The Purton Hulks or Purton Ships' Graveyard [1] is a number of abandoned boats and ships, deliberately beached beside the River Severn near Purton in Gloucestershire, England, to reinforce the river banks. Most were beached in the 1950s and are now in a state of considerable decay. The site forms the largest ship graveyard in mainland Britain. [2]
A riverbank collapse in 1909 led to concerns that the barrier between the river and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal would be breached. Old vessels were run aground and soon filled with water and silt to create a tidal erosion barrier. The vessels included steel barges, Severn trows and concrete ships. The boats came from throughout the British Isles and were built in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th.
Since 2000, archaeological investigations have been undertaken to find out more about the vessels and their states of decay. Explanatory labels have been provided. One barge has been scheduled as an ancient monument and several are included in the National Register of Historic Vessels.
Purton lies on the southern bank of the River Severn about 1⁄2 mile (1 km) north of the port of Sharpness. The Severn is the longest river in the United Kingdom, at about 220 miles (354 km) [3] [4] and, with an average discharge of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Apperley, Gloucestershire, it is the greatest river in terms of water flow in England and Wales. [5]
At the site of the Purton Hulks there is less than 50 metres (160 ft) of land between the river and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (or Gloucester and Berkeley Canal). The 26.5-kilometre-long (16.5 mi) canal was dug between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a significant loop in the river, at a once-dangerous bend near Arlingham. It was once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. [6] Conceived in the Canal Mania period of the late 18th century, the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal scheme was authorised by a 1793 Act of Parliament. [7]
The canal opened in April 1827, having cost £440,000 (equivalent to £48,000,000in 2023) in the course of its construction. [8] The flood plain of the Severn hereabouts is very flat and so the elevation of the canal does not require any rise over its length. Outside the dock areas at each end, there are no locks. [9] This encouraged the use of the canal for ships larger than on most other British canals, although there were a number of swing bridges to negotiate. As opened the canal was 86+1⁄2 feet (26.4 m) wide, 18 feet (5.5 m) deep and could take craft of up to 600 tons. [8] In 1905 traffic exceeded one million tons for the first time. [10] Oil was added to the list of cargoes carried by the canal, with bulk oil carriers taking fuel to storage tanks sited to the south of Gloucester. [11]
The stretch of canal from Sharpness to Purton runs very close to the river. At a high spring tide they were separated by little more than the width of the towpath. The canal also has no locks, and owing to its width, not even any stop locks. Any damage to the canal bank could thus render the entire canal unnavigable.
In 1909, following a collapse in the bank of the river, [12] the canal company's chief engineer Mr A. J. Cullis called for old vessels to be run aground along the bank of the Severn, near Purton, to create a makeshift tidal erosion barrier to reinforce the narrow strip of land between the river and canal. [13] Barges, trows and schooners were "hulked" at high tide, by towing them from the dock at Sharpness and releasing them to be carried up the bank on the tide. Holes were then made in their hulls so that they filled with water, and over time silt has been laid down inside them. [13]
More boats have been added, including the schooner Katherine Ellen which was impounded in 1921 for running guns to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Kennet Canal barge Harriett, and ferrocement barges built in World War II. [14] The last boat was beached in 1965. [15] The ground level has built up over the years and some of the more recent additions are lying on top of those which had been beached earlier. [13]
In 1999, a local maritime historian, Paul Barnett, commenced a privately funded research project which saw the site's 86 vessels recorded and recognised as the largest ships' graveyard in mainland Britain. [16] The Nautical Archaeology Society investigated the site in 2008 as part of its Diving into History Project, [17] [18] and carried out laser scanning of the remains. [19] In 2010, British Waterways took control of the site in an attempt to protect it. [20] [12] [21]
The only known surviving Kennet barge, Harriett, which was beached at Purton in 1964, has been scheduled as an ancient monument [22] and included in the National Register of Historic Vessels, [23] as are several ferro concrete barges. The remains of the vessels are not covered by the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, as they are not on the seabed. But some of the other vessels may not be eligible for scheduling as ancient monuments, under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, because they are not inland. [24] The issue and the responsibility of various statutory bodies in their protection was debated in the House of Commons in 2009. [25]
The wooden vessels include examples of the Severn trow. Several concrete ships can also be seen at the site; these are built of steel and ferrocement (reinforced concrete).
