Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
Encyclopedia
The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway is a former railway in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire
and Oxfordshire
, England
.
opened in 1855, linking the town of Chipping Norton
with the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
at Kingham
. The Bourton-on-the-Water Railway between Kingham and Bourton-on-the-Water
opened in 1862.
By 1881 two further sections of railway had been completed: one between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton
and the other between Bourton-on-the-Water and Cheltenham
. Together these four sections of railway formed a complete line between Cheltenham and King's Sutton
.
The BCDR company did not operate services on the line: it contracted the Great Western Railway
to do so in return for a share of the receipts.
In 1891 the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
built a junction with the BCDR at Andoversford
. The M&SWJR paid for running rights on the BCDR between Andoversford and Cheltenham.
The BCDR remained a separate company until the GWR absorbed it in 1897. All services along the BCDR used to have to change directions at Kingham until 1906, when the GWR built a loop over the OW&W that bypassed the station.
s between Chipping Norton and Hook Norton: Chipping Norton Tunnel, 685 yards (626.4 m) long, and Hook Norton Tunnel, 418 yards (382.2 m) long. Hook Norton Tunnel is actually nearer the village of Swerford
and is sometimes called Swerford Park Tunnel.
There were two viaduct
s at Hook Norton: Hook Norton no. 1 and Hook Norton no. 2.
ways withdrew passenger services between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton and closed all intermediate passenger stations on that section of line. In 1958 a landslide at Hook Norton caused freight services to be discontinued between Hook Norton and Chipping Norton.
In 1962 Dr. Richard Beeching
's report The Reshaping of British Railways recommended the withdrawal of passenger services between Cheltenham and Chipping Norton. BR withdrew all passenger services between Cheltenham and Kingham on 15 October 1962 and between Kingham and Chipping Norton on 1 December 1962. and all freight services on 7 September 1964.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Origins and development
The railway was built and opened in stages. The Chipping Norton RailwayChipping Norton Railway
The Chipping Norton Railway opened in 1855, first linking the town of Chipping Norton with the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway.-History:...
opened in 1855, linking the town of Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury.-History until the 17th century:...
with the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
at Kingham
Kingham railway station
Kingham railway station in Oxfordshire is between the Oxfordshire village of Kingham and the Gloucestershire village of Bledington, to which it is closer...
. The Bourton-on-the-Water Railway between Kingham and Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
opened in 1862.
By 1881 two further sections of railway had been completed: one between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton
King's Sutton railway station
King's Sutton railway station serves the village of King's Sutton in Northamptonshire, England. It is also the nearest railway station to the town of Brackley. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways, who provide services along with First Great Western....
and the other between Bourton-on-the-Water and Cheltenham
Cheltenham Spa St. James railway station
-History:The first station was opened by the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway on 23 October 1847, as Cheltenham. It was the terminus of the final section of that company's line from a junction with the Great Western Railway at , which had opened in stages: to on 31 May 1841; to on 12...
. Together these four sections of railway formed a complete line between Cheltenham and King's Sutton
King's Sutton
King's Sutton is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England in the valley of the River Cherwell. The village is about south-east of Banbury, Oxfordshire...
.
The BCDR company did not operate services on the line: it contracted the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
to do so in return for a share of the receipts.
In 1891 the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
built a junction with the BCDR at Andoversford
Andoversford railway station
Andoversford railway station was in Gloucestershire on the Great Western Railway's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway that opened in 1881. Situated about six miles east of Cheltenham, the station served the village of Andoversford with its large market, which provided a lot of the traffic at the...
. The M&SWJR paid for running rights on the BCDR between Andoversford and Cheltenham.
The BCDR remained a separate company until the GWR absorbed it in 1897. All services along the BCDR used to have to change directions at Kingham until 1906, when the GWR built a loop over the OW&W that bypassed the station.
Major structures
There were two tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s between Chipping Norton and Hook Norton: Chipping Norton Tunnel, 685 yards (626.4 m) long, and Hook Norton Tunnel, 418 yards (382.2 m) long. Hook Norton Tunnel is actually nearer the village of Swerford
Swerford
Swerford is a village and civil parish on the River Swere in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England. It is about northeast of Chipping Norton. Swerford has two main neighbourhoods: Church End and East End...
and is sometimes called Swerford Park Tunnel.
There were two viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s at Hook Norton: Hook Norton no. 1 and Hook Norton no. 2.
Closure
In 1951 British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways withdrew passenger services between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton and closed all intermediate passenger stations on that section of line. In 1958 a landslide at Hook Norton caused freight services to be discontinued between Hook Norton and Chipping Norton.
In 1962 Dr. Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
's report The Reshaping of British Railways recommended the withdrawal of passenger services between Cheltenham and Chipping Norton. BR withdrew all passenger services between Cheltenham and Kingham on 15 October 1962 and between Kingham and Chipping Norton on 1 December 1962. and all freight services on 7 September 1964.