Sharpness Old Dock

Sharpness, on the river Severn, is linked to Gloucester via the Gloucester and Sharpness canal. This latter is a former trade route for cargoes of coal and so on. Gloucester is also on the river, but the canal route is 9 miles shorter,  a and not as treacherous. Sharpness also has a new, larger dock for ships of today's size, and the transportation of scrap metal, which is modern Sharpness' greatest export.

This dock, however, goes back to days of sail and is a conservation area. Until I went on the walking tour, organised by the Industrial Archaeology Society, I had no idea this idyllic spot existed.

The building is the former lifeboat station: as you can see, it has a boathouse attached. Nowadays it is used as the headquarters of Sara  (Severn Area Rescue Association) because a new lifeboat station has been built, close to the water, using money raised by the Freemasons. I liked the reflections. We are looking upriver, towards Gloucester.

Turning round 180 degrees, we saw the little quicksand beach at Sharpness point, with the Severn Bridges probably not visible behind ( I could see them, because the light was perfect).
'Ness' means point or headland, as in Caithness or Dungeness, so Sharpness has a sharp point! The red stone is more typical of the Forest of Dean, across the water.

The tour of Sharpness, old and new, lasted a couple of hours. I am definitely going to return, and to find out more about the Industrial Archaeology Society.