PS Medway Queen

PS Medway Queen is a passenger paddle steamer built in 1938 that sits at Gillingham Pier on the Medway River. The vessel features a steel hull with two decks and retains its original steam compound engine and boiler system that still powers its machinery.

The vessel was originally built for passenger transport and played a key role in wartime rescue operations during 1940. It was later preserved as a museum ship to safeguard its engineering heritage for future generations.

The name reflects its home waterway, the Medway, where it continues to serve as a focal point for local maritime heritage. Today, visitors walking through can see volunteers actively maintaining the vessel, keeping alive the tradition of hands-on shipkeeping.

You can view the vessel from the outside or join a guided tour to explore the interior spaces and engine room. The decks can be uneven and narrow in places, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended for moving around safely.

The vessel is one of the last operational paddle steamers in Europe and can actually still move under its own power. Few visitors know that volunteers have carried out most of the restoration work that brought this steamer back to life in recent decades.