42-688: The Huckford Viaduct spans the River Frome just north of Winterbourne Down in South Gloucestershire , England . It presently forms part of the Badminton line from Bristol Parkway to London Paddington . The viaduct was constructed during 1902 by the Great Western Railway as part of the Wootton Bassett to Patchway railway line. Its construction was driven by the desire to deliver
84-850: A kayaker was killed after capsizing in the flooded river at Snuff Mills weir in Frenchay during a night-time paddle. The Frome Valley Walkway is a public footpath, 18 miles (29 km) long, that runs almost the entire length of the river from Old Sodbury to Bristol . A guide pamphlet has been published. The walkway was created by a partnership between local authorities, the Environment Agency, wildlife organisations and location action groups, including Avon Biodiversity Partnership, Avon Invasive Weeds Forum, Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Naturalists' Society and South Gloucestershire Council. Regular events include clearing of invasive species and guided walks. The Frome valley supports
126-486: A flood relief channel. From Damsons Bridge ( Grid Reference ST657794 ) to Snuff Mills ( ST623764 ) the river is navigable, but only by canoe (kayak) though some portaging may be required. It's also possible to start at Moorend Bridge ( ST650794 ) or Frenchay Bridge ( ST644777 ). Some of the Bradley brook has also been kayaked. Between Frenchay and Stapleton the river drops nearly 50 feet (15 m), and as
168-508: A large shipyard will contain many specialised cranes , dry docks , slipways , dust-free warehouses, painting facilities and extremely large areas for fabrication of the ships. After a ship's useful life is over, it makes its final voyage to a ship-breaking yard, often on a beach in South Asia . Historically ship-breaking was carried out in drydock in developed countries, but high wages and environmental regulations have resulted in movement of
210-510: A more direct route for traffic over the somewhat circuitous route that had been previously necessitated. The viaduct has a height of roughly 100 feet above the level of the River Frome, which passes through one of its arches. The Frome Valley Walkway also runs through another of the viaduct's arches. The original route of the Great Western Railway was less than optimal for long-distance traffic between London and South Wales , having involved
252-439: A mud dock at Mansfield's point, the latter filled in by 1829. The last shipbuilder closed in 1883. The mean flow as measured at Frampton Cottrell is 60 cubic feet per second (1.7 m /s), with a peak on 30 October 2000 of 788 cubic feet per second (22.3 m /s) and a minimum on 10 August 1990 of 1.0 cubic foot per second (0.028 m /s). The mean flow as measured at Frenchay is 60 cubic feet per second (1.7 m /s), with
294-420: A peak on 10 July 1968 of 2,474 cubic feet per second (70.1 m /s) and a minimum on 9 August 1976 of 2.8 cubic feet per second (0.079 m /s). The Environment Agency in 2008 classified the river as Grade A (highest grade) for chemical content, but the biology was assessed at C grade (mid). Measurements were taken over a stretch of river between Bradley brook and Broomhill. Where it passes through Bristol
336-504: A probable moat along the line of St Stephen's Street (formerly called Fisher Lane and Pylle End) and the old curving section of Baldwin Street (now a continuation of St Stephens's Street) and the natural river or river delta itself actually flowing farther south, all joining the Avon at Welsh Back at or south of Bristol Bridge . The narrow strip of high land rising some 45 feet above high water between
378-451: A range of wildlife and plants, passing through or near to a number of nature reserves and parks, including Goose Green fields, Chill Wood, Cleeve Valley, Oldbury Court park and Eastville Park. Notable species include grey wagtails , wild service trees , dippers and several species of bats. One of the last British populations of the endangered native white-clawed crayfish in the Bristol area
420-536: A relatively circuitous route in the vicinity of Stroud , Gloucester and Chepstow . Following the opening of the Severn Tunnel during 1886, there was both the desire and opportunity to develop a more direct route to South Wales via Bristol . Accordingly, one of the last pieces of the Great Western Railway to be constructed was a 33-mile stretch of track, which has since become known as the Badminton line ;
