108-736: The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway (B&CDR) was a railway company through the Cotswolds in England that built a line between points near Banbury and Cheltenham . Its principal objective, as well as a general rural rail service, was the conveyance of iron ore from the East Midlands to South Wales . It extended two pre-existing branches, the Chipping Norton branch of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR, opened in 1855) and
216-556: A Brittonic female cognate Cuda , a hypothetical mother goddess in Celtic mythology postulated to have been worshipped in the Cotswold region. The Cotswolds' spine runs southwest to northeast through six counties, particularly Gloucestershire, west Oxfordshire, and southwestern Warwickshire. The Cotswolds' northern and western edges are marked by steep escarpments down to the Severn valley and
324-511: A branch was impossible, considered building the line themselves. John Fowler, the OW&;WR engineer, gave advice and encouragement, and at the end of the year an estimated cost of £24,000 was arrived at, and local people were enthusiastic enough to subscribe the necessary capital. Sir Morton Peto took £14,000 and was the contractor for the construction. The only difficulty in proceeding in Parliament
432-712: A business as an independent railway contractor. His firm's first railway work was to build two stations in Curzon Street , Birmingham. Next, the firm built its first line of track, the Hanwell and Langley section of the Great Western Railway , which included the Wharncliffe Viaduct . Grissell became increasingly nervous about the risks taken by Peto, and in 1846 dissolved the partnership. In 1848 Peto and Edward Betts (who had married Peto's sister Ann) entered into
540-465: A change of plan quickly followed and this section was not opened until later. At the end of August 1886 Major General Hutchinson carried out an inspection of the Bloxham to Chipping Norton section; there was a new station at Chipping Norton as the alignment of the old one was unsuitable for through operation. Although there were some detail issues requiring attention, the line was passed. Nevertheless there
648-565: A combination of the failure of the bank, Overend, Gurney and Company , and their involvement in the failure of the London Chatham and Dover Railway . In 1844, Peto bought Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk . He rebuilt the hall with contemporary amenities, as well as constructing a school and more houses in the village. He next built similar projects in Lowestoft . In 1846, Peto became co-treasurer of
756-471: A country park. Chipping Campden is also known for the annual Cotswold Olimpick Games , a celebration of sports and games dating to the early 17th century. Of the Cotswolds' nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km ), roughly 80 per cent is farmland. There are over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of footpaths and bridleways, and 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of historic stone walls. A 2017 report on employment within
864-622: A formal partnership and together they were to work on a large number of railway contracts. Frequently, they also work in partnership with Thomas Brassey . In 1854 during the Crimean War Peto, Betts and Brassey constructed the Grand Crimean Central Railway between Balaklava and Sevastopol to transport supplies to the troops at the front line. In February 1855 the British government recognised Peto for his wartime services; he
972-615: A panel would be formed to consider making some of the AONBs into National Parks. The review will file its report in 2019. In April 2018, the Cotswolds Conservation Board had written to Natural England "requesting that consideration be given to making the Cotswolds a National Park", according to Liz Eyre, Chairman. This has led to some concern; one member of the Cotswold District Council said, "National Park designation
1080-462: A small Cotswold village. The fictional detective Agatha Raisin lives in the fictional Cotswold village of Carsely . Other movies filmed in the Cotswolds or nearby, at least in part, include some of the Harry Potter series (Gloucester Cathedral), Bridget Jones's Diary ( Snowshill ), Pride and Prejudice (Cheltenham Town Hall), and Braveheart (Cotswold Farm Park). In 2014, some scenes of
1188-568: A small branch line from the OW&WR main line, by now part of the Great Western Railway . Transfer of the Bourton undertaking to the GWR seemed sensible, and a provisional agreement to that effect was reached in 1870, an authorising act of Parliament being obtained in 1870. Issues of liabilities due to the abandonment of the Cheltenham extension worried the GWR, and delayed the finalising of the transfer, and it
SECTION 10
#17331067165561296-613: A tithe barn. Tetbury Market House was built in 1655. During the Middle Ages , Tetbury became an important market for Cotswold wool and yarn. Chavenage House is an Elizabethan-era manor house 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Tetbury. Chedworth Roman Villa , where several mosaic floors are on display, is near the Roman road known as the Fosse Way , 8 miles (13 km) north of the town of Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester). Cirencester Abbey
1404-570: A £50 daily penalty for failure to complete the line, and inability to raise finance was specifically excluded as an excuse. In haste therefore, and not without controversy, the Bourton company applied to Parliament for abandonment of the Cheltenham extension scheme, and the Bourton on the Water Railway (Extension to Cheltenham) Abandonment Act 1867 ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. cxciii) was obtained on 12 August 1867. The Bourton company therefore simply operated
