Tetbury Goods Shed and Raillands Trust On December the 2nd 1889, Tetbury town was “en fête.”
Most shops were closed for the day, there were flags, bunting, marching bands, processions and triumphal arches. And why? Because after years of campaigning, Tetbury had at last got a station - and this was the day the first steam train would leave the station on the new branch line to Kemble. Hundreds of people turned out to watch.
ϳ KŶ Ă tŝŶƚĞƌƐ EŝŐŚƚ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ :ŽŚŶŶLJ ŽƉƉŝŶ ƉůƵƐ WĂƵů ƵƌŐĞƐƐ Θ ŝŬ ĂĚďƵƌLJ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ^ŚŽǁ͘ &ƌŽŵ άϳ͘ϱϬ ϴ ŽƌŝŶŝƵŵ WůĂLJĞƌƐ 'ƵŝƚĂƌ ŶƐĞŵďůĞ Ϯ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ WĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů͕ ^ƉĂŶŝƐŚ͕ >ĂƚŝŶ ĂŶĚ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ ŵƵƐŝĐ͘ άϱ͘ϬϬ
Tommy Curtis worked as a guard on the branch for 40 years, from its opening day until he retired in March 1932.
ϭϰ dĞƚďƵƌLJ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ŚŽŝƌ Θ tĞƐƚŽŶďŝƌƚ WƵƉŝůƐ͘ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ĞĂƵƚŝĨƵů ƐŽŶŐƐ Θ ŚĂƌŵŽŶŝĞƐ͘ άϭϬ͘ϬϬ
This December it will be 130 years since that first steam train left. To celebrate that event, and the end of a Heritage Lottery project, Tetbury Goods Shed is holding a special evening event showcasing the history of the Branch line. The line was closed in April 1964 as a result of the Beeching cuts.
ϭϱ ^ƉŝƚĨŝƌĞ ^ŝƐƚĞƌƐ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ZĞƚƵƌŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƐĞĂƐŽŶĂů ƐŽŶŐƐ ŽůĚ Θ ŶĞǁ͘ ƌŝŶŐŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ŵŝƌƚŚ Θ ǀŝŶƚĂŐĞ ƐƚLJůŝŶŐ͘ &ƌŽŵ άϭϰ͘ϬϬ Ϯϭ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ĂƌŽůƐ ϲ͘ϯϬ Ɖŵ͘ &ĞƐƚŝǀĞ ĐŚĞĞƌ͕ ŵƵƐŝĐ͕ ŵƵůůĞĚ ǁŝŶĞ Θ ŵŝŶĐĞ ƉŝĞƐ͘ &Z EdZz tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ĨƚĞƌŶŽŽŶ dĞĂ ŽŶĐĞƌƚƐ Ϯ͘ϯϬͲϰ͘ϬϬƉŵ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ^ǁŝŶŐ :ŝǀĞ ĚĂŶĐĞ ĐůĂƐƐĞƐ ϳ͘ϬϬ – ϵ͘ϬϬƉŵ
As part of the Heritage Lottery award a 15-minute film has been made, with local people recounting their memories of using the line. These memories range from stories of the Maharajah of Jaipur using the line to bring his polo ponies down to play at Cirencester, to the men who worked on the train and the school children who used it.
ϱ dŚĞ ƵƌƌĞŶƚ tĂƌ ;ϭϮ Ϳ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ZĂĐĞ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ dŚŽŵĂƐ ĚŝƐŽŶ Θ 'ĞŽƌŐĞ tĞƐƚŝŶŐŚŽƵƐĞ ƚŽ ƉŽǁĞƌ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͘
As well as premiering the film, there will be an exhibition by the History of Tetbury Society showing some of their archive material from across the years – including pictures of the first steam train and the festive arches put up in the town in 1889 to celebrate that first train. It’s also hoped to bring to life archive newspaper reports of that day; the event was also celebrated with some really bad poetry! Tetbury Model Railway Society will also be there, and they hope to be able to exhibit their finished model of the station yard.
ϭϮ dƌĂŶƐŝƚ ;ϭϮ Ϳ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ŵĂŶ ĨĂůůƐ ŝŶ ůŽǀĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ǁŝĚŽǁ ŽĨ Ă ĚĞĂĚ ĂƵƚŚŽƌ ǁŚŽƐĞ ŝĚĞŶƚŝƚLJ ŚĞ ŚĂƐ ĂƐƐƵŵĞĚ͘ ϭϵ ƵƚĐŚ ĂƐƐŝĚLJ Θ ƚŚĞ ^ƵŶĚĂŶĐĞ <ŝĚ ;W'Ϳ ϳ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ůĂƐƐŝĐ ĨŽƌ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ͘ ^ƚĂƌƌŝŶŐ WĂƵů EĞǁŵĂŶ Θ ZŽďĞƌƚ ZĞĚĨŽƌĚ͘
ϭϴ tƌŝƚĞƌƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ^ŚĞĚ ϳ͘ϬϬ Ɖŵ͘ :ŽŝŶ ĂƵƚŚŽƌ ZĂĐŚĞů :ŽLJĐĞ ĨŽƌ Ă ǀĞƌLJ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĞǀĞŶŝŶŐ Ăƚ dŚĞ ^ŚĞĚ͘ άϳ͘ϬϬ͘
The Heritage Lottery grant has also enabled signs to be put up around the site showing where the station, engine shed, loading bay and signal box were sited – and created a Train Talk Trail for children.