462-407: A result there a number of corn and other mills were established to harness the water power. They were undershot mills with no mill ponds . Today a wheel at Snuff Mills is preserved and the mill buildings of Cleeve Mill survive as a private residence. The Frome originally flowed east of its present-day course from Stone Bridge (now under the paved concourse at the "bow" of Electricity House) with
SECTION 10
#1733092659629504-534: Is joined underground by Coombe brook on the left and Horfield brook on the right. A brief stretch in St Jude's is uncovered, alongside Riverside Park. The Frome originally joined the Avon somewhere on Welsh Back downstream of Bristol Bridge , and an offshoot formed part of the city defences. In the 13th century, the offshoot was arched over or infilled and the river itself was diverted into St Augustine's Reach (also known as St Augustine's Trench), an artificial branch of
546-831: Is otherwise channelled through Mylne's Culvert into the River Avon at a point between Bathurst Basin and Gaol Ferry Bridge. Three further flood relief tunnels- Castle Ditch, Fosseway and Castle Green Tunnel - run under Castle Park in central Bristol to carry excess flows into the Floating Harbour. Major floods have included Mina Road, St Werburghs and Wellington Road in October 1882; Eastville , St Werburghs and Broadmead in 1936 and 1937; Eastville Park and nearby due to melting snow in 1947; 1968 Bristol Rovers F.C. old ground at Eastville. The Broadmead area still remains at risk of flooding in severe weather conditions. In December 2011,
588-650: Is then joined by the Nibley brook at Nibley and the Mayshill brook at Algars Manor near Iron Acton, both on the left. The river turns south towards the next settlement of Frampton Cotterell , where it is met by the Ladden brook on the right bank. Continuing southwards between Yate and Winterbourne , the Frome crosses Winterbourne Down , to Damsons Bridge where the Folly brook tributary merges on
630-474: The Danny . As with many urban rivers , the Frome has suffered from pollution , but several stretches run through parks and reserves that sustain a range of wildlife. The river's power was harnessed by many watermills , and the river mouth area was developed as shipyards by the eighteenth century. As the city of Bristol developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, flooding became a major problem, remedied by
672-566: The Danny . The derivation of this name is uncertain, some suggest a nickname, taken from the Blue Danube Waltz , others that it was derived from the Australian slang word dunny . 20 miles (32 km) long, the River Frome rises in the grounds of Dodington Park in the Cotswolds of South Gloucestershire , flows through Chipping Sodbury in a northwesterly direction through Yate , and
714-585: The Froom , is a river that rises in Dodington Park , South Gloucestershire and flows southwesterly through Bristol to join the river Avon . It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long, and the mean flow at Frenchay is 60 cubic feet per second (1.7 m /s). The name Frome is shared with several other rivers in South West England and means 'fair, fine, brisk'. The river is known locally in east Bristol as
756-779: The United Arab Emirates , Ukraine , the United Kingdom , the United States and Vietnam . The shipbuilding industry is more fragmented in Europe than in Asia where countries tend to have fewer, larger companies. Many naval vessels are built or maintained in shipyards owned or operated by the national government or navy. Shipyards are constructed near the sea or tidal rivers to allow easy access for their ships. The United Kingdom , for example, has shipyards on many of its rivers. The site of
798-512: The evolution of dockyards and shipyards has often caused them to change or merge roles. Countries with large shipbuilding industries include Australia , Brazil , China , Croatia , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , India , Ireland , Italy , Japan , the Netherlands , Norway , the Philippines , Poland , Romania , Russia , Singapore , South Korea , Sweden , Taiwan , Turkey ,
840-457: The Frome was open along its whole length, and both arms crossed by some 13 bridges. During the mid nineteenth century, a succession of culverts were built, eventually from Wade Street Bridge in St Jude's to Stone Bridge, covering this stretch completely: Rupert Street, Fairfax Street and Broad Weir now run over the remaining culverted section. St Augustine's Trench from Stone Bridge to the location of
