Photographic Exhibition at the National Waterways Museum, Gloucester
5th February to 14th April 2026.
The National Waterways Museum, run by the Canals and Rivers Trust, are exhibiting a series of images produced by the Cheltenham Camera Club.
They are the result of an “Encounters with the Severn” project by the Cheltenham Camera Club and is linked to a photobook produced by the club:
“Encounters with the Severn”, available for £10.99, can be ordered HERE and from selected bookshops.
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The Story Behind the Project
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, with a length of 220 miles (354 km). It starts in the Welsh hills, close to Llanidloes, and follows a meandering route through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire until it reaches the Bristol Channel and flows out into the Atlantic.
It has a tidal range that can exceed 12 or 14 meters near Avonmouth, making this the second largest in the world. This vast difference between high and low tide, caused by the funnelling shape of the coastline, creates a tidal bore, reaching heights of over to 2 metres.
For centuries, it has been a source of water, food, and employment. It has acted both as a barrier and a major route of travel. Much of the history of Britain is chronicled on its banks. The heart of the Industrial Revolution lies on the banks of the Severn.
It’s home to vital resources such as water supply plants and power generation. It supports a range of industries such as agriculture, fishing and tourism which are the lifeblood of local economies, with the Port of Bristol at Avonmouth and Portbury being the main UK hub for motor vehicle import and export.
In 2022 Cheltenham Camera Club embarked on a project, led by member Richard Jefferies, telling the story of the River Severn in photographs, covering its course from the line between the Avon and the Usk to its source near Llanidloes.
It attempts to cover all aspects of life which depends (or depended) on the Severn for its existence…towns and villages, communities and people, industries, and the surrounding countryside. By its very nature, it cannot cover all things comprehensively but rather presents a snapshot of the river and its communities at the end of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. The images highlight the contrast…lively and bustling on the one hand, with oases of calm on the other. History and modernity side-by-side.
There is an accompanying photobook, “Encounters with the Severn”, available for £10.99.
Exhibition at the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester Docks from 5th February to 14th April. It will show a selection of prints as well as images on a continuous slide show.
Please see the National Waterways Museum website, https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/museums-and-attractions/national-waterways-museum-gloucester, for admission prices and the exhibition is included with the museum admission ticket.
