Tetbury Road railway station was built by the Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway to serve the Gloucestershire villages of Kemble and Coates, and the town of Tetbury.
Tetbury Road | |
|---|---|
,_Gloucestershire_(geograph_5876450).jpg) The site of the station in 2018 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Coates, Gloucestershire, Cotswold England |
| Coordinates | 51°41′17″N 2°01′42″W / 51.6880°N 2.0284°W |
| Grid reference | ST981987 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Opened | 12 May 1845 |
| Closed | 1 May 1882 |
| Original company | Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 12 May 1845 | Opened as Tetbury Road |
| 1 May 1882 | Closed to passengers |
| 1 May 1908 | Renamed Coates |
| 1 July 1963 | Closed to freight |
History edit
The station was situated on the Golden Valley Line, to the north of the bridge where the line passes over the Fosse Way.[1] The site was carefully chosen so as to be outside the land around Kemble, which was owned by Robert Gordon, who forbade the construction of a public station on his land.[2]
The Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway (C&GWU) had been authorised on 21 June 1836 to build a line from a junction with the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon to Cheltenham via Kemble, with a branch from the latter point to Cirencester.[3] The first section of the C&GWU from Swindon to Cirencester opened on 31 May 1841; there were no stations between Minety and Cirencester.[4][2] A junction was later constructed at Kemble, with it, the line from there to Gloucester was opened on 12 May 1845, and the first station on the new line was at Tetbury Road.[5] A station was also built at the junction, but this had no road access, being intended for interchange purposes.[6][7] In the meantime, the C&GWU had been purchased by the GWR on 1 July 1843.[8][2]
During the conversion of the Cirencester branch from 7 ft 0+1⁄4 in gauge to standard gauge, which took place between 22 and 27 May 1872, Cirencester passengers used Tetbury Road station, and were conveyed between the station and Cirencester by omnibus.[2]
When road access to Kemble station was provided from 1 May 1882, Tetbury Road was closed to passengers.[9][2][1] It remained open for goods, and on 1 May 1908 was renamed Coates, to prevent goods intended for Tetbury from being sent here by mistake;[1] the Tetbury branch having opened for passengers and goods on 2 December 1889.[10] The station closed completely on 1 July 1963.[2][1]
The line remains open for passenger services between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa.
Route edit
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalford Line open, station closed |
Great Western Railway Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway |
Kemble Line and station open | ||
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d Mitchell & Smith 2005, fig. XIII.
- ^ a b c d e f Tolson 1964, p. 743.
- ^ Tolson 1964, p. 742.
- ^ MacDermot 1927, pp. 170–1.
- ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 184.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 2005, Historical background.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 2005, fig. VII.
- ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 174.
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 227.
- ^ Tolson 1964, p. 744.
References edit
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway.
- Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith (January 2005). Swindon to Gloucester. Western Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-46-2.
- Tolson, John M. (October 1964). Cooke, B.W.C. (ed.). "End of an Experiment". The Railway Magazine. 110 (762). Westminster: Tothill Press.