River Severn
| River Severn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Bristol Channel |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 354 km (220 mi) |
- For other rivers named "Severn", see Severn River.
The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin: Sabrina) is the longest British river, at 354 kilometres (220 miles).[1] It rises at an altitude of 610 metres on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, in the Cambrian Mountains, Mid Wales, and it passes through a number of English counties, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester located on its banks. The Severn becomes the Bristol Channel at its estuary, eventually discharging into the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. With an average discharge of 107 m³/s at Hawbridge (Gloucestershire), the Severn is England's largest river in terms of water flow. The Severn's drainage basin area is 11,420 km². It is one of the ten major rivers in the United Kingdom.
It was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the West Country.
Mythology
According to some sources, the name "Severn" is derived from the name Sabrina or (Hafren), based on the mythical story of the drowning of a nymph in the river.[2] Sabrina is also the goddess of the River Severn in Brythonic mythology. The story of Sabrina is featured in Milton's Comus.[3] There is a statue of 'Sabrina' in the Dingle Gardens at the Quarry, Shrewsbury.
As the Severn becomes tidal the associated deity changes to Noadu, who (Romanized as Nodens) is represented mounted on a seahorse, riding on the crest of the Severn bore.[4]
Tributary rivers
The River Stour rises in the north of Worcestershire in the Clent Hills, near St Kenelm's Church at Frankley. It flows north into the adjacent West Midlands at Halesowen. It then flows westwards through Cradley Heath and Stourbridge where it leaves the Black Country. It is joined by the Smestow Brook at Prestwood before it winds around southwards to Kinver, and then flows back into Worcestershire. It then passes through Wolverley, Kidderminster and Wilden to its confluence with the Severn at Stourport-on-Severn.
The River Teme, joins just below Worcester and above Kempsey.
One of the several rivers named Avon joins the Severn at Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. That same Avon also flows through Stratford-upon-Avon.
The port of Bristol is located at the mouth of the Severn, where another River Avon flows into it through the Avon Gorge. The River Wye flows into the Severn slightly upstream of the Avon and forms the boundary between England, specifically the Forest of Dean, and Wales, with the town of Chepstow (Casgwent in Welsh) at the confluence, giving an important strategic position in yester-year and was the main route into South Wales, before the two bridges were built.
Major Cities
Below is a list of major towns and cities that the severn flows through (from north to south):
- Newtown
- Welshpool
- Shrewsbury
- Ironbridge
- Bridgenorth
- Bewdley
- Stourport
- Worcester
- Upton
- Tewkesbury
- Gloucester
- Newham
Transport
Bridges
The two bridges of the Severn crossing carrying roads (opened in 1966 and 1996) link Wales with the southern counties of England and are among the most important in Britain.
- Severn Bridge — opened in 1966 carrying the M48
- Second Severn Crossing — opened in 1996 carrying the M4 motorway
Previous to the construction of the first bridge in 1966, the channel was crossed by the Aust Ferry.
The Severn is bridged at many places, and many of these bridges are notable in their own right, with several designed and built by the engineer Thomas Telford. (See Crossings of the River Severn for more.) There also is the very famous Ironbridge at Coalbrookdale, which is the first ever Iron Bridge in the world.
Rail
The Severn Tunnel, situated near the Second Severn Crossing road bridge, carries the railway line under the channel.
Cars could also be transported through the Severn Tunnel. In the 1950s three trains a day made round trips between Severn Tunnel Junction and Pilning. The vehicles were loaded onto open flat bed carriages and pulled by a small pannier tank locomotive although sometimes they were joined to a scheduled passenger train. The prudent owner paid to cover his auto with a sheet as sparks often flew when the steam locomotive tackled the grade leading to the tunnel exit. A rail coach was provided for passengers and drivers. Reservations could be made and the fee for the car was about thirty shillings in the early 1950s.
Disasters
There have been many disasters on the Severn, making it Britain's most dangerous river. It has claimed many lives (figures vary depending on how it is recorded, circa 300 people), especially during the 20th century.
Locks
There are locks on the lower Severn to enable sea going boats as far as Stourport. The most northerly lock is at Lincombe about a mile downstream from Stourport.
Tunnels
The Severn Tunnel carries the Great Western Main Line under the large estuary.
Associated canals
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, and the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal all join the Severn at Stourport, Worcester and Gloucester respectively. The Droitwich Barge Canal used to join the Severn at Hawford, near to the River Salwarpe and it hoped that a new link to the Severn via the Salwarpe will be re-established in the future.
