Sharpness Docks

Gloucestershire                                                                                                  All photos by Hetty

31st July 2017

A Gloucestershire Local History Association evening guided tour

Sharpness still has a working dock, and is 16 miles by canal to Gloucester

Monument to the ‘Vindi boys’

River Severn

The River Severn is treacherous, so the old dock and the canal were built for ships to access Gloucester; they opened in 1827

 

 

 

Former Harbourmaster’s house

The lock gates used to be here. The difference between low and high tide can be up to 10 metres, and the lock gates could only be opened at high tide

There is a marina at the end of the canal now

The tide was out. A wall and tow-path separates the river and canal

There used to be a railway bridge across the Severn here

There were lots of boats on the canal

Former stables

 

The other side of the bridge is the ‘new’ dock, built in 1874

Read about Sharpness Docks here: www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk/sharpness/docks.htm

Looking south from the picnic area by the ‘new’ dock, we could see the former power stations at Berkeley and Oldbury, and the two Severn bridges

Entrance to the ‘new’ dock

 

The ‘new’ dock was built in 1874 for ships that were too big to use the canal, where they could unload their goods

There used to be 4 Victorian warehouses, but there is only one left now

There are 2 rows of workers houses

As we drove home where was a rainbow and lovely sunset

All images on the website copyright of HettyHikes.co.uk

Back to top