1512-608: Is Chavenage House , Tetbury, which is open to the public. Many exterior shots of village life in the Downton Abbey TV series were filmed in Bampton, Oxfordshire . Other filming locations in that county included Swinbrook, Cogges, and Shilton. The city of Bath hosted crews that filmed parts of the movies Vanity Fair , Persuasion , Dracula , and The Duchess . Gloucester and other places in Gloucestershire , some within
1620-601: Is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m), just east of Cheltenham . The predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, towns, stately homes and gardens featuring the local stone. A large area within the Cotswolds has been designated as a National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB) since 1966. The designation covers 787 square miles (2,038 km ), with boundaries roughly 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (140 km) long, stretching south-west from just south of Stratford-upon-Avon to just south of Bath , making it
1728-477: Is Woodchester Mansion , an unfinished, Gothic revival mansion house in Woodchester Park near Nympsfield. Newark Park is a Grade I listed country house of Tudor origins near the village of Ozleworth, Wotton-under-Edge . The house sits in an estate of 700 acres (300 ha) at the Cotswold escarpment's southern end. Another of the many manor houses in the area, Owlpen Manor in the village of Owlpen in
1836-430: Is a residential road built upon the old Newtown Railway Works site and was named in his honour. In Bishop's Stortford , Hertfordshire , Morton Peto Road is located close to the town's railway station. A portrait of Peto hangs outside the library at Regent's Park College, Oxford , in commemoration of his assistance with the college's move from Stepney to Regent's Park. In May 1831 Peto married Mary Grissell, one of
1944-470: Is a significant step further and raises the prospect of key decision making powers being taken away from democratically elected councillors". In other words, Cotswold District Council would no longer have the authority to grant and refuse housing applications. Indicative of the Cotswolds' uniqueness and value is that five European Special Areas of Conservation , three national nature reserves and more than 80 Sites of Special Scientific Interest are within
2052-536: Is also important; cows and pigs are also reared. The livestock sector has been declining since 2002. According to 2011 census data for the Cotswolds, the wholesale and retail trade was the largest employer (15.8% of the workforce), followed by education (9.7%) and health and social work (9.3%). The report also indicates that a relatively higher proportion of residents worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing, accommodation and food services, as well as in professional, scientific, and technical activities. Unemployment in
2160-714: Is the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway , a steam heritage railway over part of the closed Stratford–Cheltenham line , running from Cheltenham Racecourse through Gotherington , Winchcombe , and Hayles Abbey Halt to Toddington and Laverton. The preserved line has been extended to Broadway . The population of the Cotswold local authority area in the 2021 census was 90,800, an increase of 9.6% from 82,900 in 2011. The percentage of usual residents in relationships, aged 16 and above, were: In 2021, 96.3% of people in Cotswold identified their ethnic group with
2268-484: Is the Garden of Sudeley Castle at Winchcombe . The present structure was built in the 15th century and may be on the site of a 12th-century castle. It is north of the spa town of Cheltenham , which has much Georgian architecture. Further south, towards Tetbury , is the fortress known as Beverston Castle , founded in 1229 by Maurice de Gaunt . In the same area is Calcot Manor , a manor house with origins in about 1300 as
SECTION 20
#17331067165562376-525: The Baptist Missionary Society . From 1855 to March 1867, he was sole treasurer, resigning after personal financial difficulties. In 1855 took over the lease of The Diorama, Regent's Park and paid for its conversion into a Baptist Chapel. Peto served for two decades as a Member of Parliament. He was elected a Liberal Member for Norwich in 1847 to 1854, for Finsbury from 1859 to 1865, and for Bristol from 1865 to 1868. During this time he
2484-471: The Bourton-on-the-Water Railway (opened in 1862). Both branches had their main line junction at Chipping Norton Junction, later renamed Kingham , on the OW&WR main line. The B&CDR opened its western section, from Bourton-on-the-Water to a junction near Cheltenham, in 1881, and its eastern section, from Chipping Norton to a junction at Kings Sutton , near Banbury, in 1887. The company
2592-546: The Crown Commissioner was reluctant to lease the land to nonconformists because of their "dull, spire-less architecture". Peto is said to have exclaimed, "A spire, my Lord? We shall have two!" The church had twin spires until 1951, when they were removed as unsafe. In 1834 Peto saw the potential of the newly developing railways and dissolved the connection with his uncle's building firm. He and his cousin Grissell founded
2700-493: The East Gloucestershire Railway was to build into Cheltenham, the Bourton company receiving running powers over that line. The East Gloucestershire company started construction but the failure of the banking firm of Overend, Gurney and Company in 1866 brought the financing of all railway schemes to an end for a while as money became impossible to get. The authorising act for the Bourton company's extension included
