The village near Bristol that used to be the 'Blackpool of the South West'

The village near Bristol that used to be the 'Blackpool of the South West'

At one point, this coastal village north of Bristol was known as the ‘Blackpool of the South West’.

For more than a hundred years now, trains have been bringing thousands of people to Severn Beach.

The opening of the train station "changed everything", say the people living there, as it helped make it a holiday destination, leading to a surge in popularity of the small South Gloucestershire village.

At its peak between the 1930s and the 1960s, Severn Beach would have had hundreds leaving the station and heading to their chalets.

At that point, the village had a large hotel, an outdoor swimming pool, a boating lake, fairground, cinema and even a casino, together with numerous cafes and shops.

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