Purton Homepage


Dist:0.1km<br/>It's low tide on the Severn. Looking from beside the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (beside the swing bridge support), we see the bases of the bridge's pillars revealed.
©Gareth James
Dist:0.2km<br/>The bridge was constructed in the 1870s to allow coal from the Forest of Dean to be transported to the docks at Sharpness. The bridge had 21 spans supported on piers and a swinging section across the Gloucester and Sharpness canal. On the evening of October 25th 1960 two barges carrying 5000 gallons of petrol collided with the bridge in thick fog, taking out two spans and igniting the cargo. The bridge was never repaired and was dismantled in 1967. The swinging section rotated on the circular pier on the right to allow vessels to pass.
©Phil Champion
Dist:0.2km<br/>This bridge used to link Sharpness to Lydney. It was damaged by a drifting barge in 1960 and demolished around 1967
©John Thorn
Dist:0.2km<br/>In the foreground is one of the abandoned barges of the Purton Ships' Graveyard, see: http://www.friendsofpurton.org.uk/
©Gareth James
Dist:0.3km<br/>The circular towards once supported the swinging section of the Severn Railway Bridge (a model is at its foot). On the left, at the base of the tower, can be seen the abandoned barge Severn Falcon, part of the Purton Ships' Graveyard, see: http://www.friendsofpurton.org.uk/
©Gareth James
Dist:0.3km<br/>View SW, from beside Gloucester - Chepstow - Severn Tunnel Junction line on right bank of the Severn Estuary, in 1948 - long before the Bridge was closed and dismantled after a large petrol-tanker barge struck one of the central piers on the foggy night of 25/10/60. The Severn & Wye Joint (ex-Great Western & Midland) Berkeley Road - Lydney line was thereby curtailed to the Berkeley Road - Sharpness section and this lost its passenger service on 2/11/64.
©Ben Brooksbank
Dist:0.3km<br/>An old barge beached beside the River Severn near Sharpness.
©Philip Halling
Dist:0.3km<br/>The swing bridge had been in its open state since the rail bridge collision in 1960. Ben Brooksbank has provided the information in his photo [[2041712]].
©Gordon Spicer
Dist:0.3km<br/>This is the base of the Severn railway swing bridge that crossed the Gloucester and Sharpness canal just north-east of Sharpness docks. To the right is the canal and to left is the river Severn.
©Vincent Jones
Dist:0.3km<br/>Until October 1960 a bridge carriede a railway line across the River Severn between Sharpness and Lydney. In October 1960 a pair of oil barges were swept in to the bridge in fog and damaged it beyond repair. The parapet on the left used to support a swing bridge which used to open to allow tall ships through on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal below.
©Philip Halling
Dist:0.3km<br/>Taken from Sharpness it shows the missing span and the shored span which was hit by a barge in 1960 [[2041712]].
©Gordon Spicer
Dist:0.3km<br/>
©Gareth James
Dist:0.4km<br/>Narrowboats moored on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal near the remains of two of the parapets of the old Severn Railway Bridge which destroyed in the autumn of 1960 when two barges were swept into one of the parapets in fog.
©Philip Halling
Dist:0.4km<br/>View of one of the supports for the old Severn railway bridge where it crossed the Sharpness canal.
©Charles Drown
Dist:0.4km<br/>
©Sarah Charlesworth

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]

Members Nearby

Purton Discussion Forum


Places Near Purton

Allaston • Awre • Berkeley • Berkeley Heath • Blakeney • Brain's Green • Etloe • Hagloe • Halmore • Highfield • Hinton • Hook Street • Lower Soudley • Lydney • New Mills • Newerne • Newtown • Nibley • Northington • Oldcroft • Purton • Sharpness • Shepherd's Patch • Tutnalls • Two Bridges • Upper Bullington • Viney Hill • Wanswell • Yorkley • Yorkley Slade •