Clifton Down railway station
Encyclopedia
Clifton Down railway station is located on Whiteladies Road
in Clifton
, Bristol
, England
. The station is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west of Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line
. To the west of the station the line passes through a mile-long tunnel under the Downs
; the station takes its name from Clifton Down
, the southern part of this open public space.
trains a day from the station to Temple Meads and 13 Midland Railway
trains a day to Mangotsfield
. Trains to Mangotsfield ceased in 1941, but by 1947 there were 33 trains a day in each direction (18 on Sundays). Until the 1970s excursion trains were run to the station from South Wales for visitors to Bristol Zoo
- trains known as "monkey specials".
An additional subway style entrance to the station from Whiteladies road was removed in the early 1990s. The staircase can still be seen on platform 2 beyond the guard rails. At street level, this entrance was paved over to make way for a small shopping island.
The original station waiting room, ticket office and station-master's house, which stands as a testament to previous grandeur, is now an Australian theme pub known as the "Roo Bar". The station building, pub and attached screen walls date from 1874 and have been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II listed building.
(just under 1 mile away). It is now unstaffed with no ticket machines, meaning tickets should be bought on the train.
The station has a passing loop
as there are two tracks there on the mainly single track line.
The disused station building's bricked-up windows and doors feature artwork of animals created by students at the North Bristol Post 16 Centre at the Redland Green Learning Community as part of an art and design course, and to promote links to Bristol Zoo
.
, using mainly Pacer units. Monday to Friday, three trains every two hours run from to , with one extended to and , giving a service at Clifton Down of one train in each direction every 40 minutes. On Saturdays there is a similar level of service, but more trains continue to Severn Beach. Sunday sees a roughly hourly service to and from Bristol, with only two services extending to Severn Beach, except from the May timetable change until September, when all services are extended.
In March 2007 First Great Western
, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years. At Clifton Down they are;
Whiteladies Road
Whiteladies Road is a main road in Bristol, England. It runs north from the Victoria Rooms to Durdham Down, and separates Clifton on the west side from Redland on the east...
in Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
. The station is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west of Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK. It runs from Narroways Hill Junction to Severn Beach, and is the successor to the Bristol Port Railway and Pier, which ran from a Bristol terminus in the Avon Gorge to a station and pier on the Severn Estuary.Passenger trains run from Bristol...
. To the west of the station the line passes through a mile-long tunnel under the Downs
The Downs (Bristol)
The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the northeast, and the generally more picturesque and visited Clifton Down to the southwest.- Durdham Down:...
; the station takes its name from Clifton Down
Clifton Down
Clifton Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England, north of the village of Clifton. With its neighbour Durdham Down to the northeast, it constitutes the large area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking and team sports...
, the southern part of this open public space.
History
The station was opened on 1 October 1874, when the first section of the Severn Line branch was opened. Initially there were 10 Great Western RailwayGreat 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...
trains a day from the station to Temple Meads and 13 Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
trains a day to Mangotsfield
Mangotsfield
Mangotsfield is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, situated north of the Bristol suburb of Kingswood, bounded to the north by the M4 motorway and to the east by the Emersons Green housing estate....
. Trains to Mangotsfield ceased in 1941, but by 1947 there were 33 trains a day in each direction (18 on Sundays). Until the 1970s excursion trains were run to the station from South Wales for visitors to Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission is "Bristol Zoo Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural...
- trains known as "monkey specials".
An additional subway style entrance to the station from Whiteladies road was removed in the early 1990s. The staircase can still be seen on platform 2 beyond the guard rails. At street level, this entrance was paved over to make way for a small shopping island.
The original station waiting room, ticket office and station-master's house, which stands as a testament to previous grandeur, is now an Australian theme pub known as the "Roo Bar". The station building, pub and attached screen walls date from 1874 and have been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II listed building.
Today
The station is next to Clifton Down shopping centre. It is the closest railway station to the BBC's main Bristol studios and offices on Whiteladies Road, and to Bristol ZooBristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission is "Bristol Zoo Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural...
(just under 1 mile away). It is now unstaffed with no ticket machines, meaning tickets should be bought on the train.
The station has a passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
as there are two tracks there on the mainly single track line.
The disused station building's bricked-up windows and doors feature artwork of animals created by students at the North Bristol Post 16 Centre at the Redland Green Learning Community as part of an art and design course, and to promote links to Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission is "Bristol Zoo Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural...
.
Services
Services at Clifton Down are all operated by First Great WesternFirst Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
, using mainly Pacer units. Monday to Friday, three trains every two hours run from to , with one extended to and , giving a service at Clifton Down of one train in each direction every 40 minutes. On Saturdays there is a similar level of service, but more trains continue to Severn Beach. Sunday sees a roughly hourly service to and from Bristol, with only two services extending to Severn Beach, except from the May timetable change until September, when all services are extended.
Proposed improvements
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years. At Clifton Down they are;
- CCTV
- Help and information points
- Public address system
- Seal off area under bridge
- Sign on road bridge
- Zoo branding/signing
See also
- First Great WesternFirst Great WesternFirst Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
- List of all UK railway stationsUK railway stationsList of railway stations in the United Kingdom, split alphabetically.*UK railway stations – A*UK railway stations – B*UK railway stations – C*UK railway stations – D*UK railway stations – E*UK railway stations – F*UK railway stations – G...
- Rail services in BristolRail services in BristolThere are three train operating companies in Bristol: CrossCountry, First Great Western and South West Trains.-Services in Bristol:* Bristol - Manchester* Plymouth - Edinburgh* Bristol Parkway - Weston-super-Mare* Cardiff - Portsmouth...