Severn Locks
Dumb Barge Sabrina.
December 19th, 2005
Diglis lock, built in 1844.
Diglis Weir September 1968. The dumb barge Sabrina broke free from the Diglis wharf after unloading 150 tons of aluminium. It took two days for tugs to free it. Max.
Bevere Lock.
December 19th, 2005
Holt Fleet Weir.
December 19th, 2005
The weir at Holt Fleet.
After many years of disuse due to riverbank erosion, riverside footpath has recently been brought back into use, enabling a view of the weir.
The Lenchford.
A view of The Lenchford from the wooded riverside path that leads from Holt Fleet bridge passing the locks and weir and terminating in a house drive to main road.
Steam Dredger.
December 19th, 2005
Steam Dredger.
The worlds oldest steam dredger digs a deep trench across the bed of the River Severn for Severn Trent Water to lay a large sewage pipe from Croft Road to Hylton Road. The invention of Manganese Steel Teeth in Sheffield meant this bucket dredger could dig through the rivers rock bed. Max
Steam dredging the mouth of Holt Fleet Lock. Severn punt to ferry crews to the pub. Max
Maintaining the steam dredger in Gloucester Dry Dock. Max
Dredging is nothing new for the Severn, a river notorious for having large quantities of silt held in suspension. First steam dredgers, then a modern diesel engined dredger built to attack the mud each year.
Empty dredging hoppers.
Mud has to be dredged and removed by hopper barge, then taken down to Purton for discharging at the Suction Plant. The mud is then pumped back into the Severn! It may seem stupid dumping the mud back into the river, but where else could it go?
Leaving Lincombe.
December 19th, 2005
Leaving Lincombe.
Lincombe Lock, the highest on the Severn is situated one and a half miles downstream from Stourport.
The weir and lock are in an artificial channel.
The original embankment stopping up the old channel was washed away by floodwater during construction work. The breach was filled by loading eight barges with stones and sinking them pointing upstream as a foundation.
The depth of water on the sill was the lowest encountered by oil tankers going to Stourport at the time when regular trips were made from Avonmouth. It was the practice of the lock keeper to phone the depth in the morning to that port. This determined the quantity of oil loaded, a tolerence of one inch being allowed.
There are six sets of locks on the Severn situated between Stourport and Gloucester
locks are Lincombe, Holt Fleet, Bevere Diglis, Tewkesbury and Gloucester.
Lincombe Lock near Stourport.
This superb 1909 photograph of Lincombe Lock was taken by a photographer who must have taken his plate camera to the top of a tree. The Worcester Birmingham Canal Commitee boat “Harriet” named after the Dowager Lady Windsor from Tardebigge was an iron boat built in the 1880’s. In 1909 following repairs at Abdela and Mitchels yard at Brimscombe, Gloucester, she became the “Droitwich” a steam tug/icebreaker towing laden trows from Droitwich to the Severn. Presumably she was broken up when the salt barges stopped in 1916. Max.
Lincombe Weir.
Leader Williams inspects Lincombe Lock.
1890’s Sir Edward Leader Williams, Chief Engineer for the River Severn Commissioners, inspects work at Lincombe Lock.
Clay filled old wooden boats, known as “Joeys” are being sunk to reinforce the banks above the lock. Other contemporary photos show the commitee and their wives in all their finery. My late wifes Great Uncle Thomas Southall was Secretary to the Commissioners.
Lock at Tewkesbury
December 19th, 2005
Tewkesbury locks, plenty of room here.
