Archival Material

D2460: Records of the British Waterways Board and predecessor bodies; The bulk of the collection, and the locally-relevant material, is made up of records relating to the River Severn and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.  There are also small amounts of material relating to many other waterways.  It does not contain any material relating to the Thames and Severn and Stroudwater canals, as they were never owned by British Waterways.  The records of the Severn Commissioners include most of the Commission's administrative papers and a large amount of material concerning engineering matters.  The papers include a few plans, mostly within bundles of other documents.  The records of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal Company and its successor, the Sharpness New Docks and Gloucester and Birmingham Navigation Company, mostly consist of plans of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal and the docks at Gloucester and Sharpness.  The Sharpness New Docks and Gloucester and Birmingham Navigation Company's records in this collection also include a few series of financial and accounting records and a small amount of engineering records.  The rest of the collection, relating to various other waterways mostly in the South West of England but also including some in South Wales and a few in the Midlands, consists almost exclusively of plans of the waterways and their features.  There are also some plans relating to the premises and vessels of the Severn and Canal Carrying Company, which operated between Sharpness and Birmingham via the River Severn and Gloucester and Berkeley and Worcester and Birmingham Canals.

D3981: Diaries of William Thomas Swift of Churchdown, schoolteacher: mentions of Severn: 22 July 1861, Walked to Severn and World's End (D3981/1); 9 July-12 July 1869 To Bristol to visit friend Wotley (until 12 July) Visiting various churches, etc; a band playing on the packet crossing Severn (D3981/5); 28 Aug 1881. Over new Severn Br. to Penyran (D3981/11); 16 May 1886, Floods along the Severn and the misery caused by it is frightful in Gloster (D3981/14)

Q/Y/6/3/39: Photographs of police divers preparing their equipment, Jaguar patrol car parked near the Severn Bridge

D9559/1/2-3: Logs of 'Mistral V', 1943-1945.  Includes song, sketches, photographs, accounts of various incidents on trips up and down the Severn; mentions nearly being capsized by bow wave of Severn Trader

GBR/L2/8/6/1: Riverside development alongside River Severn, 1956-1973: Contains many papers relating to the controversial issue of a licence to hire out boats from foot of Westgate Bridge, 1957; Also includes draft of report to Estates and General Purposes Committee meeting about the 1957 development including plan, 1959; proposals (including a few small black and white photographs of row boat bridge) showing suggested sites for slipway, 1959; City Engineer's report on the Severn flood 1960; conversion of Little Meadow to golf course, 1963; tree planting scheme for the Oxlease (see also GBR/L/2/3/2/3) listing types of trees, quantity, prices and architects proposals on tree planting with related plan, 1966  Earlier material more interesting than later…

K1877: Papers relating to proposed development of Lydney Harbour, including brief history of docks, leisure and tourism opportunities etc, 1985

D8497: Interviews carried out as part of the BBC's Century Speaks project in 1998-1999, comprising:

Bernard John "Jack" Evans, stevedore: Born 7 February 1912, interviewed in Berkeley by Andy Vivian on 27 November 1998;  Most of Mr Evans' contribution concerns his work at Gloucester docks;  Interview covers: early days (born at 3 Severn Row, [The Docks]); education at the Docks school including not being allowed to write with his left hand; memories of the river traffic in his childhood including sailing boats later replaced by steamers; working in the family business on the docks, later becoming a ship's stevedore (loading and unloading cargo onto barges and lorries); much description of his life by the river including memories of the Severn Bridge disaster [1960], Sharpness as a community; hobby of keeping pigeons; memories of general strike in 1926 and the 1930s depression (although his own family was not affected); importance of religion; ; With photograph (D8497/1/22 – sound recording, 2/22 – transcript)

Chris Witts, river boat skipper: Born 24 July 1944 (50-60 years), interviewed in Longlevens by Siobhan Logue on 3 March 1999; ;  Interview covers: early memories of Hucclecote and Gloucester; lack of interest in school and development of interest in River Severn; work as a "boy" on barges carrying petroleum including first hand experience of Severn Bridge disaster, October 1960; rivalry between Cheltenham and Gloucester youths, later echoed in rivalry between Gloucester and Chelenham fire brigades when the county and district amalgamated in 1973; life as teenager; contraception; courtship of his wife; attitude to feminism and women in fire service; heart attack and resulting change of diet; work on grain barges and contrast between the river then and in earlier period; attitudes to euthanasia, religion, superstition and astrology; interest in computers; early experiences with girls (D8497/1/81 – sound recording, 2/81 – transcript)

Hartley Everett, fisherman and river barge crew member: Born 8 December 1941 (50-60 years), interviewed in Longney on 9 April 1999 by Andy Vivian;  Mr Everett's father worked on "sand suckers" [dredgers] in the Bristol channel and the family lived at Lower Framilode.   Much of this interview concerns the River Severn as a way of life and a provider of food and employment;  Interview covers: childhood memories including collecting worms for money as a child; cooking elvers and eels; brief description of home life and his mother's cooking; schooldays at the British School; work on the tankers; problems of navigating the Severn; Saturday night fights; attitude to marriage, incomers and change to community, pollution in river (D8497/1/113 – sound recording, 2/113 – transcript) 

GPS 329/35: View of Tewkesbury Quay, 1804. 

GPS/20/9: Photograph of rowing boat and steamers on the river at Ashleworth, c.1900 

GPS/20/8: Photograph of Ashleworth ferry, c.1900.  Taken from the eastern side of the river, this photograph shows the ferry and Ashleworth parish church. 

GPS/329/26: Tewkesbury, seen from the river, c.1890.  Cargo vessels brought grain to the mills at Tewkesbury; Healing’s Mill can be seen towards the left of the picture, next to the large black chimney. 

GPS/232/5: Photograph of Wainlode Hill, Norton, c.1910.  Wainlode Hill was a popular destination for day trips.  Here there is a passenger steamer moored at the side of the river, and on the left is a man with a tripod camera, about to take a picture of the view across the river. 

GPS/329/226: Photograph of Ferry and pleasure steamer at Lower Lode, Tewkesbury, c.1910.  Ferry crossings were an important part of river life.  The ferry here is transporting a pony and trap across the river.