882-552: The Huckford Viaduct was built so that the line could successfully traverse the Frome valley. During 1897, work commenced on building the Badminton line. The construction of the line's viaducts was prioritised over several other civil engineering works of the project, as it had been recognised that they would be needed for transporting excavated spoil from several cuttings and embankments being driven around Patchway . To assist
SECTION 20
#1733092659629924-500: The ancient Greek city on the Gulf of Corinth, Naupactus , means "shipyard" (combination of the Greek words ναύς naus : "ship, boat"; and πήγνυμι pêgnumi , pegnymi : "builder, fixer"). Naupactus' reputation in this field extended back into legendary times – the site is traditionally identified by Greek authors such as Ephorus and Strabo as the place where a fleet was said to have been built by
966-412: The construction effort, a trestle supporting a movable gantry crane was assembled alongside to move payloads between either end of the viaduct. Conventional methods were dominant in the viaduct's construction, which saw concrete bases established along with timber staging to support the brick arches until the structure's completion. To better facilitate the viaduct's construction, a new brickworks
1008-553: The construction of storm drains and diversions. The river's name derives from the British Celtic , meaning 'fair, fine, brisk’. It is not to be confused with other rivers in the south west of England with the same name. The historic spelling, Froom , is still sometimes used and this is how the name of the river is pronounced (as in broom). In the nineteenth and twentieth century, the River Frome became known in East Bristol as
1050-437: The docks constructed through marshland belonging to St Augustine's Abbey (now Bristol Cathedral) as part of major port improvement works. From the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries the lower mile of the river was gradually culverted , so the river now runs underneath Broad Weir, Fairfax Street and Rupert Street. To reduce sewage pollution and silting in the harbour, a new culvert was constructed in 1825 to redirect much of
1092-530: The flow from the Frome into the New Cut of the River Avon. Known as Mylne's Culvert, this runs from the site of the former Stone Bridge, near the junction of Rupert Street and Christmas Street, and follows the course of Marsh Street, Prince Street and Wapping Road, passing below the Floating Harbour in an iron siphon pipe. It discharges into the New Cut close to Gaol Ferry Bridge. The original culverted section between Stone Bridge and St Augustine's Reach remains in use as
1134-457: The former Draw Bridge (near the western end of Baldwin Street) was covered over between May 1892 and February 1893 and the section between that point and the foot of College Green was covered over in 1938. Shipbuilding on the River Frome may have been carried out for centuries, with docks on the northern part of Narrow Quay (St Clement's Dock and Aldworth's Dock) being archaeologically excavated. By
1176-612: The industry to third-world regions. The oldest structure sometimes identified as a dockyard was built c. 2400 BC by the Indus Valley civilisation in the Harappan port city of Lothal (in present-day Gujarat, India ). Lothal's dockyards connected to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra when
1218-551: The left bank. The Bradley brook joins on the right bank at Hambrook just before the river passes underneath the M4 motorway and, also on the right, the Stoke brook (or Hambrook) joins at Bromley Heath. After passing under the A4174 the Frome enters a more urban environment, passing between Frenchay on the right and Bromley Heath and Downend on the left. Turning in a more southwesterly direction
1260-607: The legendary Heraclidae to invade the Peloponnesus . In the Spanish city of Barcelona , the Drassanes shipyards were active from at least the mid-13th century until the 18th century, although at times they served as a barracks for troops as well as an arsenal. During their time of operation the Drassanes were continuously changed, rebuilt and modified, but two original towers and part of
1302-463: The mid-thirteenth century the harbour, probably today's Welsh Back had become so busy that it was decided to divert the Frome into a new course through the marsh belonging to St Augustine's Abbey into a "Deep Ditch" that was dug from around a line opposite the Hippodrome of today to join the Avon opposite the present MShed. The section of meandering river back to the site of today's culverted Stonebridge
Huckford Viaduct - Misplaced Pages Continue
