Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway: Difference between revisions
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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{{main3|Crewe railway station|Grand Junction Railway|London and North Western Railway}} |
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The [[Great Junction Railway]] was conceived to join via the most direct route, the commercial northwest of England with the Midlands and [[London]] via the most direct route. |
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On 4 July 1837, the [[Grand Junction Railway]] opened, linking the four largest cities of [[England]] by joining the existing [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]] with the projected [[London and Birmingham Railway|London and Birmingham railway]]. The line, which was the first long-distance railway in the world, ran from [[Curzon Street railway station]] in [[Birmingham]] to [[Dallam, Warrington|Dallam]] in [[Warrington]], Cheshire, where it made an end-on junction with the Warrington and Newton Railway, a branch of the L&M. Conceived as a through route, the GJR was not interested in serving towns en-route. [[Wolverhampton]], for instance, was by-passed by half a mile because it did not lie on the intended route. |
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Having been turned down by [[Nantwich]], a station was built in the township of Crewe which formed part of the [[Ancient parishes of Cheshire|ancient parish of Barthomley]], on the junction of a [[turnpike trust|turnpike road]] linking the [[Trent and Mersey]] and the [[Shropshire Union]] canals. As soon as the station opened it was seen to be at a useful point to begin a branch line to the county town of [[Chester]], facilitated by the 1840 construction of the [[Chester and Crewe Railway]], extended in 1841 to [[Holyhead]] to provide the fastest route to [[Ireland]]. |
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| ⚫ | In 1845 the GJR merged with the |
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| ⚫ | In 1845 the GJR merged with the L&B and L&M to form the [[London and North Western Railway]] Company, which until its demise in 1923 was the largest company in the world. The new company extended the Warrington line to Lancaster and Carlisle, the Manchester line to Leeds, and built the new a new line to [[Shrewsbury railway station|Shrewsbury]] to join the now jointly owned with the GWR [[Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway]], which provided connections to [[South Wales]]. |
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==Construction== |
==Construction== |
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Revision as of 14:49, 9 January 2010
|} The Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway was a joint railway owned by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR) companies, from 1862. Before that, it had been an independent company, the first to run train services in Herefordshire.
The line was built between 1850 and 1853.
Background
Template:Main3 On 4 July 1837, the Grand Junction Railway opened, linking the four largest cities of England by joining the existing Liverpool and Manchester Railway with the projected London and Birmingham railway. The line, which was the first long-distance railway in the world, ran from Curzon Street railway station in Birmingham to Dallam in Warrington, Cheshire, where it made an end-on junction with the Warrington and Newton Railway, a branch of the L&M. Conceived as a through route, the GJR was not interested in serving towns en-route. Wolverhampton, for instance, was by-passed by half a mile because it did not lie on the intended route.
Having been turned down by Nantwich, a station was built in the township of Crewe which formed part of the ancient parish of Barthomley, on the junction of a turnpike road linking the Trent and Mersey and the Shropshire Union canals. As soon as the station opened it was seen to be at a useful point to begin a branch line to the county town of Chester, facilitated by the 1840 construction of the Chester and Crewe Railway, extended in 1841 to Holyhead to provide the fastest route to Ireland.
In 1845 the GJR merged with the L&B and L&M to form the London and North Western Railway Company, which until its demise in 1923 was the largest company in the world. The new company extended the Warrington line to Lancaster and Carlisle, the Manchester line to Leeds, and built the new a new line to Shrewsbury to join the now jointly owned with the GWR Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, which provided connections to South Wales.
Construction
The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway Company (SMR 9412)
The first railway line to be built in Herefordshire was the work of the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway Company. In 1846 Parliament had sanctioned an Act allowing the new line to be built using the narrow gauge system. The line was to cover a distance of 50.5 miles.
The man appointed engineer of this line was the Liberal MP for Shrewsbury, Mr Henry Robertson. Due to financial problems work on the line didn't begin until 1850 when Thomas Brassey took over the project as engineer and agreed to work at his own risk and put up 3.5% of the cost. In 1854 this percentage of the cost was transferred to an 8 year lease, which proved to be very profitable for Mr Brassey.
