The Hurlingham is a passenger boat constructed by Salter Brothers of Oxford, seven years after the launch of the Viscount. During the Edwardian era, it was common to see gentlemen dressed in white flannels, striped blazers, and straw boaters taking their companions for cruises on the Thames aboard Hurlingham’s open top deck or beneath the canvas awning that covered the foredeck.

The vessel featured rows of life-buoys lining the guardrails and bulkheads, with a saloon located below deck for passengers seeking a more sheltered experience. Hurlingham was a tunnel-stern steamship, powered by a W. Sisson compound steam engine, which remained in use until it was replaced by a diesel engine in the 1950s.

During World War II, Hurlingham was requisitioned for the Dunkirk evacuation and subsequently served primarily in the River Emergency Service as a supply tender. After the war, the vessel was acquired by Thames Launches and, thirty-one years later, was operated for a season by Marine Transit Ltd.

Over time, Hurlingham and her sister ships underwent gradual upgrades and modernization, providing safe, enclosed accommodation. Access to fresh air was available only through a sliding sunroof and the covered foredeck. Below deck, the vessel included a bar, and when not transporting passengers downriver to Greenwich, it was used as a floating discotheque or to accommodate pop groups and jazz bands.

Since 1979, Hurlingham has been operated by Tidal Cruises Limited. Its large, rebuilt accommodation can host 200 sightseers, 180 guests for dancing or weddings, or 132 for sit-down dinners. As road traffic congestion in London has increased, passenger boats like Hurlingham have gained popularity, offering visitors a varied and enjoyable perspective of the capital along the historic Thames. This waterway has been in use since before Roman times by both royalty and commoners and remains accessible aboard vessels that participated in the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.