Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

River Severn

Description: Navigable for 92 miles from Stourport, where it joins the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, to Avonmouth, where it joins the River Avon and the Severn Estuary

History: Promoted by Acts of 1503, 1531, 1532, 1772, 1799, 1803, 1809 and 1814.
For more details see the History page.

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Southern Waterways, General Manager: South West Waterways, Alexandra Warehouse, West Quay, The Dock, Gloucester GL2 2LG : Telephone 01452 318000 : Fax 01452 318076 :

The Severn at Stourport

Related Articles

• More than a Mooring - Upton Marina

Related Books

• The Severn by Wilson Stephenson, 48 pages, Published by Frederick Muller, in 1985, Part of the Rivers of Britain series with illustrations by Gabriel White..
• The Severn and its Bore by F R Rowbotham, Published by David & Charles, in 1970,
• The River Severn - A Pictorial History by Josephine Jeremiah, ISBN: 0 85033 985 5, 128 pages, Published by Phillimore & Co., in 1998, Early prints and sketches, plus photographs from the last hundred years, illustrate this brief history of Britain's longest river.. Order now from .
• Severn Traders by Colin Green, ISBN: 0 9533028 2 2, 180 pages, Published by Black Dwarf, in 1999, Illustrated history of the trows, barges and other trading craft of the River Severn.. Order now from .
• Nicholson/Ordnance Survey Guide to the waterways - 2 by Not known, ISBN: 978-0-00-728161-9, 170 pages, Published by Nicholson, in 2009, Severn, Avon and Birmingham. Includes the BCN, Gloucester & Sharpness, Severn, Staffordshire & Worcester Canal, Stourbridge, Dudley, Stratford-on-Avon and Worcester & Birmingham canals.. Order now from .
• Pearson's Canal Companion: Severn and Avon by Michael Pearson, Edition: Sixth, ISBN: 978 09 5491165 2, 96 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, in 2006, This edition now also contains details of the Cotswold Canals (i.e. the Stroudwater and Thames & Severn canals) and the the River Thames above Oxford.. Order now from .
• Stourport-on-Severn by Anna Carter, ISBN: 0 7524 2058 5, 128 pages, Published by Tempus, in 2000, Historic photographs of this canal and river port.. Order now from .
• Disasters on the Severn by Chris Witts, ISBN: 0 7524 2383 5, 160 pages, Published by Tempus, in 2002, Order now from .
• Down the River by Geoffrey Boumphrey, Edition: Hardback, 127 pages, Published by George Allen & Unwin Publishers Ltd, in 1936, It details a canoe journey down the Severn from Newtown to Pangbourne on the Thames via the Thames and Severn canal. It contains 15 plates..
• The Canals of the West Midlands (2nd Ed) by Charles Hadfield, 352 pages, Published by Augustus M Kelley, in 1969,

Related videos

• The River Severn , 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from
• World's Most Beautiful Waterways , 1 hour 10 minutes Produced by Contender Ltd, A waterway journey from Worcester to Oxford via the River Avon, Hatton and Banbury. Available on tape. Order on video tape from
• A Canal Too Far Chris Coburn, 2 hours 29 minutes Produced by Laurence Hogg Productions, Down the Bristol Channel to visit many navigations! Across to South Wales, up the Wye, the Severn! Incredible scenes! Available on tape. Order on video tape from
• Heart of England Route , 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from
• A Journey Down The River Severn , Released in 1995, 0 minutes Produced by Heritage Video Films Ltd, tape. Order on video tape from

Related photographs

• River Severn: Worcester Quay Boats moored at the festival
• River Severn: Worcester Quay Boats moored at the festival
• River Severn: Upton-on-Severn Bridge Upton Marina
• River Severn: Upton-on-Severn Bridge Upton Marina - Steve Arber
• River Severn - Stourport Narrowboat coming from the basin on to the Severn

Related External Web Sites

• Starline Marine Boat building business run by Pauline & Ian Cundy and based at Upton Marina.
• Worcester Vista A general site about Worcester that contains some interesting pages on the local Canals.
• Starline Narrowboats Since 1980 they have provided narrowboat holidays from their base at Upton upon Severn on the River Severn.
• Stourport Yacht Club Boating on the River Severn
• The Severn boats and boating pages Motor boat cruising on the River Severn and Bristol Channel with maps. Includes the Sharpness canal and River Avon.
• Severn Tales Barges, history, books, floods and anything to do with the river.
• Severn Boaters Boating on the River Severn
• Gloucester Harbour Trustees The Trustees were originally constituted in 1890 and are responsible for a large area of the Severn Estuary and the tidal reaches of the Rivers Severn and Wye.

