History of the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal

The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, formerly the Gloucester & Berkeley Ship Canal, was ceremonially opened in 1827 - becoming, at that point, the broadest and deepest canal in the world.

Against the backdrop of the Cotswolds, which having laboured across their allotted span wheeze their last gasp westwards, it runs parallel to the River Severn for just over 16 miles between Gloucester and Sharpness and affords safe passage for vessels wishing to avoid a particularly perilous stretch of river.

At present, the canal is most frequently accessed via the River Severn at Gloucester. Sea-going cruisers can travel upstream from Bristol and enter the canal at Sharpness: narrowboat convoys with experienced local pilots also sometimes make this passage. However, when the Cotswold Canals reopen, a new southern entry to the canal will be forged at Saul Junction. For boaters, the G&S is best appreciated at low speed, despite its generous 6mph limit.

Much of the commercial traffic has disappeared, but the Gloucester & Sharpness still carries vessels of 600 tons and more. Other than river locks at either end, the canal is lock free and the swing-bridges are manned during opening times. Many have good clearance overhead for smaller vessels, so you will not need to disturb the keeper if you are travelling in a narrowboat or low-profile river cruiser.

Saul Junction marks the point where the G&S meets the Stroudwater Canal. To the east, the Stroudwater is being reinstated, along with the Thames & Severn Canal, to link with the River Thames. The short section westwards to the Severn is unlikely to be restored, but the abandoned lock by the junction is set to find new use as a slipway.

Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust and the eerie Purton 'boat graveyard', where boats were scuppered to prevent bank erosion, are just two absorbing diversions before reaching Sharpness. Sharpness Docks are private but offer an opportunity for the inland navigator to dip a toe into another world before returning to more familiar surroundings. Pleasure craft cannot proceed beyond the swing-bridge, but may use the adjacent sanitation facilities. The old sea lock can still be viewed, as can the newer one at the far end of the basin.

The River Severn is here at its widest point before it becomes the Bristol Channel. The strength of the water can be awesome to behold, and the raison d'etre for the G&S becomes self-evident.

Historical view of the canal (external website){tcm:4-277 global_arrow}