Paddle steamers
The main operator of pleasure craft and particularly paddle steamers on the river from the mid-1800's to the late 1970's were P and A Campbell of Bristol, but also included the Barry Railway Company. There were also three ferries operating between Aust and Chepstow these were called the Severn King, Severn Queen and Severn Princess. The Severn Princess is currently undergoing restoration after being found in Ireland full of fertiliser, after dragging her back with her sinking twice on the way it is hoped that at some time in the near future she will be fully operational again. The Severn King and Queen were scrapped not long after their decommission following the completion of the First Severn Bridge.
Severn estuary
The River Severn extends down to the Second Severn Crossing. The estuary begins at this point and stretches to a line from Lavernock Point (south of Cardiff) to Sand Point near Weston-super-Mare. West of this line is the Bristol Channel.
Severn bore
A curious phenomenon associated with the lower reaches of the Severn is the tidal bore. The Severn bore forms somewhat upstream of the Port of Sharpness, which is also the Southern terminus of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
The river's estuary, part of the Bristol Channel, has the second largest tidal range in the world — about 15 metres, exceeded only by the Bay of Fundy in Canada — and at spring tides, the rising water is funnelled up the estuary into a wave that travels rapidly upstream against the river current; enthusiasts even attempt to surf along on the wave, which can be 2 m high. In 2006, a world record surf was achieved, for the longest-ever 'surf', by Steve King, a railway engineer from Gloucestershire, England. (Note that the Gloucester Harbour Trustees, as competent harbour authority for this part of the river, explicitly advise against this pastime.) Being the onset of the flood tide it is accompanied by a rapid rise in water level which continues for about one and a half hours after the bore has passed. The Severn Bore is a natural example of a self-reinforcing solitary wave or soliton.
The link to the Environmental agency will give a timetable and prediction of the bore height.
Tidal Power
A huge tidal range of 15m, giving the river the second highest tide in the world, and high level of surrounding industry and population have long made the Severn estuary and Bristol Channel a focus for tidal energy schemes and ideas. Plans for a Severn Barrage - running 16 km (10 miles) across the Bristol Channel from Lavernock Point near to and south west of Cardiff to Brean Down near and just south west of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset - would generate a massive 8640 MW when the tide flows, and have been discussed for several decades now. The power generated, coming from a lake of 185 square miles and 14 m potential energy depth, would be equivalent to 12 nuclear power stations. Tidal power only runs for some 10 hours a day, but by using the enclosed lake as a reservoir of potential energy more hours of operation could be achieved. Other energy sources, such as wind and solar power, also create electricity at times that do not always match when it is needed. Excess power could be stored by pumping water uphill, as is already done at a variety of other installations in the UK.
The UK Government shelved the plans in the late 1980s due largely to cost issues and local environmental concerns. However, this was before recent huge rises in the price of energy, and before Global Warming had started to be taken seriously. In April 2006 the Welsh Assembly approved the idea of utilising the tidal power, but the RSPB has raised serious concerns about the effect on the mud flats, that have European Environmental protection status, and the UK government Energy Review published later in the year did not endorse the scheme. [5]
Because global warming and nuclear power station waste and decommissioning have such vast environmental effects, the small environmental impact of the Severn Barrage is an overall reduction in impact[citation needed]. Further work is required to decrease the environmental impact of the project, although there are many people living in Somerset and Wales that think the project will ruin the picturesque surroundings that so many people have enjoyed, so there is increased anger at the proposal[citation needed] to build a barrage across the river.
Industry
A six-mile stretch of the Severn valley in Shropshire, known as the Ironbridge Gorge, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Its historic importance is due to its role as the centre of the iron industry in the early stages of Britain's Industrial Revolution. Ironbridge gets its name from the bridge across the Severn, built in 1779, which was the first cast-iron bridge ever constructed.
Wildlife
The sides of the estuary are also important feeding grounds for waders, notably at the Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve and the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust.
See also
- Rivers of the United Kingdom
- The Severn Way long-distance footpath
- The Severn Area Rescue Association organises rescue lifeboats from Wyre Forest to Beachley
- Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue are based at Upton-upon-Severn
- The Severn Valley, an area straddling Shropshire and Worcestershire.
References
- ^ BBC. "The River Severn Facts". Retrieved 2006-12-28.
- ^ Andy Morrall. "The Legend of Sabrina". Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ Liam Rogers. "Sabrina and the River Severn". Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ Clucas, P. (1985) Britain - The Landscape Below. Guildford: Colour Library Books. ISBN 0-86283-174-1
- ^ BBC News (21 April 2006). "Backing for Severn barrage power". Retrieved 2006-12-09.
External links
- Tales of the River Severn
- The Severn Bore
- Environment Agency - Severn Bore and Trent Aegir
- Surfing The Severn Bore note warning in text from Gloucester Harbour Trustees