Cotswold Line

Cotswold Line
miles km Cherwell Valley line to Didcot Parkway 0.0 mi 0 km Oxford Sheepwash Channel 0.9 mi 1.4 km Oxford North Junction Oxford–Bicester line Wolvercot Platform A40 A34 Duke's Cut 2.9 mi 4.7 km Wolvercot Junction Cherwell Valley line to Banbury Yarnton Loop Varsity Line to Bletchley 3.8 mi 6.1 km Yarnton Fairford line River Evenlode 7.0 mi 11.3 km Hanborough A4095 8.0 mi 12.9 km Combe 11.6 mi 18.7 km Finstock 13.2 mi 21.2 km Charlbury 16.9 mi 27.2 km Ascott-under-Wychwood River Evenlode A361 18.2 mi 29.3 km Shipton 19.7 mi 31.7 km Bruern Crossing 21.2 mi 34.1 km Kingham Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway A436 23.9 mi 38.5 km Adlestrop A44 28.3 mi 45.5 km Moreton-in-Marsh Stratford and Moreton Tramway (later Shipston-on-Stour branch) 31.5 mi 50.7 km Blockley Blockley Chipping Campden 34.3 mi 55.2 km Campden Tunnel Mickleton Halt Honeybourne Line to Stratford-upon-Avon 38.1 mi 61.3 km (now freight only)   38.2 mi 61.5 km Honeybourne 40.2 mi 64.7 km Clayfield Littleton and Badsey A46 River Avon (Upper Avon Navigation) Malvern Junction Midland Railway line to Barnt Green 43.2 mi 69.5 km Evesham Gloucester loop line, part of MR Malvern Line to Ashchurch River Avon (Lower Avon Navigation) River Avon (Lower Avon Navigation) 46.3 mi 74.5 km Fladbury Wyre Halt 49.1 mi 79 km Pershore 51.3 mi 82.6 km Stoulton 53.3 mi 85.8 km Worcestershire Parkway Cross Country Route 53.8 mi 86.6 km Norton Junction Norton Halt 54.5 mi 87.7 km M5 A4440 A44 57.0 mi 91.7 km Worcester Shrub Hill 57.3 mi 92.2 km Rainbow Hill Junction Birmingham - Worcester lines Worcester and Birmingham Canal 57.6 mi 92.7 km Worcester Foregate Street A38 freight branch River Severn A443 A44 A4440 Henwick Boughton Halt Rushwick Halt 60.3 mi 97 km River Teme Leominster Junction line to Leominster Bransford Road Newland Halt 64.4 mi 103.6 km Malvern Link A449 65.6 mi 105.6 km Great Malvern Tewkesbury & Malvern Rly, part of MR Malvern Line to Evesham Malvern Wells 67.1 mi 108 km Colwall Tunnels 68.0 mi 109.4 km 68.4 mi 110.1 km Colwall A449 72.1 mi 116 km Ledbury Tunnel 72.6 mi 116.8 km Ledbury Ledbury and Gloucester Railway Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal (disused) A417 Ashperton Stoke Edith River Frome 81.9 mi 131.8 km Withington A4103 A465 River Lugg (navigation) Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal (disused) 84.6 mi 136.2 km Shelwick Junction Welsh Marches line to Crewe A4103 Barrs Court Junction Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway 86.3 mi 138.9 km Hereford (Barrs Court) Welsh Marches line to Newport

The Cotswold Line is an 86½ mile long railway line running from Oxford to Hereford, serving the intermediate towns of Charlbury, Moreton-in-Marsh, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester, Malvern and Ledbury.

Route

Towns and villages served by stations on the line are listed below, from east to west. The milage of each station from Oxford is given. The entire line is 86½ miles in length.

