Illustrating the River Severn

Walking north from Worcester I followed the Severn Way passing by numerous houses, sunken boats, through meadows and a pub garden (which was unfortunately closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown). A fair variety of trees, other plants and birds on this stretch...and the bright autumnal light helped give the river a more inviting colour than its usual muddy brown. As soon as the paved section of the path ended, I was pretty much alone for the majority of the journey, but there was the occasional walker sliding their way through the mud. The path gets alarmingly close to the water’s edge on several occasions and this along with the mud resulted in a slow, careful pace. Bevere Island  has a picturesque weir and a bridge that is on the verge of being considered a ruin. Being on the other side of the river would have helped as it may have given me a better view of the island. The history of this location isn’t necessarily obvious from its appearance but it has reputably been a place of sanctuar

When I began investigating the River Severn, my research went in several directions such as stories of fishermen, flooding, battles, folktales and industry. I decided to combine these early investigations into one illustration, in response to the Cheltenham Illustration Award 2020 call for submissions. The brief was to respond to the statement ‘I Am Many Stories’, which seems to me an apt way of describing this river.