Like many modern ferry connections, the service between Newhaven and Dieppe in France originally had strong links with railway operators. The service was established in 1887 as the result of co-operation between well-established companies from either side of the English Channel when the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway joined forces with France’s Western Railway, which had the larger interest of 37/56ths compared to LBSC’s 19/56. This was because, it was argued, the distance from the Channel coast to Paris was twice as far as that to and from London.
Various different ownership arrangements followed down the years, and even today the route’s vessels are owned by France’s Transmanche Ferries, but marketed and operated by Danish giant DFDS, to provide up to three daily crossings each way through the summer months, before cutting back to two trips a day from October.
A new long-term contract between DFDS and the French regional authority Seine Maritime Department started on 1 January 2023 and will run until 31 December 2027. The only other bidder for the route was believed to have been Brittany Ferries.
THE FIRST CROSSINGS
At the start of the 19th century boats from Dieppe anchored off Brighton, with passengers transferring to small craft to be taken ashore, although from 1823 there was a berth close to where the remains of the resort’s West Pier can still be seen.
As early as 1790 a weekly service was provided by sailing vessels, including which was owned and captained by John Chapman and left Brighthelmston (an early name for Brighton) on Tuesday evenings, with a return on Saturday evening. A contemporary notice claimed the route was 90 miles shorter than having to travel from London to Dieppe.
