Belgium has a long history of shuttle service between Ostend and Dover in England, which started at the end of the 17th century. However, it was with the rise of steam shipping that this service boomed. The watercolor shows embarking on the quay of Ostend at the beginning of the last century. As the name "mail boat" suggests, these ships also handled postal and parcel traffic to and from England. The crossing then took about 4 hours. In these days the company had five ships, including two paddle steamers. In the 1950s, the first "roll on roll off" ships were put into service for the transport of rolling stock. Today most passengers to England take the train to travel via Calais, in 35 minutes, through the Channel Tunnel to Dover. Cars and tour buses can also use this train. Image size: 260 x 360 mm