The first section of the line from Shrewsbury to Ludlow opened on the 21st April 1852 and there was a commemorative luncheon at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms. The Hereford section of the line opened at Barrs Court Station to the east of Hereford City on the 6th of December, 1853, although the line had been used for the transportation of goods since the 30th July.
Although the 6th December 1853, was chosen as the official day of celebration the first passenger train to arrive at Hereford Barrs Court Station arrived on Saturday 28th October, en route from Shrewsbury. It consisted of two engines decorated with flags, which carried the Chairman of the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway Company, Mr Ormsby-Gore and the railway contractor Thomas Brassey. There were also 6 first class carriages and a luggage van, which was occupied by a band of musicians. When the train arrived in Hereford the passengers had to disembark at what was to be the site of the station for as yet there were no buildings save an unfinished engine house and a water house. (Cavalcade of a Century, 1832-1932, 100 years of the Hereford Times: Hereford Record Office - BH74)
The First Train
A banquet had been arranged at the Shire Hall and catered for by the manager of the City Arms in Broad Street but the reception to the trains was distinctly lukewarm, with few people turning out to witness their arrival into the city. The organisers put the lacklustre reception down to the fact that it was a busy market day and few traders or customers were willing to put business on hold to greet the train.
An article in the Hereford Times described the reception to the first train as thus:
"We thought the good citizens of Hereford evinced considerable apathy on the occasion for though a considerable number assembled to meet the maiden train from Shrewsbury, there was scarcely a hurrah given, not a bell was rung, not a cannon fired." (Cavalcade of a Century, 1832-1932, 100 years of the Hereford Times: Hereford Record Office - BH74)
It was decided to choose the day when the Newport and Abergavenny line was linked to the Shrewsbury and Hereford line as the official opening day of the railways in Hereford, so Tuesday 6th of December became known as 'The Great Railway Fete'.
The Official Opening Ceremony.
The weather for the opening day stayed fine and the dawn was rung in by church bells across the city. All business in the city was suspended and the streets were decorated with flags bearing messages of goodwill for the railways.
The 1851 Census of Hereford shows that the population of the city at this time was around 12,000 but the Hereford Times estimated that upwards of 60,000 filled the city streets to witness the special event. At the Barton and Above-Eign bridges 30,000 people gathered to line the track.
The Arrival.
On the day Hereford was welcoming two trains, one on the Shrewsbury to Hereford line and the other on the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford line.
The Newport train, one of the longest ever seen, had left for Hereford at 10 o'clock, was made up of 3 engines and 31 carriages and brought with it the Mayors of Newport, Cardiff, Swansea and Brecon, the Chairman, directors and engineers of the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway and the Band of the 1st Royals who were to play at a ball in the evening at Shire Hall. All in all the train rolled in with 670 passengers on board.
It had been planned that the train would arrive at Barrs Court Station at 1 o'clock, but unsurprisingly it arrived late. Once all the passengers had disembarked there was a procession to the Shire Hall. This procession was led by the Herefordshire Militia Band and Staff, the Hereford and Gloucester Navvie's Brass Band and the Band of the 1st Royals, followed by the Trade Guilds with banners depicting the various trades, and bringing up the rear were the dignitaries in horse drawn carriages.
For the day the streets had been decorated with floral arches and mottoes of goodwill to the railways and in every window along the route of the procession excited faces could be seen peeking out, trying to catch a glimpse of the important men who had made the railway possible.
In Eign Street a tradesman had cut out a tin model of the City Arms surmounted by an engine whose chimney had been made to smoke by a pipe connecting it to the fire inside. At night the decorations of the city were illuminated by gas jets in the form of stars and other shapes.
The Grand Banquet at the Shire Hall.
