Torpoint Ferry

Three chain ferries operate from Devonport in Plymouth to Torpoint and link Devon to South East Cornwall carrying cars and passengers every day of the year. The ferries are named after the local rivers of the Plym, the Lynher and the Tamar. Both charge a toll and are managed by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee. Cornwall County Council and Plymouth City Council jointly own the Tamar Bridge and are responsible for the Torpoint Ferry.

A toll is charged when travelling eastwards on both links. The ferry is part of the A374 and crosses the large stretch of estuary at the mouth of the River Tamar known as the Hamoaze. Civil engineer James Rendel designed and introduced the chain ferry in 1834. In 1824 he built the Laira Bridge across the Cattewater where the mouth of the River Plym meets Plymouth Sound and in 1841 he constructed Millbay Pier in Plymouth. He went on from his practice in Plymouth and London to many projects involving waterways, railways, docks, bridges and hydraulically powered systems across the South West and nationally. He worked with fellow engineer Brunel and became President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1852.