We continue to follow our interest in the way that Nature always seems to reclaim and engulf man’s artefacts. The Purton Hulks, or Purton Ships' Graveyard, is a number of abandoned boats and ships, deliberately beached beside the River Severn near Purton in Gloucestershire, England, to reinforce the river banks. Most were beached in the 1950s and are now in a state of considerable decay. The site forms the largest ship graveyard in Britain. A riverbank collapse in 1909 led to concerns that the barrier between the river and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal would be breached. Old vessels were run aground and soon filled with water and silt to create a tidal erosion barrier. The vessels included steel barges, Severn Trows and concrete ships. The boats came from throughout the British Isles and were built in the second half of the 19th century.
© Gigi & Robin Williams Photography
