The Railway
The Great Western Railway in Filton and Stoke Gifford - From Notes by Mike Stanbrook.
On 8th September 1863 The Bristol and South Wales union railway was
opened. This was a broad gauge line, 11 miles and 37 chains in length
running between Bristol and new passage peer, with a the ferry
crossing the Severn to Portskewett.
This project was commenced in 1857 and the Act passed and land
purchase in 1845, under Brunel's auspices, although the state of his
health must have prevented him from having much to do with its
execution. He was succeeded by a R P Brereton, with Charles Richards
and as resident engineer. The works, began in October 1858, included
a heavy cutting at Horfield, eight Tunnel 1245 yards long at
Almondsbury, no Patchway Auld Tunnel (down line), and the two timber
Piers at new passage and Paul Stewart, 546 and 258 yards long
respectively. The line was a single one from the junction with the
Great Western line half-a-mile east of the Bristol terminus. There
were stations at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Filton, Patchway,
Pilning and new passage (Ashley Hill was added in 1864). The
gradients were steeped being one in 75 either for two miles at to
Filton and one in 68 for one-and-a-quarter miles down to Pilning.
1. During the year 1858 to 1859 Brunel had been much concerned to obtain the services of a competent resident engineer. To do the the preliminary work and a to this end of rope to his former assistant Mr. C Richardson.
2. The project and languished with his death and was not completed until 1863
The original station at full time was on the site of the present coal
yard, south of the Filton Frenchay Road. The station was so moved it
to its at present position in 19 and and three when the line from
Stoke Gifford was added. The station at Patchway, which is in fact in
Little Stoke, was originally further south, the station was moved to
its present site possibly in late in 1904
Essays in Bristol and Gloucestershire history taken from the Bristol
and Gloucestershire archaeological Society.
Brunel in Bristol. By R. A. Buchanan.
In the last year of his life, Brunel was engaged on the Bristol and South Wales junction railway, projecting a line north from the city through Ashley Down and Patchway to the proposed new passage ferry. He was concerned to obtain the services of a competent resident engineer to do the preliminary work. And wrote to the former assistant Mr C Richardson. ;I want a man acquainted with tunnelling and fro with which a moderate amount of inspecting assistance look after the tunnel with his own ideas-for I am beginning to be sick of inspectors who see nothing-and resident engineers who reside at home and he must be one to home salary is not the principal object;. Brunel was only able to offer £300 per annum raising to £450 per annum, when the full works commenced, but as compensation he pointed out: ;The country immediately north of Bristol I should think a delightful one to live in-beautiful country-good society near Bristol and Clifton etc. I can't vouch for any good cricketing but should think it highly probable;. Richardson clearly did not find the salary very attractive, but as he was not then in employment Brunel was able to press him: ;If you desire on the other hand to go to work again... I think this is an excellent opportunity and again offer it to you provided you were sure any that you enter upon it with pleasure and that a resumption of active life is an object to you to;. Richardson accepted and Brunel soon found a pretext for increasing his salary to £400 but the project languished with his death, and was not completed until 1863.
[ Letter Brunel to C. Richardson 14th September 1858. - The Tunnel mentioned would have been that at Patchway. The reference to cricket it is interesting because Brunel had earlier had cause to reprimand a Richardson for all their indulgence in such a relaxation. ]
The South Wales and Bristol Direct Railway. - Mike Stanbrook
1977
In the autumn of 1895 the directors of the Great
Western Railway took an important step towards meeting long-standing
complaints from South Wales by promoting a Bill for a line 31 miles
long from Wootton Bassett through Badminton two junctions with the
Severn Tunnel line at Patchway and Filton, entitled the South Wales
and Bristol direct railway. This would shorten the distance between
London and South Wales by 10 miles, avoiding the box and Wootton
Bassett inclines. It could also afford an alternative and slightly
shorter route to Bristol, and it relieve the main line between
Bathampton and Bristol, on which traffic had increased so enormously
since the opening of the Severn Tunnel that the question of widening
it had been dismissed, an impossibly costly proceeding.
This line was opened in 1903, the first section from Wooton Bassett to Badminton for goods traffic. On the first of January, the remainder to Patchway with the loop to Filton, on the 1st May, for goods, and the whole for passenger trains on the 1st July. From Wooton Bassett to Patchway the line is 29 3/4 miles and the loop towards Bristol from Stoke Gifford, where a large marshalling yard was laid out, to Filton, just under a mile along. The gradients nowhere exceeded one in 300. Earthworks were very heavy, most of the line being either cuttings or Embankment. There are four viaducts of considerable size, one near Somerford over the Avon and three near Winterbourne. The largest 265 yards long with a maximum height of and 90 feet. The Sodbury tunnel, and the main ridge of the Cotswolds between Badminton and at Chipping Sodbury is just over two-and-a-half miles (4444 yards) long. Stations were built at a Brinkworth, Little Somerford, Hullavington, Badminton, Chipping Sodbury, Coalpit Heath and Winterbourne and water troughs were laid east of Chipping Sodbury.
