| Hampton Loade | |
|---|---|
 Hampton Loade reaction ferry, 24 July 2004 | |
  Hampton Loade Location within Shropshire | |
| OS grid reference | SO747864 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIDGNORTH |
| Postcode district | WV15 |
| Dialling code | 01746 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Hampton Loade is a hamlet in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at grid reference SO747864, and is notable for the unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a reaction ferry to the hamlet of Hampton on the west bank. The ferry is responsible for Hampton Loade's name, as Loade is derived from lode, an old English word for ferry.
The village is in the local government district of Bridgnorth, 4 miles to the north. It is in the Ludlow parliamentary constituency. Prior to Brexit in 2020 it was part of the West Midlands European parliament constituency.
Hampton Loade station, on the preserved Severn Valley Railway, is actually located on the Hampton side of the river.[2]
There is an unusual bridge close to Hampton Loade: a small private roadway is suspended below two large waterpipe arches, used to pump water from the river to Chelmarsh Reservoir, by the South Staffordshire Water works.[3]
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 approaching the village.
The ferry has not been run recently (as of 2017) 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.[4]
Landslide of June 2007[edit]
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 away[5] (BBC photo), and large sections of nearby Severn Valley Railway track subsided.
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.quattpc.org.uk/community/quatt-malvern-parish-council-12534/home
- ^ photographs of the railway station
- ^ Hampton Bridge Archived 28 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine (Photograph Archived 7 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ "Hampton Loade Station". Severn Valley Railway. Retrieved 6 July 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ BBC NEWS | England | Hereford/Worcs | Flash floods hit homes and roads
External links[edit]
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hampton Loade. |
- Hampton Loade: Village and Ferry
- Panoramas Views: Ferry across the Severn BBC
