Another of my old photos. Early summer in '84 we went for a photographic day out to the nearby village of Shiplake. The Thames runs through here so we took a stroll along it just to see what we could find. I couldn't resist a shot of one of the Salter Bros. steamers, in this case, Goring, out on one of their scheduled cruises. Whilst by the time this picture was taken, these iconic boats were all powered by diesel engines, they originally had steam engines. Even in my lifetime, I can remember them lowering the funnel to pass beneath Caversham Bridge near to my home. They still run these boat trips but, these days, a little less frequently than in 1984. Salters once had a large fleet of these boats but now many have been scrapped or sold off. One of the sold ones was re-fitted with a steam engine and is once more doing river trips and is also available for private hire. It's a shame that the days of these leisurely river cruises has slipped into a bygone age. ------------------------------------------ Original Photograph 24-May-1984