Extension to Avonmouth
An extension of the South Wales and Bristol director railway was
opened on 9th May 1910 this extension from Stoke Gifford to Avonmouth
brought the docks there to within 120 miles of London, and affording,
by means of a short loop at Filton, the new route from Bristol. There
was one intermediate station, Henbury and three halts, for which a
service of rail motor between Bristol and Avonmouth was provided.
Towards the end of 1916 plans were laid it to construct a large munitions factory at Henbury, on the line from Filton to Avonmouth, a vast amount of preliminary work, in the provisioning of sidings thereabouts and a Bristol and in May 1917 the line from Filton was doubled. (when the United States of America entered the war the munitions factory project was abandoned)
In the 1970s the liner from Filton to Avonmouth and Stoke Gifford to Avonmouth was reduced to single-line working. The Stoke Gifford at marshalling yards were closed and a new station was opened on the site - Parkway. A new line was opened from Patchway to Filton Halt linking South Wales to Avonmouth after rationalising lines from Pilning, Sevenoaks beach/Avonmouth. Filton junction and Patchway station are now unmanned halts with only occasional trains stopping there.
Gauge conversion.
The only engage Conversion carried out in 1873 was that of the branch
from Bristol to new passage peer, formerly part of the Bristol and
South Wales at Union Railway, 11 1/2 miles of single-line. This was
brought about by the necessity for doubling the line as far as a
junction to be made at narrow ways Hill with the new Clifton Extension railway. The Conversion and
doubling were completed between the night of Thursday 7th August and
the morning of the 9th.
Doubling of the line through a Filton.
To provide for the heavy traffic expected on the opening of the new
route to South Wales via the Severn Tunnel, opened in 1886, the
single line of the old Bristol and the South Wales a union railway,
between the junction of the Avonmouth branch at narrow ways near
Stapleton Road station and the new Severn Tunnel railway at Pilning,
was doubled. A separate at between Pilning and Patchway with a
uniform gradient of 1 min in 100 and the Tunnel exactly one
mile-long.
Opening dates Patchway-narrow ways 1st September 1886. Pilning-Patchway 27th May 1887.
Bristol and South Wales railway land purchase see sketch map
|
2 |
Arable |
John |
Park |
| 2 | Arable | John | Park |
| 3 | Arable | Joseph | Parker |
| 4 | Arable | John | Park |
| 5 | Arable | John | Ansley |
| 6 | Arable | John | Ansley |
| 7 | Pasture | John | Ansley |
| 8 | Pasture | John | Ansley |
| 9 | Bridle Road | John | Ansley |
| 10 | Pasture | John | Ansley |
| 11 | Stream | John | Ansley |
| 12 | Pasture | John | Ansley |
| 13 | Pasture | Joseph | Ansley |
| 14 | Pasture | Joseph | Parker |
| 15 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 16 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 17 | Pasture and Stream | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 18 | Pasture and Stream | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 19 | Road | ||
| 20 | Arable | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 21 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 22 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 23 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 24 | Arable | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 25 | Pasture | Benjamin | Wilcox |
| 26 | |||
| 27 | Brook | ||
| 28 | Pasture | Mary | Gunter |
| 29 | Pasture | Mary | Gunter |
|
31 |
Orchard |
Mary | Gunter |
| 32 | Farmhouse, outhouse, Barton and cow shed and roadway | Mary | Gunter |
| 33 | Garden | Mary | Gunter |
| 34 | Rick | Barton |
|
| 35 | Pasture | Mary | Gunter |
| 36 | Arable |
The Railway Summary
| 8th Sep 1863 | Bristol & South Wales Union Railway Opened |
| 17th Feb 1864 | GWR agreed to work B&SWVR |
| 1st Aug 1868 | B&SWVR formally amalgamated with the GWR |
| March 1873 | Severn Tunnel Commenced. |
| 7th-9th Aug 1873 | Glous, Section of B&SWVR converted from Broad to Narrow Gauge. |
| 1st Sep 1886 | Severn Tunnel Opened for Goods |
| 1st Dec 1886 | Severn Tunnel Opened for Passengers |
| 1st May 1903 | Badminton to Patchway Goods |
|
1st July 1903 |
Wootten Bassett, Patchway and Filton open to pagsengers. London - South Wales service routed this way. Goods yard at S.G. |
|
9th May 1910 |
Line from Holesmouth Junction to Filton to S.G. opened. Single line doubled, 13th May 1917, earth works from Filton Halt to Patchway laid out but not completed. |
| 1933 | Quadrupling of Main line between Filton and Stapleton Road. |