Four large terminals were specifically constructed as base to maintain and operate six hovercraft for two competing companies. Hoverlloyd operated from Pegwell Bay (Ramsgate) to Calais and operated Swift, Sir Christopher, Prince of Wales and Sure, whilst Seaspeed operated from Dover to Boulogne with Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. I won't go into the history of each and every craft but essentially only one remains; Princess Anne, as detailed in my blog.
All hoverports other than Boulogne have now been demolished. Prior to this I took the opportunity to visit every site and see if any remains of their heritage still existed.
Dover International, at the time of my visit, had been totally decomissioned following the demise of both Hoverspeed and subsequently Speed Ferries which used a small part of the complex. The terminal was then demolished to redevelop the vast site into a new cargo terminal.
Pegwell Bay had been left to rot after Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed combined to create Hoverspeed based out of Dover. The terminal was demolished and the area now being naturally reclaimed by nature.
Calais hoverport closed when Hoverspeed stopped operations. The terminal boarded up and left for the sand from neighbouring dunes to slowly bury it. The building has now been demolished as part of the '2015 port expansion development'.
Boulogne hoverport closed after Hoverspeed switched its operations from hovercraft to Seacats. The building remains however all access points have been bricked up. Prior to this I was able to gain access.... a single 'passport checkpoint' sign was still evident along with the original tiles in the gents toilet!
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