• Oxford
• Long Hanborough (sometimes called Handborough, (7 miles from Oxford)
• Combe (8 m)
• Finstock (12 m)
• Charlbury (13 mi)
• Ascott-under-Wychwood (17 m)
• Shipton-under-Wychwood (18 m)
• Kingham (21 m)
• Moreton-in-Marsh (30 m)
• Honeybourne (39 m)
• Evesham (43½ m)
• Pershore (49 m)
• Worcester Shrub Hill (57 m)
• Worcester Foregate Street (58 m)
• Malvern Link (64½ m)
• Great Malvern (65 m)
• Colwall (68½ m)
• Ledbury (73 m)
• Hereford (86½ m)

Stations which have closed, many under the Beeching Axe were situated at Yarnton, Adlestrop, Blockley, Campden, Mickleton Halt, Littleton and Badsey, Fladbury, Stoulton, Norton Junction, Rushwick, Henwick, Bransford Road, Newland Halt, Malvern Wells, Ashperton, Stoke Edith and Withington.

There are proposals for new stations at Rushwick, Withington and Chipping Campden. A long standing proposal for a new station at Worcester (Norton) Parkway where the line crosses the Birmingham to Bristol line has made little progress.

The line is composed of all or part of the following Network Rail routes:

• GW 200 from Oxford
• GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction
• GW 300 from Norton Junction
• GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill
• GW 730 from Shelwick Junction to Hereford

Infrastructure

A First Great Western Link Network Express Turbo unit at Evesham station on 19th September 2004, with a service for London Paddington.

The line is single track between the following locations.

• Wolvercot Junction, 3 miles North of Oxford) and Ascott-under-Wychwood.
• Moreton-in-Marsh and Norton Junction, 3 miles South East of Worcester), with a crossing place at Evesham.
• Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
• Malvern Wells and Hereford with a crossing place at Ledbury.

Other sections are double track.

Significant civil engineering structures on the line include Campden Tunnel (875yds in length), Colwall New Tunnel (1567 yds), Ledbury Tunnel (1323 yds) and viaducts at Worcester and Ledbury.

Network Rail plan to redouble 20 miles of track from just east of Charlbury to Ascott-under-Wychwood, and from Moreton to around 1 mile west of Evesham Station. This will improve reliability, enable non-stop operations and allow an hourly off peak service to run on the line. . The ORR approved the work in June 2008, although the planned work is over-budget and awaits final approval. Currently (01/12/08) work is taking place to clear vegetation.

Services

Stopping patterns vary. No train calls at all the stations on the line.

First Great Western operate services between Oxford and Worcester with some continuing to Reading and London Paddington at the east end of the line and to Hereford and Abergavenny in the west. Between Worcester and Hereford there are additional services operated by London Midland. A First Great Western service, formerly operated by Wessex Trains, runs infrequently between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill as an extension of their Bristol-Worcester service.

History

The line between Oxford and Worcester was constructed under an 1845 Act of Parliament and opened in 1851 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway.

The Act required the line to be built to Brunel's broad gauge (7 ft 0¼ in / 2,140 mm) but delays, disputes and increasing costs led to its being completed as standard gauge (4ft8½).

The first stage of the Worcester and Hereford Railway opened between Henwick and Malvern Link on 25 July 1859. The bridge over the River Severn was approved for traffic the following year, and trains started running throught from Malvern Link to Worcester Shrub Hill station on 17 May 1860. A short extension from Malvern Link to Malvern Wells opened on 25 May 1860.

On 1 July 1860, the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway absorbed both the Worcester & Hereford Railway and the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway to form the West Midland Railway.

On 13 September 1861, the final stage of the railway opened between Malvern Wells and Shelwick Junction. This junction is just north of Hereford station on the line between Hereford and Shrewsbury, and this finally created a through route from Worcester to Hereford.

The West Midland Railway became part of the Great Western Railway in 1863.

The original tunnel through the ridge of the Malvern Hills, known as Colwall Tunnel, was completed in July 1860. However, the tunnel was unstable, and it had to be closed for short periods in 1861 and again in 1907 following rock falls. Eventually the Great Western Railway decided to construct a new tunnel to the south of the existing bore. This opened for traffic on 2 August 1926. The old tunnel was abandoned, and during the Second World War it was used to store ammunition. Following serious floods, which caused parts of embankments to be washed away, it was necessary to close the line for about a fortnight during July/August 2007 for repairs.

In 2007 some trains in the morning rush hour started at Abergavenny railway station but this was discontinued from December 2008.

