Thursday 4th February 2021 at 7.30pm
by Dr. Ray Wilson
It comes as a surprise to many people that Gloucestershire still has a working port at Sharpness. The Old Dock was opened in 1827 to provide an entrance from the River Severn into the newly constructed Gloucester & Berkeley Canal. In 1874, the New Dock was opened with large warehouses and extensive cargo handling facilities, which soon led to the demise of Gloucester Docks at the other end of the canal.
This fully illustrated talk starts with the origins and construction of the Docks and goes on to look at the vessels, cargoes, buildings and, of course, the social history of the last two centuries. It concludes with a look at the Docks today and what the future may hold for them.
Dr. Ray Wilson is a retired physicist who spent much of his working life in the Electricity Supply Industry at Berkeley. He has been the Secretary of the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology for many years. He is interested in all aspects of the County’s industrial past, especially turnpike roads, our local mills and Sharpness Docks.
You are invited to this third talk of the Stroud Civic Society 2020-2021 season. Please note you will need to register in advance for this meeting – simply click on this link and fill in the details requested:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuqtrD8sGtB8K0FUCBWkOc0Cj_VCbDy5
This can be done at any time up to shortly before the meeting – so do it sooner rather than later. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.