 Dumping
Barges
The first barges were
dumped on the bank in 1909 when it was realised that a new channel
was developing near to the shore, and further craft were added at
intervals up to the early 1970s. Each vessel was taken out of Sharpness
Dock on a high spring tide, towed by a tug towards the shore and
released so that it charged up the bank as far as possible. Then
holes were knocked in the hull to allow subsequent tides to deposit
silt inside.
The photograph (right) taken in
1967 shows the motorised trow Edith in the foreground with
the topsail schooner New Dispatch behind. (Photo: Norman
Andrews)
 Rise in Bank
Level
As a result of the barges
being dumped, the ground level has built up over the years, and
some of the later arrivals are lying on the top of earlier ones.
Careful research by Paul Barnett has identified the remains of over
30 wooden vessels protruding above the present surface, but many
are rather obscured by long grass which is no longer grazed and
others have been damaged by people recovering metal fastenings or
by vandals.
The photograph (right) taken in
1977 shows the barge Rockby in the foreground with the barge
Severn Collier behind.
 Concrete and Steel Barges
As well as the wooden
barges, 6 concrete barges are on the bank nearby, and 18 steel barges
and lighters may be seen protecting the sea wall between the Severn
Railway Bridge and the Old Entrance at Sharpness. There formerly
was one more concrete barge on the bank, but that was rescued by
staff and Friends of the National Waterways Museum in 1990, and
it may now be seen in the lie-bye on the opposite side of the canal
to the graveyard.
The photograph (right) taken in
1977 shows a concrete barge lying across the remains of the trow
Monarch.
For more details, see the Friends of Purton website.
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