Hampton Loade is a hamlet in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

at , some five miles south of

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...

. The unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a reaction ferry to the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

of Hampton on the west bank, is responsible for Hampton Loade's name, as ''Loade'' is derived from ''lode'', an old English word for ferry. However, the ferry has not been run since 2016, prompting speculation that it is permanently closed. This has not been confirmed by any reliable news sources, but according to the Severn Valley Railway it has ceased operation. The hamlet is notable for the forge that stood there from 1608 to 1922. There are remnants of the forge still standing beside the river and in the houses. "Old Forge House" is where the owner of the forge lived and it is stated that there were over 6 owners of the forge in the 306 years of its use. "Old Forge Cottage" is where it is thought the workers lived. Hampton Loade station, on the preserved

Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a standard gauge, standard-gauge heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The single-track line runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, calling at four intermediate stations and three request stop ...

, is actually located on the Hampton side of the river although the whole area is often known locally Hampton Loade due to the presence of the station.

Waterworks bridge

There is an unusual bridge close to Hampton Loade: a small private roadway belonging to

South Staffordshire Water South Staffordshire Water plc known as South Staffs Water is a United Kingdom, UK water industry, water supply company owned by a privately owned utilities company serving parts of Staffordshire, the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, as well ...

is suspended below two large water pipe arches, used to pump water from the river to Chelmarsh Reservoir, by the South Staffordshire Water works.

Sat-nav error

The hamlet is also home to a satellite navigation error where the ferry is listed as a car ferry or a bridge on certain sat-nav systems; there are now road signs in place warning of the error on the approach to the hamlet.

Landslide of June 2007

On the night of 19 June 2007, the village of Hampton on the west bank suffered major damage as a result of a severe rainstorm. The one and only road into the village was washed awayBBC NEWS , England , Hereford/Worcs , Flash floods hit homes and roads
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BBC photo
, and large sections of nearby Severn Valley Railway track subsided.

References

External links

Panoramas Views: Ferry across the Severn

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Bridges across the River Severn Populated places on the River Severn Villages in Shropshire {{Shropshire-geo-stub