Crossing the Severn

A Forgotten Landscape

School Learning Resources Crossing the Severn

Objectives :- To describe how people and animals have crossed the in the past and present. To create, design and build an innovative way of crossing the Severn.

School Learning Resources Under and Over

Under and Over - Tiny water voles burrow under the reens that drain the forgotten landscape and the two Severn crossings carry thousands of people over the Severn every day. Starlings and sparrowhawks get a birds’ eye view of the while fossils lie just underneath its surface.

School Learning Resources Make your

You are going to design and make a new innovative way to cross the river Severn.

You need to use the materials provided to create a model of your design. Your model must be able to support the lego man across the river.

When you have you model come back and test it.

School Learning Resources Your design

Look at the following slides and take inspiration from designs from the past, present and future.

Think about whether you will go under or over the river, whether you will use the water or try to keep dry.

School Learning Resources Over - Over -

Under - The Severn Railway Tunnel

School Learning Resources Severn Bridge

The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge, carrying the M48 across the river Severn and . It leaves and arrives in , via support in on a peninsula. The bridge replaced the Aust ferry in 1966, and was granted Grade 1 listed status in 1999. The bridge spans 1.6km and is 136m high. SS26small by A Forgotten Landscape

School Learning Resources Second Severn Crossing

The Second Severn Crossing carries the across the river Severn from to . To the north of the bridge is the River Severn and the south is the . Spanning over 5km and 137m high, the bridge’s central section is a cable stayed bridge while the approaching viaducts are segmental bridges. It was open in 1996 to relieve congestion on the original Severn Bridge.

Severn Beach 14 by A Forgotten Landscape School Learning Resources

The Severn Tunnel was opened in 1886 to allow the trains to continue their journey from London to Wales. The tunnel travels 3.6 km under the River Severn, although the whole tunnel is over 7 km long. Trains spend about 3 ½ minutes in the tunnel

Severn Tunnel by Ben Salter is licensed under CC BY 2.0

School Learning Resources Aust Car Ferry

The Aust ferry carried cars across the river Severn between Aust and Beachley from 1926 until 1966 when the Severn Bridge was opened. The mile boat trip saved cars the 60 mile trip up to which was the quickest alternative route into Wales. The ferry operated between two small piers at Old Passage and Beachley and the service stopped at high and low .

1960s Aust Ferry by Pete Townsend is Aust Ferry 1960s by Pete Townsend is licensed under CC BY-ND licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 2.0 School Learning Resources Severn

Barrages across the river Severn have been proposed since the 19th century. Different ideas have included creating a harbour, preventing floods and more recently generating electricity. It has been estimated that a 10 mile barrage across the river Severn would generate 5% of the UK’s electricity needs, with no carbon dioxide Image taken from emission once it is up and running. Commercial Intelligence However currently there are no plans to go Journal 1921 showing the ahead with a barrage, which costing “construction of a great between £10 and £34 billion, is not barrage in the estuary of the considered economically viable. river Severn” No known copyright School Learning Resources Migrating lapwings crossing the Severn

These lapwings have flown across the Severn from Germany and the Netherlands to spend the winter in the south west of England. These wading birds are in decline in due to the draining of the land for intensive farming so the Severn estuary is a perfect place for them to winter.

Birds Pilning2 by A Forgotten Landscape School Learning Resources Inspiration from the man- made and the natural environment

Use the pictures and photographs on the desks as inspiration, to think about unusual ways of crossing the Severn.

School Learning Resources Bridge by Astrid Westvang licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

School Learning Resources Zip Wire by Gaz Maz licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 School Learning Resources IMG_5262sf by vision chen licensed CC BY-NC 2.0 School Learning Resources Clifton Suspension Bridge by Pablo Fernandez licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 School Learning Resources Rabbit Hole Stock by Rubyblossom is licensed under CC BY-NC- 2.0 School Learning Resources Bee Colony by Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 School Learning Resources Butterfly by TanoyPhoto is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

School Learning Resources Wooden Bridge by jeffr_travel is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 School Learning Resources Aberdour pier by Aldisley is licensed under CC BY-NC ND 2.0 School Learning Resources