New Passage
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New Passage is a small hamlet in South Gloucestershire, located on the banks of the Severn estuary near the village of Pilning.
Because the estuary is relatively narrow at this point, New Passage has long been the location for a ferry crossing to and from South Wales. By the end of the 17th century, ferry crossings from here to Sudbrook in Monmouthshire rivalled the Aust ferry two miles upstream, known as the "Old Passage", where crossings had been made for centuries. During the English Civil War, Prince Rupert was chased across the river, and the pursuing Roundheads drowned on the English Stones rocks after being assured by the ferryman of the safety of the crossing. Mail and passenger coaches travelled from Bristol via the New Passage. Records show Charles Wesley had a lucky escape in 1743, when his ship almost foundered in stormy weather.
In 1825 the New Passage Association formed, using the 30-ton steamboat "St Pierre". However, the sponsorship by the Dukes of Beaufort of the Aust route, with faster boats and a pier, meant that by 1830 mail coaches were diverted there, and the New Passage declined. [1]
In 1863 the first Bristol-South Wales railway line terminated at New Passage, where passengers were forced to use a steamship to cross the Severn. The New Passage Hotel (pulled down in the 1970's), a promenade, tea rooms, and a 594 yard railway pier, set the area up for prosperity. Unfortunately, one year earlier, an engineer engaged on building the pier had the idea of a tunnel under the river. In 1886, the Severn tunnel opened and the New Passage ferry became redundant. The railway tunnel passes under the River Severn from a point just south of New Passage.
The Aust ferry continued for foot passengers and cars until 1966, when the Severn Bridge opened. However, the hotel continued to prosper as a privately owned public house until its closure in 1973. It was then sold by the Bracey family, and the building was left empty, until ravaged by the elements and neglect, it was finally demolished in the late 1970's. A small luxurious housing development was created on the resulting land.
In 1996 the Second Severn Crossing road bridge was completed, virtually along the same line as the Severn Tunnel. The bridge, the longest in the UK, carries M4 motorway traffic.