Poetry

The line features in two well known poems.

Adlestrop by Edward Thomas (poet) and Pershore Station, or A Liverish Journey First Class by Sir John Betjeman.

Route detail

Oxford to Charlbury

After departing Oxford station, the Cotswold Line shares track with the Cherwell Valley Line to Banbury. About 220yds north of the station, the line crosses the Sheepwash Channel which links the Oxford Canal to the River Thames. Immediately east of the current line is a swing bridge over the channel which used to carry the LNWR line to its Rewley Road station. The swing bridge is listed as a historic structure. The former station building at Rewley Road has been dismantled and re-erected at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. The built up area east of the railway, visible across the Oxford Canal, is Jericho, a district which originated as lodgings outside the city walls where travellers could rest if they arrived after the gates were locked. The Eagle Ironworks of W Lucy & Co. is situated near the first road bridge over the track.

After the bridge, the open area to the left is Port Meadow, a water meadow bordering the Thames with a Bronze Age round barrow. The former LNWR Varsity Line branches away to the north east. Proposals exist for re-opening the whole line and are included in the Draft Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy, but there are many planning and funding issues to be resolved.

The line passes through Wolvercote. To the west, Lower Wolvercote was a centre for paper making, mainly for the Oxford University Press from the 17th century until 1998 and is the site of Godstow abbey, a Benedictine nunnery founded in the 12th century. The line passes under the viaduct carrying the A34 Oxford Western bypass and 100 yds further under the A40 road linking London and Fishguard.

The line now turns west and the former link from the LNWR Cambridge line converges from the north. About four miles after Oxford station, Yarnton station was situated in the short distance between here and where the Fairford branch diverged to the south. So far, the line has been close to the River Thames but the river now swings away to the south through a landscape dotted with gravel pits. The line now climbs the valley of the River Evenlode repeatedly crossing and re-crossing the river. Hanborough station serves the villages of Long Hanborough, Church Hanborough, Freeland and Bladon. The Oxford Bus Museum is situated next to Hanborough Station.

Leaving Hanborough, the line enters the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and one mile beyond Hanborough is Combe station. Building the line through Combe was difficult with several deep cuttings, four crossings of the Evenlode, and the diversion of a length of the river. To the south, just after the third river crossing are the remains of North Leigh Roman Villa. 0.9 miles beyond the villa, the line crosses the route of Akeman Street Roman road. The Oxfordshire Way long-distance footpath comes down Akeman Street from the north east to a point about 0.6mi north of the railway before turning to run through the village of Stonesfield and meet the line at Charlbury station. The next station is Finstock. Between Finstock and Charlbury the deer park to the west of the line is Cornbury Park, venue for the Cornbury Music Festival. The woodlands south west of the park are the remains of Wychwood Forest named after the Hwicce, one of the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Britain. Charlbury station is the first stop for faster trains over the line and retains its original OWWR clapperboard building. Sir Peter Parker lived nearby at Minster Lovell and was a regular user of Charlbury station while chairman of the British Railways Board (1976 to 1983). The patronage of the head of the organisation may have helped to save the line at a time when the Serpell Report was calling for more rail closures.

Charlbury to Moreton-in-Marsh

The line is now heading south west and the remains of D'Oyley Castle can be seen to the north west as the train enters the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood. Few trains call at the Ascott station, but there is a signal box controlling the level crossing and the points at the end of the single track section from Wolvercot Junction. 1.2 miles beyond Ascott is Shipton station which serves the villages of Shipton-under-Wychwood, Milton-under-Wychwood and Fifield.

Still following the Evenlode, the line now turns again to head north west. There is another level crossing near Bruern Abbey. The next junction on the line was at Kingham Station from where the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway routes headed west to Cheltenham via Stow-on-the-Wold and east to King's Sutton near Banbury. The village of Kingham is north of the station. The village west of the station is Bledington. The Oxfordshire Way which has been close to the railway since Akeman Street now turns west to Bourton-on-the-Water but it is replaced by another long distance footpath, the Diamond Way. At Moreton-in-Marsh, the line crosses another major Roman road, the Fosse Way which linked Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) to Lincoln (Lindum). Moreton is the headquarters of the railway spot-hire company Cotswold Rail.