The Music Room of the Shire Hall had been decorated especially for the event and it appeared that no expense had been spared. Tables had been laid out with food displayed on stands of bronze gilt and silver. The Mayor of Hereford sat on a throne, which had been placed above the orchestra and was surrounded by columns of plum coloured moreen (a corded woollen fabric). Over the throne was a circular fringed canopy.
To the right of the throne was the Corporate Sword, and behind it 4 maces crossed. Above this was the Royal Arms, surrounded by banners and flags and the whole was topped by the Herefordshire flag from the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace.
In front of the throne was a crown, made by Mr Dillon of Bye Street, decorated with ermine and sat upon a dark crimson cushion. Near to this was an enormous baron of beef (a large joint of beef), on which a flag declared 'The Roast Beef of Old England'.
To the right was a display of evergreens and halberds (16th century axes) and just beyond that was a statue of Cupid. This statue had been sculpted by Mr Jennings, who was one of 16 British sculptors to whom medals were awarded at the 'Great Competition of the World' in connection with the Great Exhibition of 1851 (Cavalcade of a Century, 1832-1932, 100 years of the Hereford Times: Hereford Record Office - BH74). There was also a painting of George III on horseback, decorated with flags and union-jacks and over it had been placed a crown.
The food had been elaborately decorated and carved and a display of encaustic tiles from Godwin's factory in Lugwardine had been arranged.
The food provided for the guests included: 2 peacocks 8 potted meats 20 hams 12 dishes of potted Lamprey 4 fillets of veal 24 dishes of Lobster 8 dishes of roast beef 4 dishes of Crab 8 dishes of roulades of veal 12 dishes of Prawns 18 pigeon pies 12 dishes of Lobster Salad 12 roast turkeys 10 brace of roast pheasant 50 couples of fowl 10 brace of roast partridge 8 geese 6 madeleine gateaux 8 couple of ducks 12 moulds of punch jelly 2 boars head gelatine 12 moulds of blancmange
There was also fruit, Champagne, Sherry, Port and Claret.
The evening was presided over by the Mayor of Hereford, Charles Anthony and he also gave the opening address and toast. Charles Anthony was the man who had founded the Hereford Times in 1832 and had been Mayor of Hereford 6 times.
Later toasts to Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort and the Royal Family were given and the National Anthem was sung.
The Full Dress Ball.
The Full Dress ball was held in two rooms at the Shire Hall. It was attended by all the important people in the county.
The ball was opened at 9.30pm by Lady Emily Foley of Stoke Edith Park. She and the Mayor took the first dance, which was a country dance called 'The Triumph'. A variety of other dances were performed including waltzes, polkas and quadrilles. A Mr Quinton acted as master of Ceremonies and in a separate room the Band of the 1st Royals played. Once again the catering was supplied by the Green Dragon in Broad Street.
Tickets for the ball cost 7s 6d for gentlemen and 5s for ladies and around 500 people attended the event.
The banquet ended at 5.30pm to allow the Newport passengers time to catch their train back at 6.30pm. Unfortunately some passengers had been misinformed of the departure time and believed it was 7pm. Upwards of 100 passengers were apparently left stranded at the station.
The General Ball at the Old Town Hall.
At the Town Hall in High Town there was a ball that was aimed at the middle to lower classes. The dancing and revelry was more lively than that seen in the Shire Hall and the music was provided by a local band. The ticket price was 1 guinea for gents and 1/2 for ladies, with tickets being bought from the Green Dragon.
The Navvies dinner.
Whilst the middle and upper classes were enjoying their banquets and balls, 500 of the Navvies who had helped build the railway line were given a feast at the old iron foundry works in Friars Street, provided by Charles and Ann Watkins (parents of the famous local photographer and antiquarian Alfred Watkins), of the Imperial Inn in Widemarsh Street.
The food included roast beef, pork and mutton, vegetables, ale and bread, a very different menu to the lobster and veal enjoyed at the Shire Hall. 30 of the county's respectable farmers acted as carvers and the dinner lasted one hour.
The Union Workhouse.
