C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 29 side heritage seaside ritage Our seaside her Our seaside heritag seaside heritage Our itage Our seaside her seaside heritage Our seaside he DavidViner is heritage adviser, SouthWales and Severn, and Kennet and Avon, for the Canal and River Trust. One stumbling block to designations was the fact that the foreshore where all the hulks were located had no registered owner.There was confusion as to whether it belonged to the canal owners BritishWaterways (now the Canal and RiverTrust), the historic landowner Berkeley Estates or the Crown. Minds were also focused on the issue of public liability for an unsupervised site with some very significant hazards, fully open to the public at all times. In the end, BritishWaterways stepped forward and registered ownership, a logical move as the canal company had been responsible for placing the hulks in the first place and the site can only be accessed on land via the canal towpath. Subsequently the Harriet was designated a scheduled monument in 2010. In considering the question of scheduling the Purton assemblage, English Heritage had underlined that assessing the significance and rarity of hulk assemblages in terms of the national context was particularly difficult with research still at an early stage. Museum of LondonArchaeology had already been commissioned to investigate this and their report HulkAssemblages:assessing the national context was completed in 2011. The aim of the project was to create a method for quantifying known hulk assemblages and to create a nationwide database. It identified a total of 199 hulk assemblages, confirming that the largest by far was at Purton, with nearly double the number of vessels of the next assemblage. However, there were some notable gaps in data, with results from the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessments not obtained for South East of England, Cornwall and Devon, all areas likely to have significant assemblages. A revised report will be released when the data becomes available. This may change the position for Purton. Recommendations made in the report for further work are being implemented by the Canal and River Trust. There are no plans to undertake any boat restoration and the hulks will be allowed to decay naturally, while ensuring that the changes are recorded over time.There is a robust site management plan agreed by a forum of all the stakeholders, who meet regularly.The site has been well publicised by the Friends of Purton, with features on television programmes such as Coast and Countryfile, resulting in a considerable rise in visitor numbers. A thorny issue is how to protect both the hulks and the natural environment from accidental and intentional damage while accommodating large numbers of visitors. The safety hazards are significant but the trust has taken a measured approach, avoiding intrusive signage or extensive protective railings. Access has been improved, with some limited covering of open hatches and a small number of rails added at the most hazardous drops. Signage at the access points on the towpath emphasises the importance of both the archaeology and the natural environment at the site. Monitoring the site is particularly difficult as it is a remote location. The Friends of Purton and the trust both undertake regular checks but there is no simple solution to preventing intentional damage. Vandalism such as arson attacks, graffiti and theft of fittings or timber planking has occurred in the past but thankfully is now rare. There have been two instances of minor damage to the Harriet in the last year, which is classed as a criminal offence due to its scheduled status.The trust and English Heritage are currently considering options for providing further protection. Ultimately we must rely on increasing awareness of the site’s significance and the readiness of visitors to prevent or report damage. Top left:The remains of a Severn collier Lower left: A ferro-concrete barge built in Barrow in Furness in 1941. Interpretation of the hulks
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