Seasonal Greetings
Every year we publish a thank you to those who have supported both our website and our online community and following the events of this year it feels that those little words of thanks take on an extra significance.
None of us could have foreseen that only a couple of months after celebrating the New Year that our lives would be turned completely and utterly upside down due to the pandemic which was spreading across the globe. The words ‘unprecedented times’ and ‘extraordinary times’ have been used with wild abandon by the mainstream press but how else could we possibly describe an event which has changed so many of our lives over the past 10 months? Many lives have been lost, jobs have vanished and our freedoms have been curtailed through self isolation and lockdowns, life has been pretty tough for millions upon millions of people but at the same time it has brought out the best in people as well. Communities have rallied to help and support each other and there has definitely been the feeling of all being in this together.
Through this website and our Facebook group we hope we have given you a bit of an escape from the current situation and I hope that we have helped people remember better times and that things will eventually get better, however long it takes. It is easy to say that Christmas is going to be a very different experience for everyone this year but maybe, just maybe, it will make us appreciate what we have and to be grateful to those people who make up our lives and make it a better place.
So in the usual manner, we would like to thank all of our website visitors and Facebook group members for their patronage and many thanks to our numerous photographic contributions for always being there to support us with our endeavours. In addition this year, I feel that it’s only right that we also send thanks to the NHS, our emergency services, my fellow key workers from the transport, warehousing, distribution and retail sector and please lets not forget the seafarers, many of them have been away from their loved ones for a long time due to the worldwide nature of the shipping industry and the travel restrictions Covid has subjected all of us to this year.
It just leaves us to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and lets all hope for a better New Year.
Ray Goodfellow & Nigel Thornton.
Christmas Past at the Port of Dover
This article was originally published on the 1st December 2012 and with the festive season rapidly approaching it’s time to resurrect an old website favourite. As can be seen below, the ferries have certainly changed over the years (in both number and in size) but there is still one tradition that remains and that is the local fleet’s official day of rest, Christmas Day.
Christmas Trees on masts were clearly in vogue in 1967
Caesarea comes astern through the Western Entrance for Dover Marine Station © John Hendy.
……Boxing Day 1979 – “the Free Enterprise I had finished service on Christmas Eve and was spending her last Christmas in the port before sailing for Tilbury to lay-up pending sale.” (and trees were still with us).
Free Enterprise I (left) and Free Enterprise III (right) © John Hendy.
The Lion and Free Enterprise I © John Hendy.
A Splash of Colour Was Added in 1982
Dover Eastern Docks 1982 © Ken Larwood.
1983…..It was back to Black & White and, just like in 1982, there was not a parking space to be had!
Dover Eastern Docks 1983 © John Hendy
1984…Was when the pictures really started to be collected…
Roy Thornton Collection (all)
1986……. Still a colourful sight!!
Roy Thornton Collection
In 1991, at Folkestone, “The Anglo Saxon” twins rested
Stena Hengist and Stena Horsa © John Hendy
1992…..All was blue!
Nigel Thornton Collection
1996.. Was the last time we had a full harbour?
1996, © Mike Jackson (all)
2000… A lonely “Racehorse” in the P&O Stena Line herd
2000, © Mike Jackson
2003…… the loneliness continued……
© Mike Jackson (left) and © Nigel Thornton (right)
In 2004 the Pride of Calais hid in the Cruise Terminal car park
Pride of Calais (2004) © Nigel Thornton
From Left to Right: Pride of Aquitaine, Pride of Kent and Pride of Canterbury © Mike Jackson
and 2005….. Was Nigel’s first real attempt at digital….
2005, © Nigel Thornton (all)
2006… Nigel tried from different angles
2006, © Nigel Thornton (both)
… 2007 was “Gloomy”
2007, © Nigel Thornton (all)
and……Everybody went home for Christmas in 2008….
2008, © Nigel Thornton (both)
…….which was followed by 2009 and….
2009, © Nigel Thornton
© Mike Jackson (all)
……2010. The seagulls decided Christmas Day, for Dover Ferry Photos, had finally become boring!
© Nigel Thornton (all)
….but no! A selection from the port in 2011!
© Nigel Thornton (all)
© Ed Connell (26/12/2011)
What would there be in 2012 ?????? Errr…these
© Nigel Thornton (all)
© Mike Jackson (all)
Well 2013, the sun (remember that?) was in the wrong place!
© Nigel Thornton (all)
© Andrew Smith
© Mike Jackson (all)
2014: Well, less ships and very quiet!
© Nigel Thornton
© Mike Jackson (all)
2015: Blue is the colour
© Mike Jackson (all)
2016: Here we are again, the annual pilgrimage, still going strong!
© Nigel Thornton (all)
2017: Mike, Ray and Julien got in on the act…….
Sincere thanks and © Mike Jackson
© Ray Goodfellow
Calais © Julien Carpentier
2018: We had Calais, Dunkerque and Dover covered…….
© Julien Carpentier (Calais 25/12/2018)
© Julien Carpentier (Dunkerque 25/12/2018)
© Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping)
© Nigel Thornton (Dover 25/12/2018)
2019: Before those ‘Unprecedented’ times……..
© Mike Jackson (All)
© Nigel Thornton (All)
2020: Well, …………..
…………. the Coronavirus Pandemic restrictions scuppered most of our attempts to witness a bit of history.
For the first time (in my memory at least) the port was operational with sailings to Calais and Dunkerque after France closed its borders (21/12/2020) with the UK for 48 hours.
Behind this apparent peace and tranquility, a massive operation was taking place to repatriate the thousands of HGV and other drivers who were unable to travel.
Drivers were only allowed to travel on the condition they tested negative for Covid-19 before boarding.
Nigel T
🆕 © Mike Jackson (all) “Sincere thanks Mike!”
If anyone else was out and about on Christmas day getting a little exercise and happened to have taken a few photographs of the port, we would love to see and share them on this page. We can be contacted via webmaster@doverferryphotosforums.co.uk or raymond.goodfellow@gmail.com
We would like to thank: Julien Carpentier, Ed Connell (Who sadly passed away this year, he is greatly missed by us and many others), John Hendy, Ken Larwood, Mike Jackson, Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping) and Andrew Smith for their assistance in producing this feature.
Hello Nigel and Ray, i like to tell you that you have a fantastic, great, wonderful website, maybe more but it seems more than enough.
To wish you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2015
Sincerely, Henk from Netherlands
Hi Henk,
Thank you very much for your kind words, I am sure I can talk on Nigel’s behalf here and say that we really appreciate them. I apologise that I haven’t been in contact recently but working in retail this time of year results in very little free time to indulge in this hobby. Thankfully Christmas will soon be over (well there is another 20 hours of work to undertake) and normal service from my perspective will be restored 🙂 I have a weeks leave booked for early January and I intend on catching up with the website and my emails then.
I would like to take this opportunity of wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a very happy new year and I will be in contact soon.
Ray