Early Steamboat Services and Their Impact in North Wales, 1817-1840s
This chapter explores the impact of the early steamboat in North Wales, a region underexplored by maritime historians in regard to steam technology. It concentrates on period between 1817 and the 1840s. It begins by considering the comparatively small number of registered steamboats in North Wales and offers reasons why - the small population of towns and the rural environment are particular factors of note. It then expands out to examine steamboat services in the rest of Britain in comparison. It explores the geographical problems of establishing steamships in Wales, plus the successes and failures of several routes. The Holyhead-Dublin route is given significant attention, as it became a major communication route between Britain and Ireland. Finally, it studies the impact of the steamship on Welsh communities, and finds that it created an economic boost and provided wider access to technology, news, information, and passengers. Furthermore, livestock farming, retail trade, and the tourist industry all developed significantly in North Wales due to the presence of the steamship.