Drought
‘For the rain it raineth every day’:
Floods in the Slad Road when it raineth every day,
Springs and streams racing down five valleys
When the rain it raineth every day.
But drought can bring its own problems too:
Oakridge and The Mason – Dixon Line
It must have been bit like this
When the turnpike trusts improved a road,
Or the inland navigators came to town and village:
Severn Trent out there outside Sapperton Church,
Putting in new pipes,
Such noise and mayhem
And workers whose accents
Were a long way from home.
It brought the children out to watch.
What else is there to do in the country in the 18th century?
River Prints
With many thanks to Lucy Guenot:
1. R is for River
Letterpress print, playing with Severn names
2. Severn seeks the sea
Linocut and letterpress, using a phrase from one of Frank Mansell’s Cotswold Ballads: ‘The roads go down’
3. River Frome 1
Linocut of the Frome in the Nailsworth valley
4. River Frome 2
Linocut of the Frome in Stroud alongside Dr Newton’s way
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