The event is free, with a paying bar, and the doors will open at 6.00 pm.
ϱ &ůŽƌĂů tŽƌŬƐŚŽƉ ϲ͘ϯϬƉŵͲϴ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ƌĞĂƚĞ Ă ĨĂďƵůŽƵƐ ĨĞƐƚŝǀĞ ŐĂƌůĂŶĚ͘ άϱϬ͘ϬϬ͘
Tetbury Goods Shed Team
ϲ &ĞƐƚŝǀĞ &ĞůƚŝŶŐ tŽƌŬƐŚŽƉ ϭϬ͘ϬϬͲϭ͘ϬϬƉŵ DĂŬĞ LJŽƵƌ ǀĞƌLJ ŽǁŶ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ZĞŝŶĚĞĞƌ͘ άϯϱ͘ϬϬ
To provide access to the Duchy’s section of bridleway, opened last year,
ϭϮ &ůŽƌĂů tŽƌŬƐŚŽƉ ϲ͘ϯϬƉŵͲϴ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ƌĞĂƚĞ Ă ŐŽƌŐĞŽƵƐ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ǁƌĞĂƚŚ͘ άϰϱ͘ϬϬ ϭϵ &ůŽƌĂů tŽƌŬƐŚŽƉ ϲ͘ϯϬƉŵͲϴ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ ^ƚLJůĞ Ă ƌĞƐƉůĞŶĚĞŶƚ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ĐĞŶƚƌĞ ƉŝĞĐĞ͘ άϮϬ͘ϬϬ
a ramp has been constructed from the Newnton Hill road down to the old railway line. A new entrance has been made into the field opposite the ramp on the other side of the road. Brash (rubble) has been used to construct a ramp back down to the railbed so users can continue along the Trail to the Trouble House. Please don’t cut across the field now the new ramp has been completed.
ϯϬƚŚ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌͬϭƐƚ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌ͘ ϭϬĂŵ – ϱ͘ϯϬƉŵ
ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ƌĂĨƚ &Ăŝƌ – &ŝŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌĨĞĐƚ ŐŝĨƚƐ ĨŽƌ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ĂŶĚ &ĂŵŝůLJ͘ &Z EdZz
Thanks to Mike and Andrew Tucker, David Wilson, Tarmac Ltd, Geoff Turbott, Graham Cleaver, Eagle Plant and Dave Trowell for all their help.
Ϯ dĞƚďƵƌLJ dƌĂŝŶ DĞŵŽƌŝĞƐ͘ ϲ͘ϬϬƉŵ͘ ĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŶŐ ĨŝƌƐƚ ƐƚĞĂŵ ƚƌĂŝŶ ƚŽ ůĞĂǀĞ dĞƚďƵƌLJ ŝŶ ϭϴϴϵ Θ ǁŽƌůĚ ƉƌĞŵŝĞƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵĞŵŽƌŝĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŚŽ ƵƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂŝŶ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ͘ &Z EdZz ϭϭ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ džŚŝďŝƚŝŽŶ WƌŝǀĂƚĞ sŝĞǁ͘ ϲ͘ϬϬƉŵ &Z EdZz ϯ :ĂŶƵĂƌLJ – W EdK – ĞĂƵƚLJ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĞĂƐƚ Ϯ͘ϬϬƉŵ͘
We have just heard that the Tetbury Trail has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund. Since we would like to put an all-weather surface along the Tetbury Trail, so it can be used by walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders, and the disabled, we’re very grateful for this opportunity to raise money for the Trail. When a Co-op member buys selected products or services, they earn a five per cent reward for themselves, with a further one per cent for local causes like ours. Co-op members can choose to support the Tetbury Trail by going online at www.coop.co.uk/ membership. Please visit the website and choose to support us.
&Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ǀŝƐŝƚ ŽƵƌ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ ĂĨĠ KƉĞŶ ϭϬ Ăŵ – ϰ Ɖŵ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ
Thank you for supporting the Tetbury Trail Tetbury Rail Lands Trust
10 | December 2019
1251219
Read online at www.tetburyadvertiser.co.uk