Gloucestershire is home to one of the most unusual museums in the UK

A unique Gloucestershire attraction has been named one of the top 10 most unusual museums in the country.

By Chloe Gorman  |  Published
With over 86 ships beached on the banks of the River Severn, Purton Ships Graveyard is one of the UKs most unusual museums.
With over 86 ships beached on the banks of the River Severn, Purton Ships Graveyard is one of the UK’s most unusual museums.

While it’s not strictly a museum, the Purton Ships Graveyard near Berkeley has made a new list of the top 10 most unusual museums in the UK.

This unique stretch of the River Severn between Sharpness and Purton is home to the UK’s largest inland ‘ghost fleet’.

After a small number of ships were intentionally beached in 1909 to protect the canal bank from erosion, the area has amassed an incredible 86 vessels all beached on the riverbank, from small schooners to larger barges.

The unique attraction is popular with families and maritime enthusiasts – and it’s one of the things to tick off on SoGlos’s brand-new Gloucestershire Bucket List.

Compiled by travel experts at holidaycottages.co.uk, Purton Ships Graveyard was one of only two attractions in the south west to make the list, alongside the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall.

PR and communications manager at holidaycottages.co.uk, Shannon Keary, said: ‘With many of us planning to continue staycationing in 2022, there’s no shortage of great places to visit on your holidays, and these museums are no exception.

‘It’s so great to have these unique museums right here in the UK, which not only offer a memorable day out, but an educational one too.’

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