Ledbury Civic Society (From Malvern Gazette)

Ledbury Civic Society

12:39pm Monday 26th October 2009

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THE speaker at our October meeting was Paul Barnet, a Marine Historian, whose subject was The hulks of Purton. Few of his audience had heard of Purton and his revelations of its importance surprised us all.

Purton lies near the River Severn, which at this point runs parallel with, and close to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. About a century ago, the southern bank of the river was eroding to such an extent that it was threateningly close to the canal. In order to halt this process, 35 obsolete vessels were beached on the foreshore. Mr Barnet has researched the history of these boats, some of which were ocean-going cargo ships, some were lighters used on local waterways and others were boats belonging to local traders based in Gloucester. We were shown photographs of many of the hulks during their working lives, and of the people who owned and sailed in them. Sadly, many of the boats have been vandalised, as they lie in the no-man's-land between low- and high-tide marks, and are thus not covered by the SSSI status of the bank itself.

Mr Barnet was thanked by Keith Francis, who suggested that the Society should arrange to visit the site, a proposal which met with an enthusiastic response. Two-hour long tours are held each month, but Mr Barnet offered to organise an alternative date for our visit. The Purton Hulks project won prestigious awards from the Nautical Archaeological Societies in 2007 and 2008.

The next talk will be given by Frank Townsend, whose subject is Compliments of the season. It will be held in the Burgage Hall at 7.30pm on November 27 and visitors are welcome to attend.

MARY WINFIELD.

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