The museum is situated in the heart of Gloucester Docks. Since Roman times, Gloucester has been an important stopping point on the River Severn although it was not until 1580 that Elizabeth I granted Gloucester City port status by a charter including authority to collect customs.
The River Sever is treacherous and with the second highest tide in the world (a range of around 16 metres) many sea going ships were unwilling to navigate the estuary with its shifting sands and tides.
With the opening of the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (which took 34 years to complete), Gloucester was able to deal with new trade – wood from the Baltic, corn direct from Ireland and the Mediterranean and wine and fruit from Portugal.
All the warehouses in the Docks were built between 1826 and 1873, today they are all listed buildings and Gloucester Docks is now a major conservation area.
Llanthony Warehouse, home of the National Waterways Museum Gloucester Docks, was built in 1873 and is the largest and last of the big warehouses to be built in Gloucester.
Ground floor Explore the wildlife and ecology that can be found along our canals and rivers in the new Ecology Gallery. Then discover how canals were built and operated in Move It. Use the interactive exhibits to navigate a lock, have a boat race to find out whch boat design is best or test your waterway knowledge with our Wild over Waterways quizzes.
First floor The story of our canals continues on the first floor where you can explore how peopel worked, moved and lived on the waterways. A separate display area is devoted to local stories – real life accounts and experiences bring Gloucester’ rich heritage to life.
Dockside
Crafts from the historic boat collection can be seen in the dock around the museum, including narrowboat Northwich, a steam dredger, tug boats Kennet and Severn Progress and a concrete narrowboat.
The museum also retains the rails which were used by wagons to bring produce to the docks and to take incoming items away for distribution around the country. Several carriages which were used to transport goods such as wood can also be found on the dockside.
Gloucester Docks are still a hive of activity today and you can also take a seat and watch the many different boats that use the waterways for both pleasure and work in the 21st century.
