Concrete Barges
I heard about these on a forum and looked for them on google maps - I couldn't find them until a fellow urbexer told me where to look.
They are just off the Manchester Ship canal, but are so over grown that it is hard to spot them unless you know where they are :)
I started to do research on them, looking for some history on why they were built and why they had been dumped, and what I found was fascinating!
Turns out that they were probably part of the "Mulberry Harbour", a big plot point of the D-Day landings.
If you are interested, scroll past the pictures for more info, I'm still in the midst of research so there will be more added as I uncover the amazing history of these silent, moss-covered heroes.
Visited 22-03-2009
Since then, however, I have uncovered evidence of them being all over the country. Some of these sightings are very old, and I know that some of the barges have been moved or demolished in recent years - all of a sudden they seem to have become a danger to the new generation of children that have taken an interest in them. Children have played in these relics of the war for decades but now it seems the current generation are not allowed to enjoy them, they have relegated into the same "dangerous games" group as Conkers and British Bulldog.
If anyone can confirm and of the following locations as either still giving a home to a concrete barge, or confirmation or ones destruction/removal, I would appreciate it.
UK barge sites
Medway Tunnel
Tring - Grand union canal
South pier road, Ellesmere Port boat museum
Bramble Island
Walton-on-the-naze
Purton
Sharpness
River Blackwater/Mersey/Mersea Island
The Thames
Rochester, kent
Filton gloucester River Severn
Gloucester docks
Queensborough harbour Kent
Queensborough yacht club
Winnington, River Weaver.
Dibden Bay
West Quay, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. x3 - houseboats
Barling
Rainham marsh
Houghton-le-springs
Concrete barges have also been spotted overseas:
USA - New York State
France
Amsterdam
OLDEST BARGE
The Oldest Concrete barge that I can find information on was built in 1918, by A.H. Guest (Builders) of Stourbridge to overcome a wartime shortage of materials.
The boat was too heavy (it weighed 16 tonnes) to carry much cargo.
This is considered to be the grand-daddy of the more modern FCB's (Ferro Concrete Barges)
The Grand-daddy
