I made another visit recently to the banks of the River Severn to have a further look at the Purton hulks. The reason was that the Friends of Purton were running an open weekend to advertise what the Hulks are and to explain their importance.
In case you have not heard of this before the hulks consist of over 80 remnants of once proud schooners, lighters, barges and Severn trows that have been beached on the shores of the River at Purton starting some century or so ago in order to protect the banks of the river.
Now this graveyard may have lain unknown and unloved if it was not for the remarkable efforts of Paul Barnett and his small team who have over time begun to highlight the importance of this site and in particular to document and interpret the importance of the wrecks that we have located there. As such the Purton hulks have now become a magnet for naval historians, marine archaeologists and interested photographers.
The problem is that the site does not easily fall into an easy designation. It is neither part of the genuine marine environment, neither is it actually on the land as such and so able to be treated as a place that can be easily listed. Paul’s main concern is that we protect what remains. Unsurprisingly over the years the River and climate have taken their toll. However the main threat is human initially in the form of wanton vandalism but more and more from bounty hunters who have begun to realise the uniqueness of the vessels present and have come to take parts of them away.
This behaviour may be difficult to fathom but with such an open site it is difficult to make it safe from such people at present. Thus Paul and his team’s priority are to get protection for this important location. As such they have appealed to both English Heritage and British Waterways because of the proximity of the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal next door to work together with them to keep the hulks for posterity.
The fight has not been an easy one but Paul’s enthusiasm and dedication to the task has enlisted many allies. Hope is now at hand in the form of the forthcoming Draft Heritage Protection Bill which is likely to come before Parliament in the next session. As this has a section on the marine environment it is my firm intention to make sure that we extend the normal jurisdiction of heritage bodies to include the shoreline so as to encompass the protection that Purton requires for its hulks.
In the meantime if you want to see part of Britain’s proud maritime history take a stroll down from the BW car park in Purton and you will be surprised and amazed by what you come upon.