The incredible hulks of Purton

More than 80 barges have been beached at Purton

Archaeologists have begun excavating one of the buried barges, known as the 'Purton hulks', which line the River Severn near Sharpness.

A hundred years ago locals began deliberately beaching old barges in the Severn mud at Purton. They were put there to stop the banks of the Gloucester Sharpness canal being eroded by tides on the River Severn.

The practice continued until the 1970s. Now there are a total of 81 vessels lying derelict in the area, making it the largest 'ships' graveyard' to be found on mainland Britain.

The 'graveyard' is so unusual that a group of conservationists called the Friends of Purton are documenting all the vessels which lie there.

Over the weekend of 19-20 September 2009 they undertook their first ever archaeological dig, to uncover some of the secrets buried in the foreshore.

The barge they examined is the 'Harriett' which is the only remaining example of a Kennet barge anywhere in the world.

Paul Barnett, chairman of the Friends of Purton who organised the dig, said there was no time to waste since the ships are decaying and vandalism is taking its toll:

"Arsonists come and they set fire to whole vessels. We've lost 8 in recent years. The biggest problem is the barbecuers. Every summer we get them down on this particluar site and up goes our heritage for a handful of sausages."

'Preservation'

Head of archaeology Laurie Coleman explained why they chose to dig a trench through the middle of the boat: "We're looking at two things really - the preservation of the vessel, what's left of it below ground as compared to what's surviving above ground."

This vessel is particularly special because it's the last of the Kennet barges Stuart Bryan, Nautical Archaeological Society

"We're also trying to answer some specific questions about how the vessel was constructed.

"We chose this slot because it's right up against the mast step and the tabernacle which would have supported the mast which was used for unloading cargoes, and we're looking at how that's bolted to the keel which is the centre of the boat."

Unique

Stuart Bryan from the Nautical Archaeological Society said the 'Harriett' was unique and was made around 1900 on the River Kennet at Honeystreet in Wiltshire: "This vessel is particularly special because it's the last of the Kennet barges.

"She spent most of her life in Bristol working unloading the big ships there. Her cargo could be up to a hundred tonnes of coal or 60 tonnes of wood pulp for the board mills.

"She may have crossed to Lydney but that's as far as she ever got until her final journey here in about 1964."