Paul Barnett and the Purton Hulks

Maritime historian, Paul Barnett, first came across the historic Purton hulks, which litter the banks of the River Severn, as a teenager back in the 1970s and now he is on a mission to save them from total extinction at the hands of vandals, trophy hunters and the weather.

But before Paul relates his personal story, let’s find out a little about these old wrecks so first we must go back to 1909 when a mighty storm surging up the Severn Estuary, breached the banks of the parallel running Sharpness to Gloucester ship canal.

This man-made waterway was repaired and an appeal went out to the owners of unwanted vessels to beach them on the vulnerable bank of the Severn and so provide some extra much needed protection for the canal.

Over the next half-century, more than 80 vessels were run aground at high tide, creating what experts claim to be the world’s largest conglomeration of historic wooden vessels and a veritable dinosaurs’ graveyard of our maritime past.

Gradually the years have seen them erode from working vessel to sun bleached or rust encrusted hulks.  And while craft such as the 1905 built Harriett remain virtually intact, all that remains of the Katherine Ellen, impounded by the Royal Navy after gun running for the IRA in 1921, is a rusty piece of her bilge pump.

Now Paul takes up this fascinating story from a personal perspective:

I was born the third son of a merchant sailor within the shadow of the mighty shipbuilding gantries of Swan Hunters, Newcastle upon Tyne but our family
moved to the rural Gloucestershire town of Dursley in 1976 due to my fathers work commitments. 

Soon afterwards and in order to quench my father’s continued passion for all things nautical, I was routinely taken to witness the transhipment of cargo vessels at the nearby inland country dock at Sharpness.

It was from here, and as a result of an impromptu evening stroll, that I first came across the Purton site and have subsequently remained in awe and wonderment at the number, size and construction of the myriad of hulks which litter the swathe of Severn riverbank to this day.
 
The site continued to fascinate and intrigue me and memories remained with me throughout academia at University of Wales Cardiff were I majored in Maritime Geography to go on to become a Hydrographic Surveyor employed in the field of bathymetric and geological data accusation throughout the oceans of the world.

It was during this time and whilst conducting sub bottom profiling operations at several off shore wreck sites most famously the German pocket battleship the Bismarck located off of the South West tip of Ireland, that my interest in marine archaeology continued to grow and be nurtured.
 

Furthermore, upon returning to Gloucestershire in 1999, my passion for the site, which had since been sadly much eroded and destroyed, was once again re-ignited and I embarked on a privately funded course of study in order to locate, chart and identify as many of the hulks a possible.

To this end I am immensely privileged to have meet, been tutored by, and to have formed a lasting friendship with the eminent architect and maritime author David R MacGregor, who had previously studied the site during the early 1950’s in the wake of his good friends and mentors, Bristol based Maritime Historian Graham Farr and a former curator of the Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Basil Greenhill.
 
Sadly David died in November of 2003, but not before he guided me thought the complex world of vessel construction, sail rig, registration and insurance classification.  For this I will always be indebted for his kindness, continued encouragement and insistence that I pose questions regarding this ever expanding and unique collection of vessels.

My initial efforts were to identify what I believed were the remains of 23 former vessels or piles of decomposing timbers to the north of the study area.  However it is now my firm belief that the site, which stretches from the waste weir in the north to the Sharpness New Dock entrance in the south, is the final resting place of 81 vessels which encapsulate steel, timber and concrete constructions.
 
Of this figure and by applying a stringent critique, I am now confident to identify 77 vessels and as such, I am in the process of correlating individual histories for each.  This includes overall dimensions, cargoes, trade routes, owners & crew, personal anecdotes and the eventual date and method of abandonment on the wind swept foreshore adjacent to this sleepy hamlet in Gloucestershire.

To date I have in excess of 28,000 photographs which chronicle the life and death of each vessel and these are catalogued to represent the individual vessels afloat, in use, during earlier stages post abandonment ,decomposition, vandalism, arson, trophy hunters and finally as they look today.  Furthermore and with the use of several sources and modern surveying techniques, I have produced a schematic diagram, which locates each vessel by scale and heading.

It is therefore my intention to document the site and its artefacts in the hope that a befitting testimony is created, recorded and deposited at the Gloucestershire office of the Sites & Monuments Record.  This is considered vital in order to document these once fine vessels, their courageous crews, fore thinking ships owners, skilled shipwrights/builders, and associated country folk, who depended so heavily on this now long since departed way of life of a rural idle.
 
In doing so I would also wish to acknowledge the many researchers and individuals who have tirelessly relayed their knowledge and personal accounts, without whom, the history of the site would have remained buried within the silent banks of the mighty River Severn.
 
Please be advised that this work is on going with the view to identify the remaining vessels.  As a result I continue to request any information, photographs or contacts and would welcome the opportunity to discuss my findings in greater detail by either telephone 07833 143231, by post to 22 Gurney Avenue, Tuffley, Gloucester , GL4 OYL or via email at barnadillo@aol.com  

Please also note that the up most care will be taken to preserve and accurately reference any information submitted. 

To this end I am very keen to hear from any persons or organisations that have access to geophysical instruments in order to conduct a non-invasive ground penetrating survey or sub aqua personal who would be willing to conduct an underwater survey of the 9 vessels, which are currently submerged in the high visibility & non tidal waters of the adjacent canal.

Furthermore for those wishing to attend the site, I am willing to conduct guided for individuals or parties of up to 20 persons and I particularly welcome requests from local history or archaeology groups .  For further information and dates please contact me directly.
 
see www.friendsofpurton.org.uk

Gloucestershire’s Historic Site marked for Posterity 

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