Flat bottomed sailing barges known as Severn trows used to navigate the river as far as Gloucester, but they could only do that on the high spring tides. According to Brian Waters in his book "The Severn Tide" "The barges often had to wait high and dry on the Arlingham shore for high water. The bargees came ashore and got drunk. In this state of maudlin inebriety, with money spent and thoughts of hungry families at home, they robbed Arlingham's fields and gardens of fruit and vegetables". The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal was conceived in 1798 and completed in 1827, to make Gloucester accessible at all times and England's most inland port. In 1810 Severn Tunnel Company secured an Act of Parliament to build a tunnel under the river at Arlingham Passage. The Severn tunnel (1810) plan was for a tramroad tunnel beneath the River Severn. The tunnel was to cross the river at Arlingham Passage, at a location between Newnham on Severn and Bullo Pill on the west bank, to the promontory near Arlingham on the east Work was started but problems with flooding meant the project had to be abandoned. There were various schemes for a bridge, most recently in 1950, but environmental and financial constraints meant none of these came to fruition. During the first decade of the 21st century, a group of villagers published three books of village life from bygone years to the present day. A previous Ham class minesweeper was named after the village - .