New Ferry Boat For Mexborough – Old Denaby Service

December 1947

South Yorkshire Times December 27, 1947

New Ferry Boat
For Mexborough – Old Denaby Service

The old Mexborough ferryboat has made its last voyage across the Don at Mexborough, for on Monday a larger newer painted craft took its place as a link between Mexborough and old Denaby.

The old boat has been at Mexborough since 1919 m carried thousands of people across the river to work, many for pleasant summer walks on the other side of the river. Many remember the time when horses were transported on the ferry. 10 ferryman have used the boat during its 28 years service at Mexborough.

Mr. Frank Parkin, District Inspector to the South Yorkshire Navigation Company, told a “South Yorkshire Times” reporter on Monday that the old boat is not finished yet, it is to be taken to Thorne and rebuilt. During the time the ferryboat has been at Mexborough. Mr. Parkin could only remember it being washed away twice by floods. It was built at Thorne and weighs over six tons.

The new ferry boat is one brought from Kilnhurst and reconditioned. It was brought via Denaby and was slid over the weir on metal runners. A winch was used to haul the boat over the weir.

Mr. Parkin said that that the new boat weighed about the same as the old one, although it would carry more people. It was built to ferry horses across the river and two  old ferrymen, Mr. William Goulding and John Warner, remembered seeing five horses carried across the river at Kilnhurst on the boat.

The old cabin for the ferryman is over 100 years old and was originally part of a ferryman’s cottage.

The ferryboat now used had been at Kilnhurst 22 years and its place has been taken by a smaller boat