I was doing some research recently and I came across a gwr line I'd not heard of I thought that
was quite strange the badminton line and of course after a bit more research I realized this was the
main South Wales route London to South Wales and I realized it tells an extremely quirky story
one of which I thought I'd share with you today and of course tick off all
of the abandoned stations and features so my name is Paul and welcome to the
story of how gwr weren't very good at getting to South Wales
first stop of the day after i've looked at this gorgeous Viaduct is winterbourne
First Stop west to east on the line that we're taking after Bristol Parkway
so I think with one is up on the top of the ridge next to the viaduct let's go take a look
I think from the Drone shots I can see the old station building that's station number one
of today now for those who've been watching the channel for quite a while you'll know that
I like to tick off abandoned stations and by my own calculations I think there's 6800 got
a big spreadsheet took every station I could find from five different sources
and the document I think is still available online if it isn't I'll make it available
but I do stress that's my own calculations so in the meantime winterbourne
also today I'm gonna try I've printed off in my folder just down here a whole load of photos
old photos and some a little bit more recent of those abandoned stations that we're going to visit
and I'm going to try and see if I can sort of replicate those photos that might be a bit of fun
station number two of today coal pit Heath but it gives you an idea of what happened here I have
quick look before we head on to today's story as we um find our way across this little Footbridge
now this is the only one this is the only station from today where I haven't got an old picture so
we'll just have to imagine as it was think there's something else just the other side of here to show
you as well right coalpit Heath just down there where the old industrial estate was I think
even on the old map it says abandoned station but there's nothing there to show whatsoever
wow so coalpit Heath sits next to Ram Hill Colliery that all adds up and this is a scheduled Monument
now right here you've got where the um horse Ginny would have been and it would have pulled the
miners down a shaft over there in the shaft is 170 meters deep pathway we've just taken is called the
dramway which tells you everything and right here is an old Tramway well this is pretty exciting
old stone blocks with the um the pins still in leading up to up to there
The Railway was built in 1903 now the pit had closed here by then so I guess there'd be no association
between the railway and this Railway fascinating little place so where are we now and what is the
context of this line so 1840 in the south of England the main gwr line is open between London
and Bristol the route chosen was relatively flat with Brunel concerned about the gradient
however what that did mean is it wasn't straight a route up to didcot and Swindon and then down to
Chippenham and all the way across to bath before back up into Bristol was required if you wanted
however to get to South Wales well you could but you need to take a route up the Golden Valley
Line 1845 and gwr take over this park built line and connect it up past cirencester Stroud into
Gloucester and your trip will then take you all the way back down that Coastline into South Wales
GW but we're now called the great way round for good reason they were not popular in South Wales
15 years on well things could possibly change now for gwr and their reputation
because Bristol and South Wales Union Railway I think it was called
there were a ferry they had a ferry Crossing and all of a sudden gwr had access to this they could
go north out of Bristol along to new passage via lower pilning and you could embark on a
ferry Journey that would negate the need for you to do all those miles up the Golden Valley Line
Gloucester and then South again through lydney I'm not sure if that would have been for me a
potential of a 50-foot total range Ferry I'm not sure how regular those Crossings would have been
I think I still probably head north through Gloucester you can see why gwr's reputation
still wasn't great in South Wales now just am I right here is my third station of the day chipping
sodbury and I think this time I'm going to be able to recreate uh the picture this online not
that old unfortunately the picture and look at the size of the cutting that way back to
Bristol and over here towards the east we've got the spot of the old station that was here
so you've either got the Golden Valley long way round route or you've got the
ferry still in action not ideal for Freight and not ideal for people 10
years on 1873 and gwr finally commit to crossing the seven Estuary via their
own steam this time a tunnel opened in 1886 but the story wasn't to end here
it's the old badminton station buildings are still there really beautiful but the
old platform's still there as well um hopefully they're not going anywhere because they look apart
and we'll see if we can get a better shot from up here but the good news is
we'll definitely be able to do our comparing new for old on the picture it's at least i think we will
so we've arrived at the site of the abandoned hullavington railway station and I'm guessing
there's not a lot left here so instead of that we'll focus back on the story where we're about
to hear one of the most underhand tactics I've ever come across in Railway history
before I tell you that I'll try and recreate the photo which I think
was taken by the famous photographer Ben Brooksbank from just down there
little Somerford walking along a path I think it's a pathway adjacent to the main line I think the
station was around about here let's say there's no old pictures that I can actually see or use
copyright free so what happened next in the story well there was a company called The Barry Railway
company in South Wales doing really well with the coal industry but they still had issues with
getting it across to to England and the south because they still had to go through Bristol
there was no direct route so 1895 they and a few supporters came up with the South Wales and London
or the London of South Wales Railway 1895 and it proposed a route through Thornbury malmesbury
three and a half thousand yard Bridge so almost immediately gwr came up with an alternative they
muted about it before but now they've got the act of parliament for this Railway the badminton
Railway the South Wales main line that is still here today and of course what did the Barry
Railway company do well they withdrew theirs almost immediately and now they had this route
and they could use gwr line for that reason it was a direct route it avoided Bristol bath
think the station would have been about here
seemed to have got a much better picture if not there I've got a nice old black and white photo
to compare to this time so hopefully I can do a like for like station number seven of the day I've
lost count now and one thing I guess I've taken from today is there's plenty of room it's just a
shame there's no local Services brinkworth the longest Village in England um at about two and
a half miles long huge population here so I don't know could we not have a uh a railway service here
so this has been the story of how gwr failed to really get to grips with South Wales properly
to quite late on hope you've enjoyed it hope you did just discovered as many new stories
and stations that I have today it's been quite a nice Journey see you this time next Sunday