Two flat-bottomed ferry boats cross a river near a bank with people, a horse, and traditional buildings in the background.

Horse Grind ferry c.1900 Chesterton (MoC226/72)

Horse Grind ferry, Chesterton

History of the Horse Grind ferry Chesterton

A hand-colored postcard shows people standing by a riverbank with red-brick buildings and a ferry ramp in the background.

Old Chesterton ferry

The photo shows the Horse grind ferry opposite the Green Dragon, Chesterton. There was a smaller ferry for pedestrians. The ferries were replaced by a footbridge in 1935, the last year of the Stourbridge Fair. By then ‘Old Alf’ had worked his ferry for 34 years. This was also the location for baptisms in the C18th. In 1767 a crowd of 1,500 gathered to watch.

Two punts navigate a river in front of a riverside pub and wooden ferry structure, with figures in the boats holding poles.

Horse grind ferry, Green Dragon pub, 1909 (Cambridgeshire Collection)

Black and white view of a ferry landing with white wooden railings, two figures, and mature trees in Old Chesterton.

Horse Grind Old Chesterton

A temporary wooden bridge spans a low river in front of houses, with three people standing on the bridge deck in 1920.

Temporary bridge at Green Dragon in September 1920 when river level lowered to allow work on Baitsbite Lock (Cambridgeshire Collection)

Three men stand on a flat wooden ferry docked at a grassy riverbank beneath two large trees, with a bicycle beside them.

Ferry at Green Dragon public house in 1928 (Cambridgeshire Collection)

A flat ferry boat with white railings sits in the water, with a second vessel carrying two figures in the middle distance.

The larger Horse Grind Ferry – 1928 (Cambridgeshire Collection)

A small rowboat with two people on a calm river lined with trees, reeds, and moored houseboats in 1928 Chesterton.

Photo taken downstream from the Horse Grind ferry in 1928 (Cambridgeshire Collection)

A newspaper clipping shows five people standing near a small railed flat-bottomed boat moored at the riverbank near a fence.

Horse Grind ferry, Chesterton (MoC)

Two men sit on a flat-bottomed boat mid-river near a wooden dock, with trees lining the riverbanks in the distance.

Green Dragon ferry, Chesterton (Williams Tams, unknown date)

A tall wooden pile-driving rig stands on a floating platform in the river, with a ferry nearby and buildings in the background.

Horse grind replacement bridge, Chesterton (MoC127/51)

A large arched metal bridge crosses a river next to a weeping willow tree, with a small building and parked cars nearby.

Replacement bridge in Chesterton (MoC26B/92/70)

Projects

Chesterton

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