Tetbury remembered

THE final train left the terminus at Tetbury –in the south-west corner of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire – on April 5, 1964 with all due fanfare of the time. Like many such branch line closures of the Beeching era, one can imagine quite a few tears being shed as that last working disappeared into the distance, its characteristic sounds becoming fainter until they were extinguished forever.

While there is now no chance of the line reopening, there is some light at the end of this particular railway tunnel with the recent award of a £5800 Heritage Lottery Grant, which will enable the fond memories of those who recall the Tetbury branch line to be recorded, collated and exhibited in the Tetbury Goods Shed Arts Centre.

Long time coming

Tetbury was at the end of a branch from Kemble, an extant station on the Swindon to Gloucester ‘Golden Valley Line’. Kemble was unusual in that it had opened in 1845 just to allow passengers to change between main line trains and the branch to Cirencester (opened in 1841), there being no other public access. The Great Western Railway had to overcome a lot of opposition from landowner Squire Robert Gordon, who did not want any railways disturbing his peace, or local riff-raff