Gloucester Docks
A look at the historic inland port of Gloucester, served by the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and the River Severn.
Gloucester was granted formal status as a port in 1580 but the treacherous nature of the River Severn made it difficult for sea-going vessels to reach the City. In 1793 an act of parliament authorised the construction of a ship canal that would bypass the problematic section of the Severn between Berkeley and Gloucester. Difficult financial conditions caused work on the Gloucester & Berkeley Canal to cease by the end of the 18th century, but not before the Main Basin at Gloucester had been completed. It opened to shipping 1812 although the incomplete canal meant it could only be accessed via the Severn.
Work on the Canal recommenced in 1817 and was completed in 1827 with the southern entrance now relocated slightly upriver at Sharpness instead of at Berkeley. The Docks prospered and expanded throughout
the 19th and early 20th centuries but from the 1960s traffic declined and by the mid 1980s commercial traffic had all but ceased and the whole area took on an air of decay and dereliction.
From the late 1980s the Docks enjoyed a turnround in fortunes as it was developed for leisure, retail and residential purposes. This process is still taking place today.
For further information on Gloucester Docks I recommend Hugh Conway-Jones's superb site Gloucester Docks and the Sharpness Canal.
Work on the Canal recommenced in 1817 and was completed in 1827 with the southern entrance now relocated slightly upriver at Sharpness instead of at Berkeley. The Docks prospered and expanded throughout
the 19th and early 20th centuries but from the 1960s traffic declined and by the mid 1980s commercial traffic had all but ceased and the whole area took on an air of decay and dereliction.
From the late 1980s the Docks enjoyed a turnround in fortunes as it was developed for leisure, retail and residential purposes. This process is still taking place today.
For further information on Gloucester Docks I recommend Hugh Conway-Jones's superb site Gloucester Docks and the Sharpness Canal.
Click on map to enlarge.
The photographs below take the form of a clockwise perambulation of the Docks, starting at the Lock Warehouse and ending at the West Quay. Click on the first photograph to open the slide show.
The photographs below take the form of a clockwise perambulation of the Docks, starting at the Lock Warehouse and ending at the West Quay. Click on the first photograph to open the slide show.