Gloucester Waterways Museum

Gloucester Waterways Museum sits in a red-brick Victorian warehouse at Gloucester Docks where the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal meets the River Severn. The six-storey building, designed by Capel N Tripp in 1873, once stored timber, grain and alcohol for Wait, James & Co. It was converted from a corn merchants’ warehouse in 1987 and now houses exhibits on local waterways history. The site was renamed Gloucester Waterways Museum in 2010 after refurbishments added new galleries. It is one of several museums run by the Canal & River Trust, the successor to The Waterways Trust. The museum holds a collection of historic boats including narrowboats, river barges, canal and river tugs, and a steam-powered dredger. A steam crane and heavy oil engine stand in a recreated canal repair yard with a working machine shop, forge and weighbridge. Visitors can see a hydraulic accumulator and try interactive exhibits such as a model canal section with working locks. The displays focus on the local area’s canal heritage after the site shifted from a national to a regional role. Inside the Grade II listed building, visitors walk past original stone lintels and sills while exploring the exhibits. The museum uses modern techniques to bring the history of Gloucester Docks to life. Outside, the dockside setting overlooks the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and the River Severn. The building’s slate roof and red brick walls remain from its days as a warehouse.