Walham
Encyclopedia
Walham is an English
village, situated north of Gloucester
, on the banks of the River Severn
, just off the A40 road
, 153 km west of london.
A National Grid switching centre, providing power to half a million homes and the Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ), is situated at Walham.
The Walham substation came to national prominence in July 2007, when it was threatened by a major flood
. The fire service and military
stopped the flood waters two inches below the height at which the plant would flood. This struggle with nature was dubbed the "Battle for Walham" in national newspapers.
, which is to its south.
The fire brigade, British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Environment Agency joined forces to save the power station
Involved in the Gloucestershire floods of 2007 the water came within 2 inches of overtopping (flooding) the controls at the Switching Station.
The Environment Agency 's Rivers and Costal Group committee were unanimous in their decision to award the Chairmans Award prize jointly to the Environment Agency
and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue for their work to save Walham.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
village, situated north of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, on the banks of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, just off the A40 road
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
, 153 km west of london.
A National Grid switching centre, providing power to half a million homes and the Government Communications Headquarters
Government Communications Headquarters
The Government Communications Headquarters is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the UK government and armed forces...
(GCHQ), is situated at Walham.
The Walham substation came to national prominence in July 2007, when it was threatened by a major flood
2007 United Kingdom floods
The 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007. The most severe floods occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire,...
. The fire service and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
stopped the flood waters two inches below the height at which the plant would flood. This struggle with nature was dubbed the "Battle for Walham" in national newspapers.
The Village
The village is effectively a suburb of GloucesterGloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, which is to its south.
Battle for Walham
The Battle for Walham was the fight by emergency services and the Environment Agency to save the National Grid Electricity Switching Station at Walham, Gloucestershire.The fire brigade, British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Environment Agency joined forces to save the power station
Involved in the Gloucestershire floods of 2007 the water came within 2 inches of overtopping (flooding) the controls at the Switching Station.
The Environment Agency 's Rivers and Costal Group committee were unanimous in their decision to award the Chairmans Award prize jointly to the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue for their work to save Walham.