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February 07, 2004
Rising damp
Sited on the confluence of the Avon and the Severn, and with a local rivulet adding its quota, Tewkesbury always gets the floods a few days after the rain.
The lake where the Swilgate passes through the Abbey Vineyard Park.
The rains in North Wales and Shropshire to our North and West flow into the Severn and its tributaries and flood areas there before descending to us. When this is coupled with a Spring Tide (as it is at the moment) the effects can be quite interesting. The top end of the Bristol Channel where the Severn discharges into the sea, has a tidal range of 41 feet at the spring tides. Only the Bay of Fundi in Canada has a greater range than this.
When it coinicides with a flood, you can actually see the rise of the water level as the tides reach their maximum.
This lake forms when the Severn floods and backs water up the Avon and the Swilgate. Low lying areas and some streets go under water. The Abbey was last flooded inside in 1746. It is recorded that the then Vicar attended Evening Prayer by boat up the South Aisle>
Posted by The Gray Monk at February 7, 2004 06:17 PM