Dispatch is notable for its use of, and the sole surviving remains of, Fell's Patent Knees. These were a patent innovation from 1839 by Jonathan Fell of Workington, Cumberland, [26] and were part of the development of the iron and wood composite hull. Ships before this had been built from oak, where the strong curved brackets needed to join the deck into the hull side frames could be found as naturally grown 'knees' from the angles between major branches and the trunk. In the post-Nelsonic era there was a general shortage of shipbuilding timber, particularly oak, one of the few species with strong enough branch attachments to provide knees.
Dispatch's hull is of pine, which has weak branches. A number of iron substitutes were developed, Fell's design being one of the later and more advanced forms. It had two advantages over earlier rigid-forged patterns: it provided a degree of flexibility in storms and, most significantly, could be stressed after the hull had been constructed and launched or even loaded, when the hull was under its working load. [27] Together with the diagonal iron strapping, [28] this rendered Dispatch's hull particularly strong and had allowed her to endure at least two collisions. [29]
Name | Photo | Type/Material | Built | Beached | Included in NRHV | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbey | Dock lighter | 1900 by Joseph Barnard of Gloucester | 1956 | No | 85 feet (26 m) long and with a breadth of 19 feet (5.8 m). [31] Hull damaged by fire since 2002. [32] | |
Ada | Schooner (Bristol Dandy) | 1869 by Thomas Gardner of Bristol | 1956 | No | The original masts were removed in 1930 and she became a towed barge and then a floating garbage hold. Since beaching, has been damaged by arson. [33] [34] | |
Alaska | Wood | c. 1880 by Robert Davies of Saul | 1939 | No | Originally owned by Gloucester pilots. [35] | |
Arkendale H | Steel barge | 1937 | 1960 | No | One of two barges which hit the Severn Railway Bridge in fog on 25 October 1960. [36] Two spans of the 22-span steel and cast iron bridge collapsed into the river. Parts of the structure hit the barges, causing the fuel oil and petroleum they were carrying to catch fire; five people died in the incident. | |
Barge Abbey | Wooden barge | ? by Joseph Barnard, Gloucester | c. 1951 | No | 84 feet (26 m) long. [37] | |
Barnwood | Steel barge | 1913 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | c. 1973 | No | Gross 59.04 ton Net 56.04 ton [38] | |
Barry | Dock lighter | Pre 1920s by Joseph Barnard, Gloucester | c. 1951 | No | Gross 59.04 ton Net 56.04 ton B.D [39] | |
Britannia | Trow | 1878 by Fredrick Charles Hipwood, Gloucester | 1944 | No | Gross 33.71 ton Net 28.36 ton [40] | |
Birdlip | Steel barge | 1915 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | 1972 | No | 85 feet (26 m) long. Gross 59.04 ton Net 56.04 ton B.D [41] | |
Briton Ferry | Steam grab dredger crane and wood pontoon | 1903 by Neath Harbour Commission & (crane) Priestman Bros. of Hull and London | c. 1957 | No | Used as a dredger and crane by Neath Harbour Board and then Gloucester Docks Board. [42] | |
Brockworth | Steel barge | 1913 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | c. 1972 | No | 85 feet (26 m) long. [43] | |
Cam | 1905 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | c. 1973 | No | 84 feet (26 m) long. Breadth 19 feet (5.8 m). [44] | ||
Catherine Ellen (Katherine Ellen) | Schooner (2 masted wooden) | 1862 by White of Waterford, Ireland | 1952 | No | Involved in the Irish War of Independence in 1921. [45] | |
Cranham | No | |||||
Dispatch/New Dispatch | Schooner (two-masted wooden) | 1888 by Garmouth James & John Geddie, Kingston on Spey | 1961 | No | Originally a 120-ton vessel which was 90 feet (27 m) long, it was rebuilt in Gloucester in 1939 and the name changed. [29] [28] | |
Dursley | Dock lighter | 1926 by Joseph Barnard of Gloucester | c. 1963 | No | Local timber carrier. [46] | |
Edith | Trow | 1901 by William Hurd, Chepstow | c. 1962 | No | Transported coal from the Forest of Dean to Bristol, Chepstow and Bridgwater. [47] [48] [49] | |
Envoy | Stroudwater barge | No | ||||
FCB 51 | Ferrocement barge | 1941 by Wates Building Group Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness | 1965 | No | [50] | |
