C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 27 side heritage seaside ritage Our seaside her Our seaside heritag seaside heritage Our itage Our seaside her seaside heritage Our seaside he DAVID VINER Conserving the Purton hulks A traditional method of using old boats or hulks as breakwaters to reinforce river banks and shorelines has created a conservation challenge on the River Severn in Gloucestershire. A decision made in 1909 by Mr Cullis, chief engineer for the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, to protect his waterway embankment is responsible for some interesting marine archaeology a century later.The 1827 Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, as it was called originally, was designed to carry seagoing ships and enabled rapid mercantile expansion in Gloucester in the 19th century. Unlike many other canals, the Gloucester and Sharpness benefited from the arrival of the railways and prospered well into the 20th century. Mr Cullis’ problem was the critical situation at Purton, a mile above Sharpness, where the canal joins the River Severn. At this point the canal runs immediately alongside the river, separated in 1908 by a single embankment. A land slip had created a significant threat that the embankment could be breached by a heavy flood on the river.The Severn has the second highest tidal range in the world. The adopted solution was a traditional method commonly of reinforcing river banks and shorelines: using old boats or hulks as breakwaters to interrupt silt carried down the river, create a protecting mud bank.The hulks Mr Cullis used were redundant wooden barges, of which the canal company had a fair number moored at Sharpness. In order to beach the hulks they were towed up on a high tide, run aground and pegged down to the embankment with holes smashed in the hulls or filled with stone to prevent refloating. The technique was so successful that it continued until 1965, by which time a very substantial foreshore covered in grass and reeds had been created. As silt deposits built up, the hulks were gradually buried.Today a number are barely visible, with just the odd bit of bow or metal fitting protruding from the ground. Only on a very high tide, the famous Severn Bore, does the river still lap at the foot of the canal embankment. The hulks largely consisted of flat-bottomed barges and estuarine craft, although the range also included a schooner, ketch and barque. At the time of beaching, and for many years afterwards, the boats were considered worthless. One local person can recall as a teenager setting fire to some of the hulks in order to recover the copper nails. However, as with much of our industrial heritage, this neglect has been followed by a period of The 1894 Kennet barge Harriet was one of three vessels that warranted a full assessment for scheduling.The two instances of minor damage to the Harriet in the past year are classed as criminal offence due to its scheduled status. The technique was so successful that it continued until 1965, by which time a very substantial foreshore covered in grass and reeds had been created.
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