Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal was built by William Jessop and opened on January 1 1876. Expectations for limestone traffic to Wycombe were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. Although proposals to close the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal were submitted to parliament in 1990, the carriage of sea sand from Liverstone to Polstan prevented closure. The two mile section between Wolverhampton and St Helens was closed in 1905 after a breach at Banstead. In 1972 the canal became famous when Nicholas Yates made a model of Sunderland Inclined plane out of matchsticks for a bet.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 213 feet and 3 inches long and 35 feet and 4 inches wide. The maximum headroom is 124 feet and 8 inches. The maximum draught is 11 feet and 6 inches.
It has a junction with the Cotswold Canals (Stroudwater Navigation - Navigable Section) and the Cotswold Canals (Stroudwater Navigation - Abandoned Section) at Saul Junction.
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 43M - River Severn and Gloucester and Sharpness Canal Map (Downloadable)
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
| Sharpness Junction Junction of Gloucester and Sharpness Ship Canal with the River Severn |
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| Tidal Basin Gates | 2¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Tidal Basin | 3¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Sharpness Lock | 3¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Sharpness Docks, Upper Basin | 4½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Low Level Swing Bridge | 6¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| High Level Swing Bridge Entrance to Sharpness Docks, an area of 20 Acres |
6¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Sharpness Barge Arm Junction of old and new lines of canal. Long term private mooring. |
7¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Sharpness Visitor Mooring | 1 mile and ¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Severn Railway Bridge Site Former railway crossing |
1 mile and 2 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Purton Timber Pond | 1 mile and 6¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Purton Lower Bridge | 2 miles and 2½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Purton Upper Bridge | 2 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Patch Bridge The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge is a short walk from here |
4 miles and 6 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Cambridge Arms Bridge | 5 miles and 3¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Junction with Cambridge Feeder Branch | 5 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Splatt Bridge | 6 miles and 5 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Fretherne Bridge Frampton on Severn |
7 miles and 5¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Joe Energy Diesel & Gas available |
7 miles and 7 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Sandfield Bridge Grain Silos |
8 miles and 2 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Cotswold Canals Trust Visitor Centre - Saul Junction Saul Junction Services / Milestone: Gloucester 8 miles, Sharpness 8 miles |
8 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Saul Junction Winding Hole | 8 miles and 3¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Saul Junction Junction of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal with the Stroudwater Navigation |
8 miles and 4 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Saul Junction Footbridge | 8 miles and 4 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Site of Pegthorne Bridge Bridge removed |
9 miles and ¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Pegthorne Bridge Winding Hole | 9 miles and 1 furlong | 1 lock | |
| Parkend Bridge | 10 miles and ¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Site of Hardwicke Bridge | 11 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Sellars Bridge | 12 miles and 2 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Quedgeley Oil Depot | 12 miles and 3½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Quedgeley Wharf Visitor Mooring | 12 miles and 4 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rea Bridge | 13 miles and 5½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Sims Bridge | 14 miles and ½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Two Mile Bend (west arm) Old section of Two Mile Bend |
14 miles and 1½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Netheridge Bridge Crosses a new cut at Two Mile Bend / Milestone: Gloucester 2 miles, Sharpness 14 miles |
14 miles and 2½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Two Mile Bend (east arm) Old section of Two Mile Bend |
14 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Gloucester Rowing Club | 14 miles and 5¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Hempsted Historic Dry Dock | 14 miles and 6 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Hempsted Bridge No access to vehicular traffic since the opening of Netheridge Bridge |
14 miles and 7½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Monk Meadow Wharf | 15 miles and 4 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Monk Meadow Dock | 15 miles and 5¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| High Orchard Bridge New lift bridge opened to traffic on 23 Nov 2008 |
15 miles and 7 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Llanthony Pontoons | 16 miles | 1 lock | |
| Llanthony Road Bridge | 16 miles and ¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Gloucester Waterways Museum Arm | 16 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Gloucester Docks Waterways Office (South Wales and Severn Waterways) - Canal & River Trust (Water area of 14 acres) |
16 miles and 1½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Victoria Docks | 16 miles and 1¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Waterways Office (South Wales and Severn Waterways) - Canal & River Trust | 16 miles and 2 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Gloucester Dock Lock | 16 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Gloucester / Sharpness - Severn Junction Junction of Gloucester and Sharpness Canal with River Severn |
16 miles and 2½ furlongs | 2 locks |
- Sharpness Old Dock — associated with Sharpness Barge Arm
- Change of water levels with removal of lock in the arm
- The Tudor Arms — associated with Patch Bridge
- Pub website
- Farson Digital Watercams - Hi-def webcam on River Severn, at Gloucester Docks — associated with Gloucester Dock Lock
- Farson Digital Watercams - Hi-def webcam on River Severn, at Gloucester — associated with Gloucester / Sharpness - Severn Junction
Wikipedia has a page about Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (also known as the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal) is a canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a significant loop in the river, at a once-dangerous bend near Arlingham. It was once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. The canal is 26.5 km (16.5 miles) long.