This article is about the crossings of the River Severn in Great Britain. For the two motorway crossings over the River Severn, see Severn crossing. For the Severn River in Maryland, US, see Severn River Bridge and Naval Academy Bridge.
The Severn has historically been a very important and busy river, and has been bridged throughout history. The bridges that stand today are often of great historical and/or engineering interest. For example, the world's first iron bridge, The Iron Bridge, built from cast iron, crosses the River Severn at Ironbridge Gorge. The Iron Bridge is one of three bridges on the River Severn that are listed as grade I structures, including Bewdley Bridge and the Severn Bridge, which was opened in 1966. In total, 31 bridges that cross the River Severn are listed, either grade I, II* or II. Four bridges are scheduled monuments, including The Iron Bridge, which are nationally important archaeological bridges.
Many reaches of the Severn are prone to severe flooding, prompting the design of some unique bridges to cope with this.
There were historically also ferry crossings on the tidal river at:
Previously known as the 'First Bridge on the Severn'. Opened May 1992 by Lady Hooson, wife of Emlyn Hooson, Baron Hooson. Also carries Severn Way long-distance footpath from right bank to left bank when heading downstream. The Wye Valley Walk long-distance footpath starts here.
Previously known as Irish Bridge and Paddy's Bridge. Provides forestry access, as nearby Cwm Ricket Bridge has a 12.5T weight limit. With high water, it becomes a ford.
Timber bridge built as part of the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway, later becoming part of the Cambrian Railway's route from Newtown to Builth Wells; the railway was closed on 31 December 1962. Now used as a farm access bridge.
Designed by Thomas Penson, built by the Brymbo Company of Wrexham. Bridge is inscribed: THIS SECOND IRON BRIDGE CONSTRUCTED IN THE COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY WAS ERECTED IN THE YEAR 1852.
Designed by John Gwynn. Completely rebuilt in the 1920s using the original 1774 stone work, but the bridge was widened by 26 feet (7.9m) and the gradient reduced; reopened on 26 October 1927. (The 1774 Bridge replaced the medieval East or Old Stone Bridge.) It carries the A458 road.
Arch bridge; the world's first cast iron bridge, built by Abraham Darby III, now foot access only. In the 1970s, major work was undertaken to restore the bridge, including an inverted concrete arch in the river bed to keep the abutments apart.
The Free Bridge, which was also known as the Haynes Memorial Bridge, opened in 1909 by public subscription, it was the first toll-free crossing of the Ironbridge Gorge. The bridge was the first bridge in England constructed using reinforced concrete and was designed by L G Mouchel. The bridge became unsafe and was demolished in 1993 to make way for the new Jackfield Bridge.
Suspension footbridge, designed and built by David Rowell & Co. This is a private road bridge for the Apley Park Estate, and is not a public footpath. Weight limit is 1 tonne, and only one vehicle allowed on the bridge at a time.
Bridge serving the Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works. The tubular welded blue arches are waterpipes that carry a small roadway suspended below. The bridge is owned by South Staffordshire Water.
The only 'Reaction Cable' ferry in the UK. The most recent boat dated from 2004. It was 20 feet (6.1m) by 9 feet (2.7m) and carried up to 12 passengers plus the operator. Was operated by the Hampton Loade Community Trust at weekends during the summer provided the river level was suitable. Closed permanently in 2016.[2]
Cast iron trussed arch; designed by Telford, opened 1828 and strengthened with reinforced concrete in 1928. Identical design to Galton Bridge, Smethwick over canal (1829).
Also known as Priory Ferry. Operated every day till the 1950s. Service restarted in 1983. As of 2009, it is the only Rowing Ferry across the River Severn; it is operated by volunteers during the summer, every afternoon at weekends and bank holidays.
Near Tewkesbury. Cast iron arch, built by Thomas Telford. Opened as a toll bridge; now free. Major repair work in 1993/94; now single lane with 3 m width limit and 17 ton weight limit and controlled by traffic lights. Crosses from Worcestershire to Gloucestershire.
