A towpath journey: River Severn (navigable)
A mighty connection
WITHOUT the man-made ease of canals, a river’s high banks often block the traveller’s all-important views, but the unpredictability of nature’s waterways does give rivers a different energy from canals.
The largest river in Britain starts life as an unnoticed trickle in Wales and then gathers muscle for its rite of passage into the sea at Sharpness in Gloucestershire.
This ancient river has claimed countless lives and drowned the ships of past kings and queens galore. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal was built to bypass the tidal stretch as far as Gloucester, and northwards from there the river forms a vital link to the canal cruising ring between Worcester and Stourport.
The Stourport Ring is one of the most popular one-week boating routes and takes in the River Severn from Stourport to Worcester, the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, then the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal back to Stourport.
The northern limit of the navigable River Severn lies just above Stourporton-Severn, the only town in Britain built solely for the canals, and once the busiest inland port in the Midlands after Birmingham. The fabulously restored historic basins at Stourport lead from the river to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, built to carry cargoes of coal, steel, carpets and other materials.
In 1766, when James Brindley started building the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, his plan was to link the existing trade routes of the River Severn and the River Trent, and onward to the River Mersey and River Thames. In order to safely lift boats up from the River Severn to the canal he built a series of locks and basins. The basins are still lined with Georgian buildings and the distinctive 18th- century Clock Warehouse.
Cruising southwards on the leafy River Severn is an undistracted affair, with the chaos of the ‘real’ world blissfully out of sight. There are just a couple of manned locks in the quiet wooded surroundings, Lincomb Lock then Holt Lock and, just before Bevere Lock, the entrance to the restored Droitwich Canal which reopened in 2011.
The restoration created a new link between the River Severn and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal and the opening of the Droitwich Canals completed a new ring for boaters, walkers and cyclists.
The river heads into Worcester under the watchful architecture of Worcester Cathedral. Two wide locks lead from the River Severn into Diglis Basin and on to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. From Worcester to Birmingham, the canal’s original purpose was to connect from the River Severn to carry coal, grain, tea, sugar, cocoa beans, timber and other general goods. Diglis Basin is ringed by restored warehouses (many once part of the Royal Worcester porcelain factory) and new apartment blocks. In its industrial heyday, cargoes of porcelain were carried from the world-famous factory along the water.
Just beyond the entrance to the Worcester & Birmingham, Diglis Locks are a pair of manned river locks with an ‘island’ between them. The river then passes the site of the 1651 Battle of Worcester, the final battle of the Civil War. The Commandery, by Sidbury Lock on the canal, was used as the war rooms of Charles II in 1651 during the Civil War and is now a museum dedicated to the Civil War story including the Battle of Worcester.
After the busy A38, the river starts to wind its way past woods and ‘cliffs’ of distinctive red soil with only the odd village or campsite until Upton upon Severn. This historic small town is a popular stop-off for boaters, and busy moorings sit in front of the many pubs and cafes on its attractive waterfront. The town has become famous for the series of festivals during the summer which fill every space – most notable is the Upton Jazz Festival which attracts performers from across the world. There are also independent shops and a heritage centre in ‘The Pepperpot’.
Noise intrudes on the peace of the river for a while due to the M50, but then calm is restored. The Grade II*-listed cast-iron single-arch Mythe Bridge was built by the great engineer Thomas Telford in 1826 (he liked it so much that he wrote “I reckon this the most handsomest bridge which has been built under my direction”), and marks the River Severn’s arrival at Tewkesbury. The river skirts the town, while the River Avon heads through it. The market town of Tewkesbury is packed with halftimbered buildings dating from the Tudors, independent shops, inviting cafes and cosy pubs. Its crowning glory is the beautiful 12th century abbey, with the highest Norman tower in England.
Below Upper Lode Lock, the river is semi- tidal. Further south, the 19th-century Haw Bridge had to be replaced in the 1960s after a tanker barge collided with it. The river then separates at Upper Parting – the route into Gloucester heads straight on while the main part of the river heads right. On the approach to Gloucester, the channel narrows and is slightly trickier for boaters to negotiate, with a series of sharp, blind bends and bridges until the manned Gloucester Lock rises into Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.
Gloucester had been an important port since Roman times, but seafaring vessels venturing inland too often met their end with the unpredictable sands and tides of the Severn. Under the guidance of the great engineer Thomas Telford, the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal was built as a bypass from the treacherous waters of the river Severn from Sharpness to Gloucester.
When it opened in 1827, it was the world’s broadest, deepest canal. With the canal’s help, Gloucester became Britain’s most inland port and cargoes from around the globe arrived by sailing ship, barge, narrowboat, tanker and steamship.
During the Industrial Revolution, the canal carried grains imported to feed the hungry towns of the Midlands. And it carried cocoa beans to Cadbury’s factory at Frampton on Severn where milk was added to make chocolate crumb, which was sent onward to Bournville to make chocolate.
The canal also played an important role in the economy of the Midlands carrying coal from Forest of Dean.
The newly built docks at Gloucester handled exports and imports from around the world, with grain and timber as the bulk. Huge warehouses were built to store cargo, some of which have survived and are protected in their full glory today.
History clings in dockside ropes and rusty mooring rings, in preserved rail tracks and a steam crane, a former warehouse has become the National Waterways Museum Gloucester, and everywhere there are clues to the past. There are also plenty of opportunities for eating, drinking and of course shopping (at the Gloucester Quays shopping centre).
The mighty River Severn isn’t just a local star, it’s a national phenomenon, and the Severn Bore has entertained and challenged folk throughout history. Man has always used the River Severn as a transport route, and sometimes tried to tame her, but never completely won over her willfulness and beauty.