A picture of Brockweir, in the county of Gloucestershire

The quay at Brockweir had a long history from its early days through to the latter part of the nineteenth century. Brockweir was the last tidal quay for boats traveling inland on the River Wye; the river is too shallow beyond Brockweir to cope with the draught of trading vessels from Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester etc. The association between the river and the village was such it was documented in 1870 that in the 17th and 18th centuries every resident of Brockweir depended on the river for their livelihood.............. The road bridge seen on the right was built in 1906 and connected with the Welsh side of the River Wye and saw the final nail securely hammered into the coffin of the Brockweir Quay. Perhaps interestingly the bridge, famously known as the Ugly Bridge, was built from iron girders floated up the river from Chepstow on barges and landed on the quay at Brockweir… so it could be argued the quay was instrumental in its own downfall.

wye valley bridge quay Gloucestershire

This image is available to purchase and is part of our Gloucestershire Stock Photos Collection.