Related Cruising Logs

• 22nd June 1997
• 4th August 1999
• 15th June 2001
• 4th July 2004
• 8th June 2005

Other Related Pages

• Cruising Times
• Introducing Route Planning
• My Holidays on Inland Waterways - Cruise II
• My Holidays on Inland Waterways - Cruise XXX

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Lock sizes vary but the maximum craft sizes are from Gloucester to Worcester: Length 135 foot, beam 21 foot. From Worcester to Stourport: Length 90 foot, beam 19 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

River Severn: Table of distances			Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Arley Quarry Landing			0	0	U	SO753817	138
Upper Arley			1.5	0	U	SO765801	138
Bewdley Bridge	A456 road bridge		5.3	0	U	SO787754	138
Stourport Bridge	A451 road bridge and the effective head of navigation		9	0	N	SO807710	138
Stourport Junction	Junction with Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal		9.1	0	N	SO810709	138
Lincombe Lock No 1			10.4	1	N	SO820693	138
Hampstall Ferry			11.5	1	N	SO813679	150
Lenchford Ferry			13.8	1	N	SO813642	150
Holt Lock No 2			14.6	2	N	SO820634	150
Holt Castle			15.5	2	N	SO833626	150
Grimley			17	2	N	SO841607	150
Hawford Junction	Junction with Droitwich Canal Junction with the Droitwich Barge Canal		17.6	2	N	SO841599	150
Bevere Lock No 3	Camp Lock		18.1	3	N	SO835593	150
Worcester Quay			21.5	3	N	SO548547	149
Diglis Junction	Junction with Worcester and Birmingham Canal Junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal		22	3	N	SO848538	150
Diglis Locks No 4	Two locks side by side		22.4	4	N	SO847533	150
River Teme Junction			23.1	4	N	SO850522	150
Kempsey			25.1	4	N	SO847491	150
Pixham			25.6	4	N	SO842486	150
Clevelode			27.3	4	N	SO835468	150
Rhydd			28.4	4	N	SO837452	150
Severn Stoke			29.3	4	N	SO849445	150
Hanley			31	4	N	SO845419	150
Upton-on-Severn Bridge			32	4	N	SO851408	150
Saxon's Lode			33.5	4	N	SO863388	150
Barley House			34.5	4	N	SO860379	150
M50 Motorway Bridge			35.3	4	N	SO867369	150
Tewkesbury Bridge	A438 road bridge		37.6	4	N	SO889337	150
River Avon Junction	Junction with Lower Avon Navigation		38	4	N	SO888331	150
Tewkesbury Lock No 5			38.5	5	N	SO881328	150
Tewksbury Lower Lode and fomer ferry site			39.4	5	N	SO889317	150
Chaceley and Deerhurst			40.9	5	N	SO866298	150
Apperley (Coal House Pub)			42	5	N	SO854283	150
Haw Bridge			42.8	5	N	SO845278	162
Coombe Hill Canal Junction			43.9	5	N	SO846263	162
Wainlode			44.1	5	N	SO846257	162
Ashleworth			46.1	5	N	SO819250	162
Upper Parting Junction	Junction with Maisemore Channel (now closed)		48.5	5	N	SO821216	162
Westgate Bridge, Gloucester			50.6	5	N	SO824190	162
Gloucester & Berkley Ship Canal Junction	Junction with Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal		51	5	N	SO826185	162
Llanthony Lock No 6 (Closed)			51.4	6	U	SO822182	162
Lower Parting	Junction with Maisemore Channel (closed)		52	6	N	SO815188	162
Stonebench Turn			55.4	6	N	SO796148	162
Elmore			55.8	6	N	SO792153	162
Minsterworth			57	6	N	SO773168	162
Framilode Junction	Junction with Stroudwater Canal Junction with the Stroudwater Canal		63.8	6	N	SO751105	162
Newnham			63.8	6	N	SO692117	162
Bullo Pill			64.8	6	N	SO690099	162
Fretherne (Hock Cliff)			67.5	6	N	SO724090	162
Sharpness Point	Junction with old entrance to the Gloucester & Berkley Ship Canal		74.4	6	N	SO668030	162
Sharpness Junction	Junction with Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal Gloucester & Berkley Ship Canal entrance and Sharpness Docks		75	6	N	SO665021	162
Lydney Canal and Harbour Junction			76.3	6	N	SO651014	162
Severn Bridge	M4 Motorway		86.3	6	N	ST559901	172
Beachley Point	Junction with River Wye Rive Wye Junction		87.3	6	N	ST542900	172
Avonmouth	Junction with River Avon (Bristol) River Avon Junction		95.8	6	N	ST502787	172

NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.

 

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.