The earliest recorded passage across the Severn at this location was in the 12th century and in the early 15th century the passage was used by the many visitors to the chapel of St Twrog in Beachley.

It was revived in 1825 with the formation of the the Old Passage Ferry Association, sponsored by the Duke of Beaufort, Lord of Tidenham. Stone piers and the introduction of steamboats improved the service but it remained dangerous and the Beachley-Aust Ferry sank with no survivors in 1839 and again in 1844.

The introduction of rail travel in the second half of the 19th century led to a rapid decline in traffic using the Aust crossing. In 1860, a new railway line ran to New Passage and 1886 the Severn Tunnel was opened which brought a sharp decrease in traffic from Aust to Beachley and quickly led to the complete closure of the service after the steamboats were scrapped in 1860.

The mass production of cars in the 1920s led to new demand for the service and the service was relaunched in 1926. The ferry service was eventually replaced by the iconic Severn suspension bridge that opened in 1966 to cater for a rise in demand for the crossing. The bridge continues to the M48 after crossing the Severn and Wye rivers.

Read tales from the days of the ferries and find out more about the history on the Severn Princess Restoration Group website.