FCB 52 | 1965 | Yes [51] | Built in World War II to provide port lighterage and floating storage facilities in a time when wood and steel were in short supply. [52] In 1990 the boat was removed from Purton by the Gloucester Waterways Museum. She was at Marshfield until 2012 when she was reported sunk. [51] | |||
FCB 67 | 1962 | Yes [53] | [54] | |||
FCB 68 | 1962 | Yes [55] | [56] | |||
FCB 75 | 1965 | Yes [57] | [58] | |||
FCB 76 | 1965 | Yes [59] | [60] | |||
FCB 77 | 1965 | Yes [61] | [62] | |||
FCB 78 | 1965 | Yes [63] | [64] | |||
Forty Ton Flat | No | |||||
Glenby | Stroudwater barge | No | ||||
Guide (Shamrock) | Schooner (Wood Brigantine) | 1854 by Holman & Kelly, Dartmouth | 1950 | No | [65] | |
Harriett | Wooden Kennet barge | 1905 by Robbins, Lane and Pinnegar of Honeystreet, Pewsey | 1964 | Yes [23] | Scheduled as an ancient monument. [22] | |
Higre | Trow | 1876 by Samuel Hipwood, Gloucester | 1965 | No | [66] [67] | |
Hopper No6 | No | |||||
Huntley | No | |||||
Island Maid (Orby) | Schooner | 1863 by William Hole Shilston & Co, Plymouth | 1945 | No | Traded with Spain and Mediterranean ports. The wreck was largely destroyed by scrap metal dealers in 1953. [68] | |
J&AR | Severn trow | 1894 Saul | 1950s | No | [69] | |
Jonadab | Severn trow, converted to a motor barge in 1948 | 1848 Newport | No | [70] | ||
Lighter No. 6 | Steel barge | 1902 by A. W. Robertson & Co, London | c. 1972 | No | [71] | |
Lighter No. 9 | 1902 by A. W. Robertson & Co, London | c. 1972 | No | [72] | ||
Lighter No. 20 | 1928 by Charles Hill & Sons of Bristol | c. 1973 | No | [73] | ||
Lighter No. 23 | c. 1976 | No | [74] | |||
Lighter No. 32 | 1928 by Charles Hill & Sons of Bristol | c. 1976 | No | [75] | ||
Mary Ann | 1870 Gloucester | No | [76] | |||
Mary of Brimscombe | No | |||||
Mary of Truro | No | |||||
Matson | Steel barge | 1924 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | c. 1972 | No | [77] | |
Monarch | Severn trow | 1890 Gloucester | No | [78] | ||
Newark | Wooden barge | 1896 by Joseph Barnard, Gloucester | c. 1956 | No | [79] | |
Petrus | No | |||||
Priory | Stroudwater barge | No | ||||
Rockby | Stroudwater barge | c. 1890s by Joseph Barnard, Gloucester | 1946 | No | Most of remains underground. [80] | |
Sally (King) | Schooner | Possibly 1884 in Middlesbrough | 1951 | No | Little known about the ship's history. [81] | |
Sandhurst | Steel barge | 1924 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | c. 1972 | No | [82] | |
Sarah MacDonald (Voltaic) | No | |||||
Selina Jane | 1872 Bridgwater | No | [83] | |||
Severn Collier | Wooden screw barge | 1937 | 1965 | No | Originally motorised and later converted into a towed barge. [84] | |
Severn Conveyor | Steel tank barge | 1930 by Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol | c. 1970 | No | [85] | |
Severn Eagle | 'Bird' class steel barge | 1935 by Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol | 1972 | No | [86] | |
Severn Falcon | 1935 by Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol | 1974 | No | [87] | ||
Severn Hawk | 1935 by Charles Hill & Sons, Bristol | 1972 | No | [88] | ||
Severn King | Steel Screw Car Ferry | 1935 by Beverley, Woodward & Scarr, Yorkshire | 1970 | No | Used on the Aust Ferry. Withdrawn 1966. In 1970 this boat was in use to support the demolition of the damaged Severn Railway Bridge, when it collided with one of the bridge piers and was damaged. It was then beached and cut up for scrap. [89] [90] [91] | |
Society | Stroudwater barge | No | ||||
Tirley | No | |||||
Tribune | No | |||||
Tuffley | Steel barge | 1916 by Robert Cock & Sons, Richmond Dock, Appledore | 1972 | No | [92] | |
Victoria | No | |||||
Wastdale H | Steel motor barge | 1951 by Sharpness Shipyard Ltd, Sharpness | 1960 | No | One of two barges which hit the Severn Railway Bridge in fog on 25 October 1960. [93] Two spans of the 22-span steel and cast iron bridge collapsed into the river. Parts of the structure hit the barges causing the fuel oil and petroleum they were carrying to catch fire; five people died in the incident. |
Barge typically refers to a flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and marine water environments. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but on inland waterways, most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many types of barges.
