Residents and visitors to the Swansea Marina will be familiar with the area known as Pocketts Wharf, but some may not know that it owes its name to Mr. James Wathen Pockett, who relocated his company’s steam packet business from the North Dock to the South Dock Basin in 1871.

The Pockett family business began in 1840 when James’ father, Capt. Walter Pockett (1794-1856), started carrying passengers between Swansea, Weston and Ilfracombe aboard the smack ‘Elizabeth’ on summer weekends and bank holidays. The business grew rapidly and, by 1852, James Pockett had taken over as proprietor and had three paddle steamers under his control – the ‘Lord Beresford’, the ‘Princess Royal’ and the ‘Prince of Wales’. It is interesting to note that the ‘Lord Beresford’ was the first ship to enter the North Dock when it opened on the 1st January 1852.

      The business became known as Pockett’s Bristol Channel Steam Packet Company, and involved James Pockett’s two brothers, William (1823-?) and Henry (1828-1868) as paddle steamer commanders. William is first recorded as being Commander of the ‘Prince of Wales’ in 1858 between Swansea and Hayle in Cornwall, and he continued to run the company successfully for many years after the death of James Pockett around 1880. Henry is first recorded as being Commander of the ‘Lord Beresford’ between Swansea and Ilfracombe in 1861, but there was friction on the horizon as, when he commanded the ‘Henry Southan’ between Swansea and Bristol in 1862, he had to sue his brother James for his wages! Henry died in 1868 at just 40 years of age.

       Pockett’s steam packet company continued to thrive and, in 1865, a new cargo-handling steam crane was installed on the quayside of the company’s premises at Padley’s Wharf in the North Dock. That same year a new service between Swansea and London began with the s.s. ‘Pioneer’, and in 1868 the paddle steamer ‘Velindra’ was added to the Bristol Channel fleet. The ‘Velindra’ was a modern vessel of 199 gross registered tons, and had been built at Blackwall, London, in 1860.

       In 1871 the company relocated to the South Dock Basin and by 1879 had acquired another paddle steamer, the ‘Collier’, followed by the ‘Rio Formoso’ in 1887. The ‘Prince of Wales’ was by then obsolete, having been built in Neath in 1842, and was put up for sale. In 1896, after 28 years service, the ‘Velindra’ was also disposed of and was replaced by the paddle steamer ‘Brighton’, built in 1878. The last vessel known to have been purchased by Pocketts was the paddle steamer ‘Mavis’, bought in 1909. Built in 1888 at Kinghorn, Fife, the ‘Mavis’ (474 gross registered tons) lasted just four years, being withdrawn from service in 1913 and scrapped two years later at Briton Ferry.

       After 19 years’ service in the Bristol Channel, Pocketts’ last remaining paddle steamer, the ‘Brighton’, was requisitioned for war service in 1915. After the war she was sold to Turkish owners and ended her days in Turkey, being scrapped there in 1927. With the ‘Brighton’ gone, Pockett’s Bristol Channel Steam Packet Company’s role as ship operators ceased to exist, and its former trading routes in the Bristol Channel were quickly taken over by P & A Campbell’s fast-expanding fleet of paddle steamers. Nevertheless, the company retained its wharf, warehouse and office in the South Dock Basin until the mid 1930’s and today, quite rightly, the famous name of Pockett is preserved for posterity as part of the Swansea Marina.
 

Above is an early photograph of the paddle steamer ‘Velindra’ on Pockett’s Wharf in the River Tawe, Swansea. On the left of the picture is the tower of the original Pilot House, demolished when the new South Dock Entrance was built in 1903.
 

Velindra
The paddle steamer ‘Velindra’ was built by C J Mare of Blackwall, London in 1860 for the Cardiff Steam Navigation Company. She was bought by Pocketts in 1869 and remained the mainstay of the fleet for 28 years until being withdrawn from service in 1896. She was scrapped the following year.
(The 4 photos above were taken in Ilfracombe Harbour)

Brighton
     The paddle steamer ‘Brighton’ was built for the London Brighton & South Coast Railway Company in 1878 by John Elder & Co. of Govan.Acquired by Pocketts in 1896, she operated out of Swansea for nineteen years until requisitioned for war service in 1915.After the war she was sold to Turkish owners, serving in the Aegean until being broken up in Turkey in 1927.

Dimensions: length 221.3 ft., beam 27.7 ft.

Tonnage: 531 GRT, 316 NRT

 (Many thanks to Tom Lee of the Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery for permission to use this photograph)

Mavis
The paddle steamer ‘Mavis’ was built in 1888 for the General Steam Navigation Company, London by J Scott & Co. of Kinghorn, Fife. Acquired by Pocketts in 1909, she proved unreliable and was withdrawn from service after the 1913 season. She was scrapped at Briton Ferry two years later.

Dimensions: length 210.3 ft., beam 26.3 ft.

Tonnage: 474 GRT

 (Many thanks to Tom Lee of the Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery for permission to use this photograph)

Notes on other Pockett’s ships.

         Three of Pockett’s earliest iron steamships were built at Neath Abbey – the ‘Prince of Wales’ by the Abbey Iron Company in 1842, the ‘Henry Southan’ (builder unknown) in 1845, and the ‘Princess Royal’ by Edwin & Henry Price in 1850. The use of the ‘Princess Royal’ was quite short-lived, terminating at around 1855, but both the ‘Prince of Wales’ and the ‘Henry Southan’ remained in service with Pockett’s until the late 1870’s.  

          The ‘Lord Beresford’ was a former Channel Islands steamer operated in the 1830’s by the British & Foreign Steam Navigation Company. From 1844 she worked in the Bristol Channel between Swansea, Bristol and Ilfracombe. Acquired by Pockett’s in 1852, she remained in service until 1861, when she was put up for sale.

         Two other ships used by Pockett’s on the Bristol Channel routes out of Swansea were the ‘Collier’ from 1879 to 1888, and the ‘Rio Formoso’ in 1887 and 1888. No further information has yet been found on these two vessels.