Hampton Loade | |
---|---|
![]() Hampton Loade reaction ferry, 24 July 2004 | |
Location within Shropshire | |
OS grid reference | SO747864 |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRIDGNORTH |
Postcode district | WV15 |
Dialling code | 01746 |
Police | West Mercia |
Fire | Shropshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Hampton Loade is a hamlet in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at grid reference SO747864 , some five miles south of Bridgnorth.
The unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a reaction ferry to the hamlet of Hampton on the west bank, is responsible for Hampton Loade's name, as Loade is derived from lode, an old English word for ferry. However, the ferry has not been run since 2016, prompting speculation that it is permanently closed. This has not been confirmed by any reliable news sources, but according to the Severn Valley Railway it has ceased operation. [2]
The hamlet is notable for the forge that stood there from 1608 to 1922. There are remnants of the forge still standing beside the river and in the houses. "Old Forge House" is where the owner of the forge lived and it is stated that there were over 6 owners of the forge in the 306 years of its use. "Old Forge Cottage" is where it's thought the workers lived.
Hampton Loade station, on the preserved Severn Valley Railway, is actually located on the Hampton side of the river [3] although the whole area is often known locally Hampton Loade due to the presence of the station.
There is an unusual bridge close to Hampton Loade: a small private roadway belonging to South Staffordshire Water is suspended below two large water pipe arches, used to pump water from the river to Chelmarsh Reservoir, by the South Staffordshire Water works. [4]
The hamlet is also home to a satellite navigation error where the ferry is listed as a car ferry or a bridge on certain sat-nav systems; there are now road signs in place warning of the error on the approach to the hamlet.
On the night of 19 June 2007, the village of Hampton on the west bank suffered major damage as a result of a severe rainstorm. The one and only road into the village was washed away [5] (BBC photo), and large sections of nearby Severn Valley Railway track subsided.
The River Severn, at 220 miles (354 km) long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 2,001 feet (610 m), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester lie on its course.
The Severn Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England, named after the company that originally built the railway over which it now operates. The 16-mile (26 km) heritage line runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn along the Severn Valley for much of its route, and crossing the river on the historic Victoria Bridge.
Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Cleobury Mortimer is a market town and civil parish in south-east Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by King Henry III in 1226.
The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.
Wombourne is a village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Wolverhampton and on the border with the West Midlands County.
The LMS Ivatt Class 4 2-6-0 is a class of steam locomotive primarily designed for medium freight work but also widely used on secondary passenger services. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) ordered 162 of this type between 1947 and 1952, but only three were built by the LMS before nationalisation in 1948. Designed by George Ivatt, they were classified 4F by the LMS and 4MT by British Railways (BR).
Highley is a village and civil parish in the county and district of Shropshire, England. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn and is 7 miles (11 km) south east of Bridgnorth.
Hampton Loade railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line, close to the hamlet of Hampton on the western bank of the River Severn; Hampton Loade itself is on the eastern bank, and can no longer be reached by the Hampton Loade Ferry across the river as this has ceased operation.
Quatford is a village in the civil parish of Bridgnorth, in the Severn Valley, Shropshire, England. It is located on the A442, just south of the town of Bridgnorth and on the bank of the River Severn. The majority of residents in the village live on one of the Caravan Parks.
The Severn Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the United Kingdom, which follows the course of the River Severn through Mid Wales and western England.
Bewdley railway station serves the town of Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. Until 2014, it was the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway, after which they were moved to Comberton Hill, Kidderminster. Bewdley is the principal intermediate station on the line.
Bridgnorth railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line, serving the Shropshire town of Bridgnorth, England. It is currently the northern terminus of the SVR, home to the main engine shed and has a gift shop, station buffet and licensed refreshment room amongst other facilities.
Linley, later Linley Halt, was a small railway station on the Severn Valley line in Shropshire, England.
The Severn Valley is a rural area of the West Midlands region of England, through which the River Severn runs and the Severn Valley Railway steam heritage line operates, starting at its northernmost point in Bridgnorth, Shropshire and running south for 16 miles (26 km) to Ribbesford, a few miles south of Bewdley, Worcestershire in the Wyre Forest.
Eardington Halt, originally named Eardington, is a railway station on the Severn Valley Railway near Eardington, south of Bridgnorth, in Shropshire.
Hampton Loade Ferry was a pedestrian cable ferry linking the villages of Hampton Loade and Hampton across the River Severn in the English county of Shropshire and providing a link to Hampton Loade village from Hampton Loade station on the heritage Severn Valley Railway, in Hampton village.
The Smestow Brook, sometimes called the River Smestow, is a small river that plays an important part in the drainage of Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire, and parts of Dudley in the United Kingdom, and has contributed to the industrial development of the Black Country. It is the most important tributary of the River Stour, Worcestershire and part of the River Severn catchment.
Chelmarsh Reservoir is a water supply reservoir located in the village of Chelmarsh, Shropshire. The reservoir is operated by South Staffordshire Water and was created in 1963 to augment the supply of water in a large area of South Staffordshire and the Black Country. The main source of water to the reservoir is from abstraction from the River Severn.
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