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The Severn bore is a tidal bore seen on the tidal reaches of the River Severn in south western England. It is formed when the rising tide moves into the funnel-shaped Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary and the surging water forces its way upstream in a series of waves, as far as Gloucester and beyond. The bore behaves differently in different stretches of the river; in the lower, wider parts it is more noticeable in the deep channels as a slight roller, while the water creeps across the sand and mudflats. In the narrower, upper reaches, the river occupies the whole area between its banks and the bore advances in a series of waves that move upstream. Near Gloucester, the advancing water overcomes two weirs, and sometimes one in Tewkesbury, before finally petering out.
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal is a ship canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness, completed in 1827. For much of its length the canal runs close to the tidal River Severn, but it cuts off a significant loop in the river, at a once-dangerous bend near Arlingham. It was once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. The canal is 26.5 km long.
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The Severn Railway Bridge was a bridge carrying the railway across the River Severn between Sharpness and Lydney in Gloucestershire, England. It was built in the 1870s by the Severn Bridge Railway Company, primarily to carry coal from the Forest of Dean to the docks at Sharpness; it was the furthest-downstream bridge over the Severn until the opening of the Severn road bridge in 1966. When the company got into financial difficulties in 1893, it was taken over jointly by the Great Western Railway and the Midland Railway companies. The bridge continued to be used for freight and passenger services until 1960, and saw temporary extra traffic on the occasions that the Severn Tunnel was closed for engineering work.
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The Stroudwater Navigation is a canal in Gloucestershire, England which linked Stroud to the River Severn. It was authorised in 1776, although part had already been built, as the proprietors believed that an Act of Parliament obtained in 1730 gave them the necessary powers. Opened in 1779, it was a commercial success, its main cargo being coal. It was 8 miles (13 km) in length and had a rise of 102 ft 5 in (31.22 m) through 12 locks. Following the opening of the Thames and Severn Canal in 1789, it formed part of a through route from Bristol to London, although much of its trade vanished when the Kennet and Avon Canal provided a more direct route in 1810. Despite competition from the railways, the canal continued to pay dividends to shareholders until 1922, and was not finally abandoned until 1954.
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Purton is a village on the east bank of the River Severn, 3 miles north of Berkeley, in Gloucestershire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Hinton. It lies opposite the hamlet of Purton on the west bank of the river.
The Severn Bridge Railway was a railway company which constructed a railway from Lydney to Sharpness in Gloucestershire, England. It was intended chiefly to give access for minerals in the Forest of Dean to Sharpness Docks, and the company built a long bridge, 1,387 yards (1,268 m) in length, over the River Severn. The line opened in 1879.
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Gloucester Docks is a historic area of the city of Gloucester. The docks are located at the northern junction of the River Severn with the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. They are Britain's most inland port.
Gloucester Waterways Museum is housed in a Victorian warehouse at Gloucester Docks in the city of Gloucester, England. It is located along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and River Severn.
A Stroudwater barge was a type of barge developed for use on the Stroudwater Navigation, a canal in Gloucestershire.
Specification of a patent granted to Jonathan Fell, of Workington, in the county of Cumberland, Ship Builder, for Improvements in Building Ships and Other Vessels – sealed August 5, 1839