Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Royal Iris Bus

Does anyone remember this bus? or, more importantly, know what happened to it?



It was converted in the early 1960s from a Wallasey Corporation Leyland PD1 bus from a batch of 12 buses bought in 1948.

The bus was painted pale green and yellow, the same as the boat, and it travelled around the wirral throughout the 1960s. I last saw it in the mid 1970s, parked on a garage forecourt at Queensferry.

Does it still exist, and if it does, where is it now?

Now THAT'S what I call a... erm... bus.

There was a guy on dock rd that restored old buses. Had a work shop by the jag garage at one time. He had open top buses over in I.O.MAN on lease.(do know his name)

THINK IT GOT SUNK ALONG WITH THE BOAT, HA HA

wow what a beast

The Royal Iris (the last proper one, not the renamed Mountwood) is still afloat (just) but is rotting away at a pier in Woolwich.



The boat is on the Historic Vessels at Risk Register, but little (if anything) is being done to rescue and preserve this unique vessel. It is questionable if she will reach her 60th birthday on the 28th April 2011. (See the thread on the Iris here)

i had so many good nights out on the royal iris, its such a shame.

I thaught it was a bus...Not a boat.

The Royal Iris was a Wallasey Corporation ferry/cruise boat which entered service on the 28th April 1951, it was unique amongst the ferries, not only in its appearance, but it also had diesel electric propulsion (i.e. the propellors were turned by electric motors, with diesel generators providing the electricity at 1000 volts to the motors). She had both class III and class V certificates which allowed her to leave the river for short trips at sea.(although her passenger capacity was reduced from 2,296 to 1,000 when used at sea). The Royal Iris ran a farewell evening cruise on the 12th January 1991 and was put up for sale. She ran one final trip on the 21st Aril 1991 for the Zeebrugge raid commemoration. She was sold in November 1991 as a floating nightclub, but it didn't work out, and she has been left decaying in Woolwich ever since. Like the Manxman, she should be returned to Merseyside but Peel Holdings, who own most of the docks have no place for Merseysides maritime history in their plans.

The bus, which I was asking about, was converted to look like the Royal Iris as an advertisement for the cruises run by Wallasey Corporation.

My uncle was the captain on the Royal Iris late 70s early 80s Johnny Green....He even let me steer it. It would be a big no no now days....

I dont have a clue about any of this so...

In the mid 50s when us Teds where out enjoying ourselfs. the royal iris was known as the fish and chip boat. trouble was if you went on a river cruise and a rival gang where on board as well, you where stuck if things got nasty unless you thought you could walk on water and jumped over the side

Velvet collar and Ducks arse, i wonder what that was like?

dont forget the white shirt neatly ironed at the chinese laundry to go along with the velvet collard suit and ironed tie. none of this wandering round in scruffy tracky bottoms and trainers. Long side burns and clean shaved as well