Even the very poor were included in the days festivities. The Board of Guardians of the Union Workhouse in Hereford made provisions to supply the inmates with roast beef, plum pudding and ale, which were followed by toasts to the Queen and the Royal family, the Benevolent Founders of the Great Feast, 'Prosperity to the Herefordshire Railways, the Board of Guardians and the Master and Matron'.
In the evening the younger boys from the Workhouse were allowed out to witness the evenings events and see the free firework display on the Castle Green.
800 tons of coal was also distributed to the poor in the city and local schoolchildren were supplied with 1,188 plum buns.
At the Theatre.
Even the theatre got involved in the celebrations. All seats fro the day were free and a comedy called 'Sweethearts and Wives' was put on, followed by the farces 'The Railway Station' and 'An Alarming Sacrifice'.
Nearly every different class of person celebrated the coming of the railways in some way that day, and the day was marked as the special event for the county that it was.
With the coming of the railways in Herefordshire the county lost 11 minutes as Greenwich time took the place of local time so that all the trains could run on one schedule.(Cavalcade of a Century, 1832-1932, 100 years of the Hereford Times: Hereford Record Office - BH74)
The Later years.
In 1862 the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway was jointly leased by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR), the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the West Midland Railway (WMR). By 1871 the WMR had amalgamated with the GWR, so the LNWR and the GWR jointly acquired the Shrewsbury & Hereford line.
In 1887 the traffic levels on the line were increased by the opening of the Severn Tunnel and Hereford became the first stop after Bristol on the on the west-north expresses. In May 1892, the conversion of the broad gauge lines to standard gauge to the west of Exeter meant even longer distance through services calling at Barrs Court Station.
By 1922 the Hereford line was in the hands of the GWR/LMS Joint Company and after Nationalisation in 1948 it came under the Western Region of British Railways. During the 1960's, when the future of many of the country's lines was in doubt, passenger services through Hereford were cut. However Barrs Court Station managed to avoid the Dr Beeching cull and still exists today - a fine example of Victorian Railway architecture.
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Railways Index[1]
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The Railway Station
How the railway began here
North Shropshire’s first railway line, running from Crewe to Shrewsbury via Whitchurch, was approved in 1853. This 32½-mile section of the London and North Western Railway (the LNWR) would link with the Great Western Railway (the GWR) at Shrewsbury. The House of Lords raised objections to the LNWR’s proposed route into Shrewsbury, causing considerable delays while alternative routes were considered. Running powers into GWR’s Shrewsbury station were eventually granted and the line opened on 1st September 1858.
Construction facts Cost estimate: £10,000 per mile Engineers: Joseph Locke and John Edward Errington Contractor: Thomas Brassey
This Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway was built as a single-track line, but provided for expansion to double-track if there was sufficient traffic. The immediate success of the line meant that the second track was soon authorised. It was completed in 1862. From Whitchurch south to Shrewsbury the line served Prees, Wem, Yorton and Hadnall.
Service facts Crewe to Shrewsbury, stopping at all stations: 1 hour 25 minutes Fares: First Class 9s.8d; Third Class 6s.10d.
Service frequency: Each weekday – four trains to Shrewsbury, five to Crewe Sundays – one train each way
How the railways grew
The Crewe and Shrewsbury line’s success showed other operators the importance of access to Crewe, particularly for linking with routes to Wales and to Manchester and the North. The Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway (the OE&WR) was first proposed in 1860. Following ferocious arguments between competitors LNWR and GWR, Parliament authorised building the line in August 1861. The first phase was restricted to the Whitchurch-Ellesmere section, with the onward section to Oswestry held over for a year in case of new GWR route developments.
Facilities at Whitchurch were expanded to allow for trains using the new line, and intermediate stations were built at Fenn’s Bank, Bettisfield and Welshampton. The first public passenger service left Ellesmere for Whitchurch on 4th May 1863, and construction of the Ellesmere-Oswestry section was completed one year later.
