Combwich and Bridgwater Buoys

A pair of restored 19th century buoys are on display at Combwich Wharf and Bridgwater Docks. 

The plaque on the buoy at Combwich Wharf says this:

"This buoy, one of only a few remaining examples, was constructed in Carvers Boatyard, Bridgwater in about 1860 for use in the Bristol Channel.  The original oak timbers were nearly 4 inches thick and some of these are still intact in this buoy.  

When in use the buoy would have been the other way up and anchored to the sea bed with a light and bell attached to the flat topside.

This buoy was previously sited at Harbour Garage with its pair, now at Bridgwater Docks and was given to the village by Mr Colin Wilkins, who bought the site.

This restoration and resiting was carried out with the help of Nuclear Electric PLC at Hinkley Point and the base was provided by Combwich Cruising Club.

This project was organised by Otterhampton Parish Council August 1991.                      

Further refurbishment sponsored by Otterhampton Parish Council completed in 2016 by Burnham Marine and Combwich Motor Boat and Sailing Club."

The plaque on the Bridgwater Buoy says this:

"The Bridgwater Buoy was refurbished in 2017 with the support of local people, organisations and companies led by Patricia Robinson.  The bricks on which it sits originated from the old Workhouse."

Combwich Buoy

Plaque on Combwich Buoy

Bridgwater Buoy

Plaque on Bridgwater Buoy

Dolphins in the River Parrett at Combwich

I'm not referring to the marine mammals, but to man-made marine structures, which are not usually connected to the shore and which are used to assist in the berthing or mooring of boats.  They are constructed at the entrance to a dock or along a pier, quay, wharf or beach. They usually consist of a number of piles, which are driven into the bed of a river or the sea and these can be made of wood, steel or concrete.

There are mooring and breasting dolphins and I think there are both types at Combwich.

Breasting dolphins help in the mooring of vessels by sharing some of the berthing load.  They also prevent vessels from hitting quays and can also be used as mooring points to restrict the longitudinal movement of berthing vessels.

Vessels are secured to mooring dolphins using ropes. Mooring dolphins also control the transverse movement of berthing vessels.

The dolphins at Combwich Pill were constructed in the late 1950s or 1960s when Hinkley Point A or B Nuclear Power Stations were being built.

The inner dolphins and finger jetty were due to be removed in 2019, as part of the redevelopment of Combwich Wharf to accommodate ships carrying materials for Hinkley C Nuclear Power Station. They are to be replaced by two new breasting dolphins.

Dolphins at the entrance to Combwich Wharf

Combwich Pill dolphins at low tide

Entrance to Combwich Pill at low tide

Dolphins at high tide, December 2022

Petherton Bridge Statues

These two well-worn statues carved in local ham stone probably date from the 15th century and were originally built into the old Petherton Bridge.  The bridge was destroyed in 1645 during the English Civil War but the statues were built into the new bridge.  This bridge was destroyed in the 1970s when the A303 was widened.   The statues were mounted in their current position on the west side of the bridge.  Their protective surround was refurbished by the Highways Agency in 2009.

The origin of the statues is uncertain but one story is that they are a memorial to two children - a boy and a girl - of a wealthy local family who drowned in the River Parrett.  Another story is that they represent the couple who paid for the bridge to be built in the 15th century.

If you wish to view the statues, which are located at grid reference ST 451 167, there is a small parking place on the east side of the bridge, which can be accessed only from the eastbound carriageway of the A303.  However the parking area is located just before the start of a slip road off the main road and you will need to slow right down in order to enter it, so although you may be indicating to pull into the parking area the cars behind you are very likely to think that you are indicating to use the slip road to leave the A303.  During the summer you then have to walk about 100 metres through tall grass and nettles behind the crash barrier to cross the bridge.  There is a set of steps down to the statues on the west side of the bridge.

Petherton Bridge Statues

Petherton Bridge Statues in their shelter

Tower Hide, Steart

There are a great many hides from which to view wildlife dotted around Somerset's many nature reserves.  However, I think the Tower Hide, which marks the beginning or end of the 50-mile River Parrett Trail is the most interesting one I have seen in the county.  It was designed by architect Wilf Burton and artist Tony Eastman in 1996 and looks like a tree house.  It also reminded me of the House in the Clouds at Thorpeness in Suffolk.  It opened in 1997 and replaced an older smaller rickety tower hide.  It looks out over the salt marsh and mudflats of the Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve, the lakes of Fenning Island and across the River Parrett to Burnham-on-Sea.  

There are steps inside to enable you to climb to the top level, which has windows that can be flapped upwards on all sides and at different levels, so that children can see out at their eye height level too.  For those people like my friend and I, who walked all the way from the source of the River Parrett at Winyard's Gap at Cheddington, Dorset there are plenty of benches on which to sit and rest your weary legs.  The strange metal sculpture on the top, which looks like a spaceman running is a lightning conductor.

The hide (grid reference ST 282 467) is located about 3/4 of a mile from the nearest car park and half a mile from the end of the metalled road.  There is also a permissive path, which runs along the shoreline south-west wards towards and beyond the car park.

 Tower Hide, Steart

 Tower Hide, Steart

 Tower Hide

Looking north-east towards Burnham-on-Sea from the Tower Hide.  If you squint, you can just about see the very low lying Steart Island in front of Burnham-on-Sea.  

 

Signpost at Steart with the River Parrett Trail sign

Tower Hide, December 2022

Further Reading:

The River Parrett Trail - published 1995 by the Parrett Trail Partners.  The route description and many of the contact details it contains are out of date, but it contains some useful historical information.

Up to date instructions for walking the Parrett Trail can be found on the Visit South Somerset website:

https://www.visitsouthsomerset.com/listings/walking/the-river-parrett-trail.htm