1344-626: The original eight construction-naves remain today. The site is currently a maritime museum. From the 14th century, several hundred years before the Industrial Revolution , ships were the first items to be manufactured in a factory – in the Venice Arsenal of the Venetian Republic in present-day Italy . The Arsenal apparently mass-produced nearly one ship every day using pre-manufactured parts and assembly lines . At its height in
1386-533: The present-day surrounding Kutch desert formed a part of the Arabian Sea . Lothal engineers accorded high priority to the creation of a dockyard and a warehouse to serve the purposes of maritime trade. The dock was built on the eastern flank of the town, and is regarded by archaeologists as an engineering feat of the highest order. It was located away from the main current of the river to avoid silting, but provided access to ships at high tide as well. The name of
1428-514: The river between Frenchay and Eastville Park has not been developed, and is largely managed as public parkland, with the Frome Valley Greenway cycling and walking path following the river through a woodland landscape. The river then flows under the M32 motorway and parallels its course for a while before disappearing into an underground culvert at Eastville Sluices, upstream of Baptist Mills . It
1470-410: The river enters Oldbury Court estate, a city park also known as Vassal's, where it is joined by the first of two Fishponds brooks both on the left. The river then passes Snuff Mills , entering a steep valley at Stapleton , where the second Fishponds brook joins, then passing Eastville park, where it feeds the former boating lake. Due to the steep valley and flood risk, the land immediately alongside
1512-489: The river was prone to flooding, but the Northern Stormwater Interceptor , running from Eastville Sluices to the River Avon downstream of Clifton Suspension Bridge, has since been constructed to control this. At Wade Street, St Judes, the river enters an underground culvert , emerging at what Bristolians call The Centre (formerly the 'Tramways Centre'), but only when there is a risk of flooding. The river
1554-409: The seventeenth century, Francis Baylie built warships on the east bank at Narrow Quay . Tombs' Dock (later known as Green's Dock) was built opposite at Dean's Marsh in 1760, on the west bank of the Frome and was later lengthened to 435 feet (133 m), the builders including FW Green , and two additional docks were built by at Teast 's Docks in 1790; a dry dock later known as Albert Dock and
1596-414: The tides meant that it was now becoming a health hazard and in 1828 it was again diverted, with a mitre floodgate at StoneBridge, channelling the main flow through Mylne's Culvert, under the quays and under the bed of the floating harbour at Prince Street Bridge to the emerge in the tidal Avon New Cut, to the east of what is now Gaol Ferry Bridge, locally known as God's Garden in the 21st century. Up to 1857
1638-462: The two rivers was a naturally strategic place for the Saxon settlement which became the town of Brigstowe, later the walled centre of the city, to develop. When Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester , rebuilt Bristol Castle , from around 1110, an arm of the Frome was taken off the natural river (at present-day Broad Weir) to form the castle moat, so that the town and castle were entirely surrounded by water. In
1680-413: Was also widened out as part of the new ocean going Frome harbour. This has been the line of the mouth of the river Frome ever since, known as St Augustine's Trench or Reach. The Floating Harbour was constructed in 1809, isolating the Avon and Frome from tides between Cumberland Basin and Totterdown Lock. The increasing use of the Frome as an open sewer combined with the loss of the scouring action of
1722-492: Was established at Stoke Gifford , capable of firing 250,000 bricks per week. Furthermore, the majority of the stone of which it is composed was sourced from the adjacent Huckford Quarry. Several decades following the viaduct's completion, this quarry was abandoned; since 1993, it has been designated as a nature reserve located alongside the viaduct. Ordnance Survey Grid Reference: ST6567079980 River Frome, Bristol The Frome / ˈ f r uː m / , historically
Huckford Viaduct - Misplaced Pages Continue
1764-500: Was found in the river, but became extinct in 2008. Shipyard A shipyard , also called a dockyard or boatyard , is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts , military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes more involved with original construction, dockyards are sometimes more linked with maintenance and basing activities. The terms are routinely used interchangeably, in part because
#628371