Construction facts Funding approved by Parliament: £150,000 capital plus £50,000 loans Engineers: Robert and Benjamin Piercey Contractor: Thomas Savin Exceptional technical problem: running the track across Whixall Moss The ‘railway mania’ of the 1860s produced frequent proposals for new railway lines. Many never got beyond the drawing board stage. Suggested lines from Wrexham for the Wrexham, Mold and Connah’s Quay Railway proposed the use of Bettisfield and Whitchurch stations, but never materialised. In late 1862 Potteries Junction Railway proposed new line developments linking Newcastle-under-Lyme to Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Gresford and Shrewsbury. These proposals were unsuccessful.
By mid-1864 four companies were operating between Whitchurch and Machynllyth: the OE&WR, the Oswestry and Newtown, the Llanidloes and Newtown and the Newtown and Machynllyth railways. In July 1864 they were amalgamated by Act of Parliament to form the Cambrian Railways. The opening of a last section of line between Borth and Aberystwyth now enabled through trains to run from Whitchurch, a distance of 95¾ miles.
Service time facts Fastest time: 4 hours 15 minutes Slowest time: 5 hours 25 minutes Oswestry-Whitchurch (18¼ miles): the 8.00 am from Aberystwyth took 35 minutes, stopping at Ellesmere. Speed restrictions: 30 mph maximum for double-headed trains between Oswestry and Whitchurch
The Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway, proposed by LNWR in 1870, was intended to break the GWR monopoly from Shrewsbury to Chester. Apart from this competitive consideration, very little thought was given to how it would serve the area it passed through. Douglas Barnard’s scrutiny of the final published route, opened in October 1872, shows that:
The first station out of Whitchurch was six miles away at Malpas, and then it was a mile from the town it was supposed to serve. The next station, Broxton, was not near to any residential area and only Tattenhall was adjacent to a community. A halt was provided at Grindley Brook at a later date, but this did not last for many years.
By now, Whitchurch had become an important junction. Consequently, the LNWR built further goods sidings. A pedestrian bridge replaced the earlier level crossing, and coal and timber wharves were operating from 1881. Three signal boxes now controlled traffic. Several other improvements were added during the 1880s, including provision of a two-faced clock on the ‘down’ platform, manufactured and serviced by the renowned Whitchurch firm JB Joyce and Company.
The 20th century: change and decline
During the First World War, the permanent troop accommodation provided at Prees Heath Camp required a 1-mile single-track branch line, joining the main LNWR line between Whitchurch and Prees stations. Under the control of Western Command from 1916, it was used to transport troops, supplies and equipment.
Nationwide railway company amalgamation took place during the early 1920s. The GWR absorbed the Cambrian Railways, and LNWR became part of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS). Whitchurch Station staff numbered over 100 until the Second World War. Despite substantial rail traffic passing through the area during the war, the line escaped bomb damage.
In 1948 the Labour government nationalised the railways. While post-war rail traffic was considerable, road vehicle competition began its contribution to a continuing and increasing decline in railway use.
Service decline facts Passenger services to Chester stopped 1957 Whitchurch-Tattenhall Junction line closed 1963 No goods or passenger services between Oswestry and Whitchurch by 1966 Brick buildings at station and loco yard demolished by 1990
By the 1980s, only 2 or 3 car diesel-electric units were stopping here, and the goods yards and most railway buildings had disappeared. In the early years of the 21st century, only a single stretch of blue brick wall and some cast iron pillars supporting the ‘down’ platform canopy remain of the once thriving Whitchurch junction. It is now little more than ‘merely a halt for local trains’.
Source, and for much fuller details and extended bibliography: Douglas B. Barnard: Transport in the Whitchurch Area, Part II, Whitchurch History and Archaeology Group, new edition 1997[2]
Gallery
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Blodwell, Buttington, Llanymynech, Porthywaen, Shrewsbury & Welsh Pool Meole Brace -
Craven Arms, Marsh Farm, Stretford Bridge, Tenbury & Wellington -
Eardisley, Lydford, Leominster, Hereford
References
- ^ "The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway Company". Historic Herefordshire on line. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ http://www.discovershropshire.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/theme:20070302143008