Illustrating the River Severn

Walking this loop, once downstream and then in reverse, provided me with a good understanding of this small, but busy section of the river. The stretch is dominated by Worcester Cathedral and the reasons for its proximity to the river requires further investigation. It could be an indication of the river’s importance within trade that helped fund the cathedral. but being near a main transport artery must have helped in the delivery of the raw materials in its construction. It is the site where the remains of the ‘Cockleshell Pilgrim’ (assumed to be one ‘Robert Sutton’) where discovered. The account of his pilgrimage, written by Katherine Lack ( https://spckpublishing.co.uk/cockleshell-pilgrim-pb ) initiated this entire project. I made some work inspired by this story for the ‘Enchanted Environments’ symposium at the University of Worcester, which can be seen here: https://ardillustration.com/the-cockleshell-pilgrim . There are several small platforms at the water’s edge that suggest cr...

When driving back to Malvern from Chepstow in September, I made a quick detour to Lydney Harbour. The ugly industrial area that I passed through didn’t fill me with much hope, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a small harbour filled with an eclectic collection of vessels, some of which seemed to have been stationary for some time. Two huge gates held in the water and gave protection from the Severn’s tides. An Ice Cream van was doing good business and families were strolling around, enjoying the wide views across the Severn. A friendly old chap was engaging as many people as possible, drawing attention to a stone monument that was placed there to commemorate the Severn Railway Bridge disaster. On a foggy night in 1960 two barges collided, creating what must have been an apocalyptic fireball, they then smashed into and destroyed the railway bridge that spanned the river. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Railway_Bridge I was aware of this terrible event, but having a clear view ...

During the summer I made a couple of visits to my mother’s home near Chepstow, which enabled me to walk the banks of the Severn where it becomes an estuary. I’m very familiar with this location, from growing up a couple miles away. The car park sits directly underneath the old Severn Bridge, which rumbles as lorries cross over it between England and Wales. Beachley is on a peninsula sitting between the Wye and Severn, it is the point at which many generations have crossed the river by ferry and the old slipway to the Aust Ferry, which falls into the murky water. It is now usually frequented by fishermen rather than ferry commuters. The bridge is still a spectacular site and the story of its construction is fascinating. The river both helped and hindered the men given this daunting task. The huge sections of the span were floated downstream before being lifted into the sky, but the formidable tide and currents claimed a number of lives during the construction. I recommend watching, Brid...