Everything about Severn totally explained
| discharge = 61.17
| discharge_note =
| discharge_max = 533.48
| discharge_max_note =
max recorded on
1947-03-21
| discharge2 = 43.46
| discharge2_location =
Montford,
Shrops.
| discharge_note =
| source_name =
| source_location = Plynlimon
| source_district = Ceredigion
| source_region =
| source_state =
| source_country = Wales
| source_lat_d = 52.493465
| source_lat_m =
| source_lat_s =
| source_lat_NS = N
| source_long_d = 3.734578
| source_long_m =
| source_long_s =
| source_long_EW = W
| source_elevation = 610
| source_length =
| mouth_name = Severn Estuary
| mouth_location = Bristol Channel
| mouth_district =
| mouth_region =
| mouth_state =
| mouth_country = United Kingdom
| mouth_lat_d =
| mouth_lat_m =
| mouth_lat_s =
| mouth_lat_NS =
| mouth_long_d =
| mouth_long_m =
| mouth_long_s =
| mouth_long_EW =
| mouth_elevation = 0
| tributary_left =
Vyrnwy
| tributary_left1 =
Tern
| tributary_left2 =
Stour
| tributary_left3 =
Warwickshire Avon
| tributary_left4 = Bristol Avon
| tributary_right =
Teme
| tributary_right1 =
Leadon
| tributary_right1 =
Wye
| free_name =
| free_value =
| map = RiverSevernMap.jpg
| map_size = 288
| map_caption = Tributaries and major settlements on and near the Severn.
}}
» For other rivers named "Severn", see Severn River.
The
River Severn (
Welsh:
Afon Hafren,
Latin:
Sabrina) is the longest
river in
Great Britain, at . It rises at an altitude of on
Plynlimon near
Llanidloes,
Powys, in the
Cambrian Mountains of
mid Wales. It then flows through
Shropshire,
Worcestershire and
Gloucestershire, with the
county towns of
Shrewsbury,
Worcester, and
Gloucester on its banks. With an average discharge of 107 m³/s at
Apperley,
Gloucestershire, the Severn is
England's greatest river in terms of water flow, and is considered one of the ten major rivers of the
United Kingdom.
The river becomes the
Severn Estuary after the
Second Severn Crossing near
Aust,
Gloucestershire. The river then discharges into the
Bristol Channel which in turn discharges into the
Celtic Sea and the wider
Atlantic Ocean. The Severn's drainage basin area is, excluding the
River Wye and
Bristol Avon which flow into the Bristol Channel. The major tributaries to the Severn are the
Vyrnwy,
Teme,
Warwickshire Avon and
Stour.
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. Sabrina is also the goddess of the River Severn in
Brythonic mythology. The story of Sabrina is featured in
Milton's
Comus. 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.
Tributary rivers
The
River Stour rises in the north of Worcestershire in the
Clent Hills, near St Kenelm's Church at Romsley. 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 Vyrnwy, which begins at
Lake Vyrnwy, flows eastwards through
Powys before entering England and joining the Severn at
Melverley,
Shropshire. The
Rea Brook flows north from its source in the
Shropshire Hills and joins the Severn at
Shrewsbury. The
River Tern, after flowing south from
Market Drayton and being joined by the
River Roden, meets the Severn at
Attingham Park.
The
River Teme flows eastwards from its source in
Mid Wales, straddling the border between
Shropshire and
Herefordshire, it's joined by the
River Onny,
River Corve and
River Rea before it finally joins the Severn slightly downstream of
Worcester.
One of the several rivers named Avon, in this case the
Warwickshire Avon, flows west through
Rugby,
Warwick and
Stratford-upon-Avon. It is then joined by its tributary the
River Arrow, before finally joining the Severn at
Tewkesbury,
Gloucestershire.
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, from its source in
Plynlimon,
Wales, flows generally southeast through the Welsh towns of
Rhayader and
Builth Wells. It enters
Herefordshire, flows through
Hereford, and is shortly afterwards joined by the
River Lugg, before flowing south into the Severn slightly upstream of the
Bristol Avon. It then forms the boundary between England (
Forest of Dean) and
Wales, with the town of
Chepstow at the confluence.
The
River Usk flows into the Severn estuary just south of
Newport.
Major settlements
Below is a list of major
towns and cities that the Severn flows through (from
north to
south):
Transport
Bridges
Thomas Telford. There also is the famous
Iron Bridge at
Ironbridge, which is the first ever iron bridge in the world.
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.
Rail
The Severn Tunnel, situated near the Second Severn Crossing road bridge, carries the Great Western Main 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 the vehicle 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's recorded, circa 300 people), especially during the 20th century.
Locks
There are locks on the lower Severn to enable sea going boats to reach as far as Stourport. The most northerly lock is at Lincombe, about a mile downstream from Stourport.
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-1800s to the late 1970s 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's hoped that at some time in the near future she'll be fully operational again. The Severn King and Queen were scrapped not long after their decommission following the completion of the First Severn Bridge.
In Worcester, the Worcester River Cruises have boat trips up and down the river operating the boats The Pride of the Midlands and The Earl Grosvenor. After 2008 there are plans for another boat, The Severn Travellor, to be refurbished and relaunched for trips.
Severn Estuary
The River Severn extends down to the Second Severn Crossing. The Severn 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. In the Severn estuary (or the Bristol Channel in the last two cases, depending where the boundary is drawn) are the rocky islands called Denny Island, Steep Holm and Flat Holm.
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, which empties into the Bristol Channel, has the second largest tidal range in the world — about,
exceeded only by the Bay of Fundy ; and during the highest tides, the rising water is funnelled up the estuary into a wave that travels rapidly upstream against the river current. The largest bores occur in spring, but smaller ones can be seen throughout the year. The Environment Agency publishes timetable and prediction of bore heights on its website.. Being the onset of the flood tide it's 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.
River surfing enthusiasts even attempt to surf along on the wave, which can be . In March 2006, an unofficial record surf was achieved, for the longest-ever 'surf', by Steve King, a railway engineer from Gloucestershire, England. Despite the media acceptance of the record the exact distance of the ride was never verified and the record was later rejected by both the British Surfing Association and Guinness World Records.
The Gloucester Harbour Trustees, as competent harbour authority for this part of the river, explicitly advise against this pastime.
In September 2005, several hundred surfers gathered in Newnham on Severn to celebrate 50 years since the first recorded attempt at surfing the Severn Bore and to view the première of Longwave by Donny Wright,
a historical film documenting the evolution of the sport since its inception in 1955.
Tidal power
A huge tidal range 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 would comd from a lake of with a potential energy depth of . 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 don't always match when it's 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 didn't endorse the scheme.
Opinion is still divided on the benefits of a proposed barrage. John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, announced a further feasibility study on 25 September 2007. The proposal for a hydro-electric barrier to generate 8.6 GW and meet five percent of Britain's power needs, is being opposed by environmental groups.
Industry
A 6 mile (10 km) 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 the 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Severn'.
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