A Peep into the Past

“A Peep into the Past” on-line was introduced to mark the 50th anniversary of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society’s journal “Paddle Wheels”.

Originally established as a separate website in 1985, “A Peep into the Past” was incorporated in to the PSPS website during 2020.

You can view the story of paddle steamers and the Society through the pages of Paddle Wheels starting with the very first issue published in 1960.

Starting in 1985 a short article entitled “A Peep into the Past” was introduced in the society journal Paddle Wheels. Each article was compiled from the edition posted out to members 25 years previously. Pictures did not usually accompany the printed instalments – indeed there were no pictures at all in the first few editions of Paddle Wheels. Regular black and white pictures on covers started in 1963. Illustrations have now been added and many are taken from the PSPS Archive Collection. The Collection, which consists of pictures, handbills, models and much more, is currently being re-housed and catalogued, and at present it is not accessible on-line.

Here you can view the highlights of any edition of Paddle Wheels starting from the very first, by choosing the article printed 25 years later. These on-line articles cover the period 1960 to 25 years ago.

You can view a summary of all the articles, starting with the most recent here.