The River Severn splits at the Upper Parting between the 2-mile-long (3.2km) West Channel, known locally as the Maisemore Channel,[8] and the 3.6-mile-long (5.8km) East Channel around Alney Island[9]
The tunnel is 47.5m (156ft) deep, with a diameter of 3.05m (10ft) and a total length of 3,678m (2.285mi).[10] The tunnel carries two 400kV circuits, each with three cables.[11] The tunnel is owned by National Grid. The image to the right shows the cables on pylons entering the Aust (eastern) end of the tunnel before going underground.
Witts, Chris (1998). A Century of Bridges (2nded.). Gloucester: River Severn Publications. ISBN978-0-9532711-0-8.
Related Research Articles
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 M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely complete by 1980, though a non-motorway section around Briton Ferry bridge remained until 1993. On the opening of the Second Severn Crossing in 1996, the M4 was rerouted over it.
The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 250 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation, but is affected by pollution.
The M48 is a 13-mile (21 km) long motorway in Great Britain, which crosses the Severn near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, linking England with Wales via the Severn Bridge. This road used to be the M4, and as a result is anomalously numbered: as it lies to the north of the M4 and to the west of the M5, it is in the Motorway Zone 5. The M4, M48 and the A48(M) motorway are the only motorways in Wales.
Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Bristol and about 28 miles (45 km) south west of Gloucester. It is located on the eastern side of the Severn estuary, close to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which carries the M48 motorway. The village has a chapel, a church and a public house. There is a large area of farmland on the river bank, which is sometimes flooded due to the high tidal range of the Severn. Aust Cliff, above the Severn, is located about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the village. The civil parish of Aust includes the villages of Elberton and Littleton-upon-Severn.
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.
Tidenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border. Tidenham is bounded by the River Wye to the west and the River Severn to the south. Offa's Dyke runs through the western part of the parish, terminating at Sedbury cliff above the River Severn.
The Severn Bridge is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wales, and took three and a half years to build, at a cost of £8 million. It replaced the 137-year-old Aust Ferry.
Arlingham is a village and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. The 2021 Census recorded a parish population of 533. The parish contains the hamlets of Milton End, Overton and Priding. The next parish to the east is Fretherne with Saul.
The A466, also known as the Wye Valley Road, is a road from Hereford, England to Chepstow, Wales via Monmouth, Tintern and the Wye Valley.
Aust Severn Powerline Crossing is the longest overhead power line span in the United Kingdom with a length of 1,618 m (5,308 ft).
The Elan aqueduct crosses Wales and the Midlands of England, running eastwards from the Elan Valley Reservoirs in Mid Wales to Birmingham's Frankley Reservoir, carrying drinking water for Birmingham.
The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly 15 miles (24 km) along the Lower Wye Valley between the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. Opened on 1 November 1876, it was leased to, and worked by, the Great Western Railway (GWR), before being fully absorbed by the GWR in 1905.
The Ross and Monmouth Railway was a standard gauge railway of 13 miles (21 km) which ran between Ross-on-Wye, in Herefordshire, England and Monmouth, Wales.
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.
The bridges and tunnels across the Yangtze River carry rail and road traffic across China's longest and largest river and form a vital part of the country's transportation infrastructure. The river bisects China proper from west to east, and every major north–south bound highway and railway must cross the Yangtze. Large urban centers along the river such as Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing also have urban mass transit rail lines crossing the Yangtze.
The Monmouth Railway, also known as the Monmouth Tramroad, was a horse-drawn 3 ft 6 in gauge plateway. It ran for about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Howler's Slade, east of Coleford, in Gloucestershire and Monmouth; there were two branches from other mineral sites. It was intended to bring mineral products of the Forest of Dean to Monmouth, and to the works alongside the River Wye.
Portskewett Pier was a station on the Bristol & South Wales Union Railway. The pier at Black Rock, near Portskewett, was the Welsh side of the New Passage Ferry across the River Severn. The ferry linked rail services between Bristol and South Wales, avoiding the previous long detour through Gloucester. The ferry service lasted for nearly twenty five years, from 1863 to 1886, until the opening of the railway tunnel beneath the river.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
