Honouring Aust’s heritage. Remembering the Severn Ferry
In early April 2025, the ASEA project team welcomed a special visitor to Aust: Mrs Diana Davies (née Beauchamp), who returned to the site of the old Severn ferry crossing she once helped to run.
Mrs Davies and her son, Jonny Rees-Davies, were met by Colin Taylor, Senior Flood and Coastal Risk Management Advisor at the Environment Agency, who showed them the latest progress on the new tidal flood defences at Aust Wharf.
Mrs Davies’s connection to the site dates back decades. As Miss Diana Beauchamp, she was a Director of the Old Passage Severn Ferry Company, which operated the Aust to Beachley ferry service until 1966. Her family were investors in the company, then run by Mr Enoch Williams, and she launched the well-known MV Severn Princess in 1959.
Reflecting on her visit, Mrs Davies said:
It was fascinating to see the old Aust ferry jetty and the new flood defences that Colin showed us. The work has been done sympathetically, particularly the stone render effect and the fact that the tidal flood gates allow access to the area of the old ferry jetty and the office building. It was lovely to see the Aust to Beachley ferry service is not forgotten with the commemorative information. It was a very nostalgic trip!””
Her visit highlighted the importance of connecting local history with modern infrastructure. As part of preserving that legacy, five interpretation panels remain in place at Aust Wharf Road, originally installed by the Forgotten Landscapes project.
Further panels can also be found at New Passage and other locations along the Severn Estuary.
The ASEA project team is proud to help protect this stretch of the Severn while respecting the rich heritage that makes it such a special place.
Please find below a gallery of photos of the Severn ferry while it was in operation.
