Contents

Chapter 1: the story
• From the monastic service of the 12th century to the familiar sight of today’s ferries plying back and forth across the river
• Early days: the first recorded mentions of a ferry service; the monks, royal patronage, private owners, prices and values
• Working on board: the crew, masters and mates; a typical 24 hours in the service
• Pirates to parties: the development of the ferry service, from early hazards to glamorous summer nights
• Modern day ferries: after the threat of closure in 1977, the renewal of the ferry service to award-winning standards

Chapter 2: the ferries
• Today’s distinctive vessels are light years ahead of the monks’ open rowing boats. Powerful, stable, comfortable and safe, the current fleet has a superb track record, carrying millions of passengers on thousands of trips
• Evolution: how the ferries developed from elbow grease to diesel, via sail and steam; their design, build and statistics
• Royal boats: Daffodil and Iris are the most famous names on the Mersey; their wartime adventures and modern incarnations
• Journey’s end: favourite boats of the past, and their final destinations around the world, under new names
• Familiar favourites: today’s fleet of three ferries; their stories and daily life aboard

Chapter 3: the river
• So what’s so special about this river? How it has evolved, what you can notice today, and what you have to imagine of its past
• Natural history: the river’s formation and geography, the tides and channels, river birds, marine mammals and fish
• Canals: the Manchester Ship Canal (‘the Ditch’), the Weaver, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the Sankey
• Docks: life on the river and the development of the docks from the old haven to the modern Freeport
• Trade and shipping: the lifeblood of Merseyside for over 1,000 years, from Phoenician traders to containerisation
• Migration: millions of people leaving Liverpool for the New World, and all those flooding to the city from around the world

Chapter 4: the shore
• How the fishing village of Liverpool and the sparsely populated Wirral developed, and what to see from the ferry today
• Liverpool gazeteer: a listing of the key landmarks on the Liverpool shore
• The Liver Birds: the symbol of Liverpool, established by King John in 1207 and now recognised the world over
• Wirral gazeteer: a listing of key landmarks on the Wirral shore