Stratford and Moreton Tramway
Encyclopedia
The Stratford and Moreton Tramway was a 16-mile (24-km) long horse-drawn wagonway
from the canal
basin at Stratford-upon-Avon
in Warwickshire
to Moreton-in-Marsh
in Gloucestershire
, with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour
.
The tramway was intended to carry Black Country
coal to the rural districts of southern Warwickshire via the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, and limestone
and agricultural produce northwards. The parliamentary act for the line was passed in 1821 and construction was completed in 1826, the route having been surveyed by the railway promoter William James
and engineered by John Urpeth Rastrick
. The branch to Shipston was built in 1836.
was opened through Moreton-in-Marsh and the tramway began experimenting with steam operation.
In 1859 the southern section between Moreton and Shipston was converted into a proper railway. The tramway company went bankrupt in 1868, and the line was taken over by the Great Western Railway
.
The northern section of the line from Shipston to Stratford continued to be used as a horse-drawn branch-line carrying lime until the 1880s, when it fell into disuse. The tracks were lifted in 1918 as part of the war effort, and the line was formally abandoned in 1926, exactly 100 years after it had been opened.
The tramway bridge across the River Avon at Stratford remains in use by pedestrians.
One of the horse-drawn wagons, which belonged to Thomas Hutchings of Newbold Lime Works, is preserved near the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon. This would probably have been Newbold on Stour
, rather than Newbold-on-Avon
.
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
from the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
basin at Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
to Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh is a town and civil parish in northeastern Gloucestershire, England. The town is at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road and the A44. The parish and environs are relatively flat and low-lying compared with the surrounding Cotswold Hills...
in Gloucestershire
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....
, with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour
Shipston-on-Stour
Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish on the River Stour about south of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. It is in the northern part of the Cotswolds, close to the boundaries with Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire....
.
The tramway was intended to carry Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
coal to the rural districts of southern Warwickshire via the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and agricultural produce northwards. The parliamentary act for the line was passed in 1821 and construction was completed in 1826, the route having been surveyed by the railway promoter William James
William James (railway promoter)
William James was an English lawyer, surveyor, land agent and pioneer promoter of rail transport. "He was the original projector of the Liverpool & Manchester and other railways, and may with truth be considered as the father of the railway system, as he surveyed numerous lines at his own expense...
and engineered by John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick was one of the first English steam locomotive builders. In partnership with James Foster, he formed Foster, Rastrick and Company, the locomotive construction company that built the Stourbridge Lion in 1829 for export to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in America.-Early...
. The branch to Shipston was built in 1836.
Steam operation
The line functioned as a horse-drawn tramway for several decades, but did not prosper. In 1851 the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton RailwayCotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises 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...
was opened through Moreton-in-Marsh and the tramway began experimenting with steam operation.
In 1859 the southern section between Moreton and Shipston was converted into a proper railway. The tramway company went bankrupt in 1868, and the line was taken over by 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...
.
Northern section
The tramway bridge across the River Avon at Stratford remains in use by pedestrians.
One of the horse-drawn wagons, which belonged to Thomas Hutchings of Newbold Lime Works, is preserved near the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon. This would probably have been Newbold on Stour
Newbold on Stour
Newbold on Stour is a village in Warwickshire about south of Stratford upon Avon.The Church of England parish church of Saint David was built in 1833. It was restored in 1884-89 and the spire was removed in 1948. St...
, rather than Newbold-on-Avon
Newbold-on-Avon
Newbold-on-Avon is an area of Rugby in Warwickshire, England, located around 1½ miles north-west of the town centre. Newbold was historically a village in its own right, but was incorporated into Rugby in 1932....
.