The River Severn

On this page:

• Reasons for the existance of Kempsey
• Origin of the name of the river
• The Severn in the Ice-ages
• The Severn Way
• Pixham Ferry
• The Ketch Inn
• The Severn Bore
• Dredging
• Related Pages

Reasons for the Existance of Kempsey
There are two main reasons for the existance of Kempsey, the defensable settlement and the river crossings. Both depend on the River Severn.

Origin of the name of the river
The river is after Sabrina, daughter of the mistress of King Locrine. The jealous Queen had her thrown into the river and drowned. There is a statue of this event in the City Museum & Art Gallery, Worcester. For the full legend, click here.

The Severn is the longest river in England, and floods almost yearly. It is also famous for a tidal wave called 'The Severn Bore', but this does not reach Kempsey due to weirs lower down the river.

The Severn is still Tidal at Kempsey
Max Sinclair writes: "The tide still rises at Kempsey by about 1 foot some 5 hours 10 minutes after a high tide at Avonmouth. Fishermen are bemused when their floats move upstream and their wellies fill up.The effect used to be seen up to Stourport, but Diglis weir (in Worcester) stops it now except in time of flood, when it will suddenly rise as it did on Hylton Road during the 2000 flood when the water had been falling."

The Severn in the Ice-ages
Worcester Art Gallery and Museum has (2001) a display on the Severn. These pictures and text are from the display:

The Severn Way
The Severn Way ('Llwybr Hafren' in Welsh) runs through Kempsey. Kempsey is a good place to relax in a pub or stay the night. The Severn Way is a long-distance footpath that runs from the source of the Severn at Plynlimon in Wales to the estuary at Severn Beach near Bristol. If you are walking from Land's End to John O'Groats (as I did), the Severn Way is a flat, scenic and direct way from Bristol to Bridgenorth or Ironbridge. If you continue to Shrewsbury you can link to the north-bound Marches Way or the north-east-bound Shropshire Way.

There were crossings of the river at Pixham ferry, at the bottom Pixham Ferry Lane off Old Road South; and at the bottom of Lane's End. For details of a duel fought near here, click here.

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Pixham Ferry
There are records of this ferry from about 1600 AD to when it fell derelict in 1947. It crossed the river from Pixham Ferry Lane to the Pixham Ferry Inn on the other side, which is now a private house. It was used during the Civil War, when on the 22 September 1642 Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes and Colonel Sandys led a detachment of Lord Essex's Parliamentary Army across the river there. After Prince Rupert routed them on Powick Ham many of the fugitives re-crossed the river at Kempsey. Until 1939 the ferry was a large ferry capable of carrying several vehicles. It was moved across the river by a submerged chain.

Max Sinclair writes " Pixham Ferry had a long history being used for foot passengers ,farm vehicles, and in its later years light motor cars. These pictures show the Croome Hunt with Lord and Lady Coventry using the ferry. The chain used to pull the boat across can be seen draped along the rail. When not in use it lay on the river bed. The ferryman used the Severn Punt to return home at the end of the day and as a safety boat. This simple craft owes its origin to the Ancient Britons who split oak trees to make the planks sewn together with vines."

For much more detail about Pixham Ferry, see this page by HW Gwilliam.

The Ketch Inn
Max Sinclair writes: "There are false myths which are not questioned, for example The Ketch Inn has a two masted sailing boat as its sign but it was called The Ketch a century before this type of craft was known. In fact a Ketch was a sandstone bar or heavy gravel shoal which trapped or in Worcestershire dialect 'ketched' the keel of the trows trading on the tidal waters, they had to wait for the tide to rise, or freshwater to come down, or unload the cargo to lighten the boat to continue the journey. One trow is recorded unloading 19 times to reach Gloucester from Ironbridge. What better place to build a pub with its 'captive' customers. Worcestershire farmers still ketch rabbits."

"In the 1860's a young painter at the Worcester Porcelain Works was asked by the Landlord of the Ketch Inn Clerkenleap to paint a picture to hang in the pub. The artist, believed to be David Bates, produced a large picture which hung in the Inn for over a Century. When the family left I purchased this interesting representation of the river in the 19th Century. The artist stood in the field where the New Bridge now crosses on the Southern Link road. The horse towing path built in the 1840's is well used, with its self closing gates which stopped cattle leaving the fields ,but the horses and donkeys knew how to open them. It is interesting to note there is no vegetation on the banks to obstruct the tow lines, and more importantly to allow the flood waters to freely flow along the banks.The same scene today is cluttered with caravans which have been placed on raised earthworks, and coupled with considerable tree growth, add to Worcesters flood problems.There is no sign of the sandstone Ketch obstruction which gave the Inn its name as the Locks and Weir at Tewkesbury ensure there is always a minimum depth of eight feet of water in the Severn at this point. "

Lane's End

Kempsey River Severn at Lanes End, Court House rear left Building centre used as a morgue temporarily for river casualties Cottages and church rear right. Click to enlarge.

Lane's End is the small lane that leads down to the river from the Church. There used to be a temporary morgue by the river for river casulaties, as shown in the picture.

• Severn Bore site with lots of pictures, timetables and information on the best places to see the Bore.

Dredging
The Severn is now dredged to ensure that it is navigable (i.e. the bottom is dug up so that boats do not run aground). Here is a picture of a dredger, courtesy of Max Sinclair.

Related Pages

• 1889 Painting of the River Severn and the Church by Benjamin Williams Leader entitled 'Sabrina's Stream'.
• Floods in Kempsey.
• Shipwreck - the Severn trow on the Ham

© 1999 - Andy Morrall

Last updated 21^st July 2006.

E-mail: andymorrall@oocities.com

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