| Welcome to Severn Beach |
| Please Make Your Selection... |
 |
Black2Colour
|
|
|
|
Severn Beach Information
oOo oOo |
|
| Introduction to Severn Beach & Pilning History The area may have been settled since the Bronze Age, and there is firm evidence of Iron Age and Romano-British settlement in the Northwick area. Essentially marshy, and often inundated, habitation was necessarily sparse. The Romans, inveterate settlers and town planners, left little evidence of their passing. Whilst Roman engineers may, or may not, have continued the work of earlier ages in attempting to improve drainage and coastal defences, it is almost certain that boats were launched from the vicinity of Pill Head. A Roman camp, excavated in the 1950s in the vicinity of Pilning school, provides evidence of legionary advances, and scattered coin findings from the river shore add further proof. By the early 17th century improvements to drainage and sea defence systems finally created the landscape that exists today. Previously extensive marshland was a barrier to the creation of large settlements. Only in the last 80 years have the original hamlets of Redwick and Northwick have been overtaken by the growth of Pilning, and particularly Severn Beach. The Cartularium Saxonicum, published 955 AD, lists Northwick as Norowican. The Saxon meaning Wic is 'a place' or 'dairy farm'. In the Cartularium Redwick is listed as Hreodwican; in the Domesday Book as Redeuuiche; and in the Close Rolls of 1230 as Radewic. Literally a place of redes (reeds). Tradition tells of a Church of St George, built at Northwick at the end of the 11th century. In 1370 it is recorded that the Northwick church was in ruins. Re-dedicated to St Thomas in the 15th century, tithes were paid to the Lord of the Manor of Henbury in the 16th century. Some local farmhouses have a long history, and the Kings Arms, a former coach house, dates from around 1641. There are no historical references to Pilning prior to the late 1800s. Pil(n) is possibly a diminutive of the Welsh pyl, a pool or creek. Ing is a common ending of plural nouns derived from Old English, referring to a river or the sons/descendants/people of the river area. The name Severn Beach first appeared with the opening of the railway station in 1922. By the end of the 17th century, ferry crossings from New Passage rivalled Aust, where 'regular' crossings had been made since Roman times and earlier. Aust passage became known as Old Passage to distinguish it from New Passage. Mail and passenger coaches travelled from Bristol. In 1825 the New Passage Association formed, using the 30-ton steamboat "St Pierre". The commercial war was short lived. By 1830, with faster boats and a pier, mail coaches were diverted to Old Passage. New Passage became an 'also ran'. In 1845 a rail scheme was devised, but it was 1863 before the first train ran into New Passage. A new hotel, promenade, tea rooms and a 594 yard railway pier, set New Passage up for prosperity. Unfortunately, one year earlier, an engineer engaged on building the pier had the idea of a tunnel under the river. With the backing of Great Western Railway a bill was finally deposited in parliament in 1872. In 1886 the tunnel opened, the New Passage ferry became redundant. The hotel and the tea rooms survived, but by spring of 1888 the pier (piles 50 feet high, with a further 10 feet driven into the river bed, waiting rooms, offices, pontoons, 14 mooring anchors, 9,510 feet of chain and 100,000 cubic feet of timber) had gone. The current end of pier is a rebuild on the original site. There are 2 plaques mounted on the pier. One commemorates the Bristol & South Wales Union Railway service, the other notes the river crossings of the Wesley brothers. Records show Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 - 29 March 1788) a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. Charles Wesley is chiefly remembered for the many hymns he wrote, had a lucky escape in 1743, when his ship almost foundered in stormy weather. During the english civil war, the tale of the pursuit of Prince Rupert of the Rhine across the English Stones, and the deaths of the pursuing Roundheads after assurance by the ferryman of the safe crossing. It is also recorded that Napoleonic war prisoners worked on the sea defences in the Severn Beach area. Despite closure of the ferry, the railways brought an unprecedented period of prosperity. Construction of the tunnel brought jobs for hundreds of itinerant workers - the railways brought work for local people, and a real alternative to farming. It was 100 years before Dr Richard Beeching attempted to put an end to this alternative source. By the time most local railways were closed local industrial sites were providing alternative sources of employment. In 1894, with more than 8,000 other parishes, Redwick & Northwick Parish Council was formed. Six councillors presided over a 1390 acre parish, population 390. Minor boundary changes saw a smaller parish - 1249 acres by 1931, population 580. By 1951 the parish had increased to 3996 acres, supporting a population of 1846. Although parish acreage remains the same, the current parish council has 10 members, and a population more than double the 1951 figure. During the 1950s residents of SB pressed for the creation of a separate parish. Finally, a compromise. In 1965, R&N was renamed Pilning & Severn Beach. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of parish councils, the council mounted an initiative to return the War Memorial to Cross Hands. This was achieved with the help of funding by ICI and Zeneca, and a ceremony was held at the memorial in December 1994. Prior to 1946 the council had been an all male preserve. Since then ladies have played significant roles in council affairs. To date 84 men and 17 women have served as parish councillors. There have been 21 chairmen and 12 clerks, and the centenary meeting in December 1994 was the 768th of the parish council. David Lanson Roberts is the longest serving member, having clocked up almost 36 years, between 1902 and 1938, 34 as chairman. The longest serving clerk is Wilf Keen, who recorded 41 years in post. Mr Keen and the present clerk are 2 of 4 clerks who were proprietors of the now closed Redwick Stores. Ten years on from the centenary the parish council continues to serve the local community. More Here |
|
Other Stuff
|
|
Contact |
