Severn Beach
| Severn Beach | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 The foreshore at Severn Beach, with the Second Severn Crossing in the background. | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST542848 |
| Location: | 51°33’30"N, 2°39’30"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | BS35 |
| Dialling code: | 01454 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Gloucestershire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Filton and Bradley Stoke |
Severn Beach is a village on the mouth of the river Severn in Gloucestershire. A riverside footpath, which is part of the Severn Way - Sea Wall, leads beneath the Second Severn Crossing bridge. The eastern portal of the Severn Tunnel lies on the outskirts of the village.
History
Severn Beach only existed as a farm until Great Western Railway linked Pilning and Avonmouth in 1900. The railway saw the possibilities of development now that trains passed through the area and in 1922 the village was created as a seaside resort with a swimming pool called the "Blue Lagoon". Severn Beach village quickly flourished into a busy resort. By the 1930s there were shops and amusements available to the crowds that came by train from Bristol at weekends. There was a large hotel and a boating lake, and many cafes catered for the visitors. Severn Beach soon became known as "the Blackpool of the West". It was always known to Bristol people as "Severn Beach on the mud".[1]
In recent years many of the shops have closed but the convenience store and bakery still trade. The village pub was demolished to make way for housing. The village is moving towards "commuter town" status, with people using its rail and road links to work in Bristol and elsewhere.
Transport
The village is at the end of the Severn Beach Line railway, with a small unstaffed station. The line used to loop northwards to join the main Newport-Bristol line at Pilning in the direction of Bristol, but this section was closed in 1964 and the trackbed has been built over.
Although the village is next to the motorway, residents have to travel several miles before they can access either bridge. Since there is no motorway junction at the village, Severn Beach remains free of heavy traffic.
Ecology
The coastline is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and has a diverse range of wildlife, varying from seals to peregrine falcons. There have been more than 251 species of bird recorded in the Severn Beach area and it is of international importance for migrating and wintering birds.[2] [3]
As of 1990, 28 species of seabird had been recorded in the Severn Beach/New Passage area, including sooty and Balearic shearwaters, all four Northern Hemisphere skuas, seven species of tern and four species of alcid.[4]
Severn Beach offers excellent conger fishing from the shore in the winter and views of the River Severn and the two bridges that cross it.
Cultural references
Adge Cutler of The Wurzels wrote a song called "Aloha Severn Beach".
The BBC1 TV drama Shoestring filmed at the Blue Lagoon Swimming Pool.
References
- ↑ Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - Severn Beach – Blue Lagoon Bathing Pool
- ↑ Severnside Birds, The birds of the Severn Beach area website
- ↑ Severn Beach General History
- ↑ Lancastle, Brian (1990) Seabirds in the upper Severn Estuary Avon Bird Report 1989
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Severn Beach) |
