The Great Liners > The Union Castle Line

ORIGINAL ASHTRAY SOUVENIR FROM THE VESSEL PENDENNIS CASTLE

This is an original souvenir ashtray from the Union Castle Line vessel The Pendennis Castle. The size of the ashtray is 5"(13cm) wide and it is dated from the 1960’s. This is a great piece which is in a good condition.

It was decided to replace the aging 1921 built RMS Arundel Castle, thus an order was placed with Harland and Wolff, Belfast to build RMS Pendennis Castle. Her keel was laid in November 1955, just before the Clan/Union Castle merger in January 1956. This merger saw the company going back to the drawing board resulting in a number of changes to her design.

She was to become the best mail-ship to be built for Union-Castle and she was the fastest of the fleet, due to the decision by the company to upgrade her machinery. She was also the first mail-ship to have stabilizers, which required a lengthening of the hull from 748 to 764 feet whilst on the stocks.

RMS Pendennis Castle (named after an ancient Cornish castle) was named on December 10, 1957, however, due to a strike, she was not launched until December 24. She was completed and handed over on November 14, 1958. She departed on her maiden voyage on January 1, 1959, under the command of Commodore George Mayhew. Ports of call were as follows: Southampton, Las Palmas, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban (with occasional calls to Madeira), Cape Town.
Item: TT1364 BA150

EARLY JIGSAW OF UNION CASTLE LINE VESSEL 'WINCHESTER CASTLE'

This item is an early example wooden jigsaw from the 1940’s. It is of the Union Castle Line vessel The Winchester Castle and is complete. The size of the jigsaw is 14" x 8½" (36cm x 22cm) and is still in its original box. The jigsaw is an original made by Victory and is in a fabulous condition. Unusual to find an item like this which is in a complete condition after all these years.

The RMMV Winchester Castle was built in 1930 by Harland & Wolff. Of 20,000 grt (1939) she was 657 feet in length and 75.6 feet wide. Twin screw diesels provided a service speed of 20 knots. Her capacity was for 189 First and 398 Tourist passengers.

The second of two sister ships Winchester Castle’s1938 refit for the new mail contract resulted in more powerful diesels installed, a single funnel replaced the original pair of squat ones but unlike Carnarvon Castle, her bows were unaltered. As with her fleetmates her war service was followed by a prolonged use as a migrant ship to South Africa and it was not until September 1949 that she resumed the Cape Mail.
Item: TT1286 BA145

AN OLD ORIGINAL UNION CASTLE LINE TABLE NAPKIN

This item is an original Table Napkin from The Union Castle Line. It is an as used on board item from several years ago.

The item has the embossed Union Castle Line logo in the centre and is in a very good condition.
Item: TT1177 BA134

A PAIR OF DINING CUTLERY KNIVES FROM THE UNION CASTLE LINE

This item is a pair of silver-plated dining knives from the Union Castle Line Shipping Company. They are marked with the Union Castle Line name and have the maker’s mark, Mappin & Webb Sheffield, also shown on them. They are in a good condition and are as used on board items from the past of this great old shipping line.
Item: TT954 BA111

ORIGINAL SHIPS CHAMBER POT FROM THE UNION CASTLE LINE

This item is a real gem of a find. It is an original ships chamber pot from The Union Castle Line. It is an old piece dated circa 1930 and is still in one piece and in a fine condition. It has a makers mark on the underneath and shows the shipping line. The size of this item is 8½" (22cm) plus the handle. This is a very rare find of an original ships item from many years ago.
Item: TT839 BA100

RARE SHIPS PLAYING CARDS FROM THE UNION CASTLE LINE

This item is an early set of playing cards from the Union Castle Line shipping company. They are a red/gold design and are complete, including jokers. There is also a separate card with a picture of a Union Castle Line vessel. They are in a nice condition and are a rare find. The box shows on it the company flag and has the full name of this old shipping line; THE UNION-CASTLE MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY LTD. Nice item.
Item: TT808 BA97

SOME ITEMS FROM THE ‘DUNNOTTAR CASTLE’ – UNION CASTLE LINE

This is an interesting collection of items from the vessel THE DUNNOTTAR CASTLE from The Union Castle Line. These items are taken from the vessel sailing Cape Town for Southampton 16th June 1952. Items include
luggage labels
luggage tags and receipts.
Also included are 2 items used before boarding. This is a good collection of items from this vessel and they are all in a very good condition.
Item: TT647 BA86

A DATE MACHINE SOUVENIR FROM THE UNION CASTLE LINE

This item is an old souvenir from the Union Castle Line vessel the Reina Del Mar. It is a Stand Up Date Machine souvenir, which is in a very good condition. It shows on it the ship badge of a bow on view plus also the ships name around the edge. The size of this piece is 4½” x 7” (11.5cm x 18cm).
Item: TT529 BA70

A CHINA COMPORT PASTRY DISH FROM THE UNION CASTLE LINE

This item is from the Union Castle Line and is a china Comport Pastry Dish. It is set on a plinth and is bottom marked Union Castle Line. It is dated circa 1930’s and the size is 8¾" (22cm) wide. It is a good condition item.
Item: TT449 BA59

A PAIR OF CHINA PLATES FROM THE ‘WINDSOR CASTLE’

This is a 2-piece china set taken from the Union Castle Line vessel The Windsor Castle. They are a large dining plate and a side plate. The items were used in service on board the ship and are light pink in colour with a nice white design around the edge.

The pieces are marked ‘UNION CASTLE LINE’ and are in a very good condition. The large plate is approx. 9½” (24cm) in size and the side plate is approx. 7” (18cm) in size.

The RMS Windsor Castle was the last passenger ocean liner built at Cammell Laird Birkenhead, and the last survivor of the famous lavender hulled Union-Castle Mailships that plied the route from Southampton to South Africa. This fine ship was the subject of a preservation campaign by the RMS Windsor Castle Trust to repatriate her and use her as a hotel ship, conference centre and tourist attraction in the UK. Sadly this campaign was unsuccessful and the ship was sold to Indian scrap merchants in December 2004 and departed Greece on the 14th April 2005 bound for India and scrapping.

After much reluctance and having put up a good fight on her final voyage she was finally beached at Alang and by the 18th August 2005, which incidently was the 45th anniversary of her maiden voyage in 1960, the dismantling of this once noble British ocean liner had begun. Sadly thus ended the career of the last of the renowned lavender hulled Union-Castle Line mailships that had made their Southampton to South Africa route so famous.
Item: TT371 BA49