings, passenger fares, boats and their layouts, tours and company details of Leith to London sailings.

Date

1937

Location

Museums Collection Centre

Copyright

The City of Edinburgh Council Museums and Galleries

The London and Edinburgh Shipping Company was established in 1809 to capitalise on the passenger and goods trade between the two cities. One of their first ships, ‘The Isabella’, brought tea to Edinburgh for the first time.

The company operated out of Victoria Quay, now the site of the Scottish Government building, to Wapping in London. While the company sailed three times a week, this mode of travel was not very reliable. In the company’s early years vessels could be stuck close to shore unable to make headway, or end up off course and nearer Norway, as happened over four days in 1825. Nevertheless, the company boasted that it had never lost a passenger.

The company originally plied their route using ‘smacks’, wooden vessels with cloth sails. These were superseded by ‘Aberdeen schooners’, much larger and faster ships, before ultimately being replaced by steam vessels such as the one depicted on the brochure.

Later in the company’s history they began using colourful posters to advertise their routes, as did other shipping companies. One of the company’s posters compares Edinburgh to ‘Modern Athens’. The company dissolved in 1968 owing to the speed and popularity of more modern forms of transport

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Places > Edinburgh areas > Leith

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Places > United Kingdom > London

Transport > Water > Steamships

Read how our collections have inspired people taking part in events, visits and community groups. Use the slider or navigation arrows to see more responses.

London and Edinburgh Shipping Company brochure