The site of Norton Junction looking towards Oxford. The single tracked Cotswold Line branches off to the left, with the right hand branch linking to the Cross Country Line (southbound)

Moreton-in-Marsh to Hereford

About 28 miles after Oxford is Moreton-in-Marsh Station. This was once the southern end of the Stratford-upon-Avon to Moreton tramway. The line then passes the corner of the Roman town of Dorn. The Cotswold Line at last leaves the Evenlode which drains into the Thames and enters the catchment of the River Severn. The first level crossing appears. The building west of the crossing is a brick works and the neighbouring pits were the site of jurassic clay extraction for the works. The village to the north is Paxford. The large country house to the west is Northwick Park, onetime home of Edward Spencer-Churchill and site of an American Army hospital during World War II and afterwards a centre for Polish refugees. The old stone village of Chipping Campden on the Cotswold Way footpath and once had a station. From here the line goes into cutting, then the 875yd Campden Tunnel under the Cotswold escarpment. In 1851 unrest among the navvies building the tunnel resulted in a riot - the 'Battle of Campden Tunnel'.

The next station is Honeybourne Station. From 1905 to 1977 this was the junction with the Great Western Railway's Cheltenham to Stratford line. The track to the north remains as a link to the large ex-military depot at Long Marston. The large compound to the north with high walls, chapel & floodlights is Long Lartin prison. There is another level crossing. This used to be Littleton and Badsey station. The line crosses the River Avon into Evesham. Opposite Evesham's Cotswold Line station is the former Midland Railway station, once on the Ashchurch & Barnt Green line. The line then crosses the River Avon again and follows it towards Pershore.

The line crosses over the CrossCountry Line and then passes through Norton Junction (where an old station existed). The junction links the line to the CrossCountry Route. Here, double track starts. Where the two routes cross, is where the new Worcester Parkway station will be built, if it gets passed.

After about 57 miles on the line, Worcester Shrub Hill station appears. Here are connexions to commuter lines going to Birmingham. If Worcester Parkway is built, Shrub Hill station will close. Worcester Foregate Street station has transfers for the city centre and other lines to Birmingham. Six miles later, the train comes to Malvern Link station. Great Malvern station follows. A couple of miles later, the closed Malvern Wells station appears. After Malvern Wells station, the line enters the 1584yd long Colwall New Tunnel. It is a rebuilt tunnel; the entrance to the old tunnel can be seen to the north. During World War II, the old tunnel was used by the Royal Navy to store torpedoes. When the tunnel is below the ridge of the Malvern Hills, the line passes from Worcestershire to Herefordshire. The line arrives at Colwall Station. The plant next to the station is used by The Coca-Cola Company to bottle Malvern Water, a local mineral water. Next to the bridge carrying the B4218 over the railway is an unusual five sided cottage. When the railway was built one corner had to be demolished and replaced by a plain wall. After the plant, Ledbury and Hereford stations end the journey on the line.

External links

The Cotswold Line Promotion Group is a voluntary organisation with the aim of safeguarding and promoting improvements to rail and bus feeder services along the line.

Hansard for 3 March 2004 - Record of House of Commons adjournment debate on The Cotswold Line.

The Cotswold Line Railbus is a network of bus routes paid for by Oxfordshire County Council linking the Wychwoods villages (Milton, Shipton and Ascott), Leafield and Finstock to Charlbury station (routes C1/T1) and Chipping Norton, Churchill, Kingham, Foscot, Idbury, Fifield and the Wychwoods to Kingham station (route X8). A new Sunday service on route 233 between Chipping Norton, Kingham station, Wychwoods, Burford and Witney starts on 1 February 2009.

References

• Atterbury, Paul; See Britain By Train; AA Publishing (1989); ISBN 0-86145-760-9
• Conolly, W Philip; British Rail Pre-grouping Atlas and Gazetteer; Ian Allan Ltd (1976); ISBN 0-7110-0320-3
• New Adlestrop Railway Atlas