The Princess Alice Disaster
Seiten
2026
National Maritime Museum (Verlag)
978-1-917985-02-4 (ISBN)
National Maritime Museum (Verlag)
978-1-917985-02-4 (ISBN)
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The sinking of Princess Alice in 1878
was one of Britain's worst maritime incidents, resulting in the
death of around 640 people. Historian Hannah Stockton uncovers this forgotten
tragedy through eyewitness accounts and rare relics, revealing its human toll,
the social inequalities it exposed and its lasting impact.
In
September
1878, a late summer day trip to the Kent coast ended in tragedy when the paddle
steamer Princess Alice collided with the coal ship Bywell Castle
on the River Thames. Around 640 people died, making it one of the worst
peacetime maritime disasters in British history after the Titanic.
Despite the scale of the loss the disaster is little known
today. A deeply personal relic in the National Maritime Museum's collection, a
ticket for a 'Moonlight Trip to Rosherville and Back', tells a story of one
life narrowly spared. A handwritten note reveals that 'Pa' decided not to go on
the excursion after buying the ticket, a choice that may have saved his life.
Alongside it is a small piece of wood said to have been carved from the wreck.
Historian Hannah Stockton recounts the events of that day
and its aftermath through objects, first-hand accounts and illustrations. The
tragedy exposed the inequalities of Victorian London and Stockton examines
whether the victims' largely working-class backgrounds contributed to the lack
of public memorials.
The disaster eventually led to improvements in Thames sewage
treatment, swimming lessons for girls and better safety standards for sailors.
Yet this unused ticket remains a haunting and personal reminder of the lives
lost and the fate one man narrowly escaped.
was one of Britain's worst maritime incidents, resulting in the
death of around 640 people. Historian Hannah Stockton uncovers this forgotten
tragedy through eyewitness accounts and rare relics, revealing its human toll,
the social inequalities it exposed and its lasting impact.
In
September
1878, a late summer day trip to the Kent coast ended in tragedy when the paddle
steamer Princess Alice collided with the coal ship Bywell Castle
on the River Thames. Around 640 people died, making it one of the worst
peacetime maritime disasters in British history after the Titanic.
Despite the scale of the loss the disaster is little known
today. A deeply personal relic in the National Maritime Museum's collection, a
ticket for a 'Moonlight Trip to Rosherville and Back', tells a story of one
life narrowly spared. A handwritten note reveals that 'Pa' decided not to go on
the excursion after buying the ticket, a choice that may have saved his life.
Alongside it is a small piece of wood said to have been carved from the wreck.
Historian Hannah Stockton recounts the events of that day
and its aftermath through objects, first-hand accounts and illustrations. The
tragedy exposed the inequalities of Victorian London and Stockton examines
whether the victims' largely working-class backgrounds contributed to the lack
of public memorials.
The disaster eventually led to improvements in Thames sewage
treatment, swimming lessons for girls and better safety standards for sailors.
Yet this unused ticket remains a haunting and personal reminder of the lives
lost and the fate one man narrowly escaped.
Hannah Stockton is Curator of Maritime London and Merchant Marine at Royal Museums Greenwich. Following completion of her PhD in 2017, she has worked on the history of the Thames and Maritime London, and since joining Royal Museums Greenwich in 2018 has researched Cutty Sark, the wider experiences of merchant seafarers and a number of other collections within the Museum.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 22.10.2026 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Spotlight series |
| Zusatzinfo | 35 |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 150 x 178 mm |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Regional- / Landesgeschichte |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-917985-02-9 / 1917985029 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-917985-02-4 / 9781917985024 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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