SEVERN
SEVERN Anja Jackson
The name Severn is thought to come from a Celtic word, sabrinnã, of an uncertain meaning. It gradually evolved to become Sabrina to the Romans, Hafren in Welsh and Severn in English. Later, a folk tale evolved, telling the story of a nymph named Sabrina who drowned in the river. In Brythonic mythology, Sabrina is thought of as the Goddess of the river. The River Severn is the UK’s longest river, stretching 6 miles further than the River Thames. Spanning 220 miles from its source in Plynlimon, Wales, The Severn then flows through the counties of Shropshire, Worcester and Gloucestershire to eventually become the Severn Estuary which forms part of the boundary between England and Wales. The river has a large drainage basin of over 4,400 square miles, including the major tributaries of the Vyrnwy, Clywedog, Teme, Avon and Stour. This does not include the River Wye or the Bristol Avon, as these flow into the Severn Estuary. The Severn discharges an average of 107 m3/s into the Bristol Channel and subsequently the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the largest discharge of any river in England and Wales. For many people the river means different things - for some it is their home or their place of work. Their energy or their food may be produced there. Some travel across it or along it, or use it as a place of recreation, for many others it is simply a beautiful feature of the changing landscape.
The historic town of Tewkesbury in Northern Gloucestershire is where The Severn’s largest tributary, The Avon, joins the main channel. As a result of these two large rivers converging, Tewkesbury regularly floods during periods of heavy rainfall. In 2007 the county of Gloucestershire was struck by severe flooding after one of the wettest months on British record. Tewkesbury was hit the worst, with parts of the town under 3 feet of water.
As the River Severn is so prone to flooding, many of the bridges that cross it have had to be specially designed to cope with extreme changes in water level, and a number of them are listed as having national or even international importance.
The River Severn is one of very few rivers worldwide with a tidal range great enough to produce a bore - a giant wave that travels upstream for over 25 miles. This phenomenon is caused by the specific way the shape of the estuary narrows and gets shallower - funnelling the water upstream. At the highest spring tides the wave can travel at 13 miles an hour and raise the water level by up to 15 metres. Surfers from across the South West come to ride the wave which sometimes reaches 7 metres in height. Locals come to spectate the event which occurs twice daily for a few days each month, with the largest bores occurring during winter.
Opened in 1827, the Gloucester and Sharpness canal runs for over 16 miles alongside The Severn, creating a much straighter path upstream than the natural meanders of the river itself. Many people make a life for themselves on the canal, though most boats remain moored for the majority of the time. The still waters here provide a very sheltered alternative to the force of the tidal river.
The silt and other debris that is carried down the river produces incredibly rich sediments and soils along its banks, enabling a variety of grasses and plants to grow there. Numerous walks and nature trails wind their way through the countryside surrounding the river.
Oldbury Nuclear Power Station, located on the South bank of the river, once produced enough energy to power an urban area twice the size of Bristol. Since its decomission in 2012 it has sat idle, monitored 24/7 by cameras and security guards. The site has been identified as having potential for a new plant and there is a possibility it will be rebuilt in the future.
The Severn Bridge was opened in 1966, replacing the ferry that previously operated between Aust on the English side and Beachley on the Welsh side of the estuary. The construction of the bridge is unusual in that is technically two bridges, with the first section spanning the Severn Estuary, and the second section spanning the River Wye just before it discharges into the Severn. In 1996 a second, larger bridge was opened further downstream of the original, to cope with the large volume of traffic using the first crossing. The M4 was diverted to this bridge, and the road crossing the first bridge was renamed the M48.