2808-772: The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway would amalgamate, the combined company being named the West Midland Railway . This was confirmed by an act of Parliament of June 1860, the West Midland Railway Act 1860 ( 23 & 24 Vict. c. lxxxi). The separate existence of the West Midland Railway (WMR) lasted three years; in 1863 the WMR amalgamated with the Great Western Railway. The comparative ease with which
2916-680: The Reform Club , the Oxford & Cambridge Club , the Lyceum , St James's Theatre and Hungerford Market at Charing Cross . In addition, they built Nelson's Column the new Houses of Parliament (1843) and the vast infrastructure project of the London brick sewer . Another project, in 1848, was the Bloomsbury Baptist Chapel , the first Baptist church with spires in London. Tradition has it that
3024-472: The Stroud district, is also Tudor and Grade I listed. Further north, Broadway Tower is a folly on Broadway Hill, near the village of Broadway, Worcestershire. To the south of the Cotswolds is Corsham Court , a country house in a park designed by Capability Brown in the town of Corsham , 3 miles (5 km) west of Chippenham, Wiltshire. According to users of the worldwide TripAdvisor travel site, in 2018
3132-656: The Warwickshire Avon . This feature, known as the Cotswold escarpment or the Cotswold Edge, is a result of the uplifting (tilting) of the limestone layer, exposing its broken edge. This is a cuesta , in geological terms. The dip slope is to the southeast. On the eastern boundary lies the city of Oxford and on the west is Stroud . To the southeast, the upper reaches of the Thames Valley and towns such as Lechlade , Tetbury , and Fairford are often considered to mark
3240-576: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 . Cleeve Hill , and its associated commons, is a fine example of a limestone grassland and it is one of the few locations where the Duke of Burgundy butterfly may still be found in abundance. A June 2018 report stated that the AONB receives "23 million visitors a year, the third largest of any protected landscape". Earlier that year, Environment secretary Michael Gove announced that
3348-431: The "White" category, a slight decrease from 97.8% in 2011. Over 1.3% identified as "Asian" or British Asian, 1.5% chose "Mixed or Multiple" category, 0.4% were "Black, Black British, Caribbean or African" and 0.4% chose "Other". The Cotswold region has inspired several notable English composers. In the early 1900s, Herbert Howells and Ivor Gurney took long walks together over the hills, and Gurney urged Howells to make
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-728: The 2016 movie Alice Through the Looking Glass were filmed at the Gloucester Docks just outside the Cotswold District; some scenes in the 2006 movie Amazing Grace were also filmed at the Docks. The television series Father Brown is set and primarily filmed in the Cotswolds. Scenes and buildings in Sudeley Castle was often featured in the series. The vicarage in Blockley was used for
3564-587: The 21st century has attracted wealthy Londoners and others who own second homes there or have chosen to retire to the Cotswolds. The name Cotswold is popularly believed to mean the "sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides", incorporating the term wold , meaning hills. Compare also the Weald , from the Old English term meaning 'forest'. But for many years the English Place-Name Society has accepted that
3672-534: The 93-mile (150 km) Cotswold Way (part of the National Trails system) from Bath to Chipping Campden. In August 2018, the final decision was made for a Local Plan that would lead to the building of nearly 7,000 additional homes by 2031, in addition to over 3,000 already built. Areas for development include Cirencester, Bourton-on-the-Water, Down Ampney, Fairford, Kemble, Lechlade, Northleach, South Cerney, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury and Moreton-in-Marsh. Some of
3780-423: The AONB is varied, including escarpment outliers, escarpments, rolling hills and valleys, enclosed limestone valleys, settled valleys, ironstone hills and valleys, high wolds and high wold valleys, high wold dip-slopes, dip-slope lowland and valleys, a Low limestone plateau, cornbrash lowlands, farmed slopes, a broad floodplain valley, a large pastoral lowland vale, a settled unwooded vale, and an unwooded vale. While
3888-631: The Area of Natural Beauty, have been a popular location for filming period films and television programmes over the years. Gloucester Cathedral has been particularly popular. The sighting of peregrine falcons in the landscape of the Cotswolds is mentioned in The Peregrine by John Alec Baker . The television documentary agriculture-themed series Clarkson's Farm was filmed at various locations around Chipping Norton . Morton Peto Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet (4 August 1809 – 13 November 1889)
3996-415: The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty stated that the main sources of income were real estate, renting and business activities, manufacturing, and wholesale & retail trade repairs. Some 44% of residents were employed in these sectors. Agriculture is also important; 86% of the land in the AONB is used for this purpose. The primary crops include barley, beans, rapeseed and wheat, while the raising of sheep
4104-518: The Board carries out a range of work from securing funding for 'on the ground' conservation projects, to providing a strategic overview of the area for key decision makers, such as planning officials. The Board is funded by Natural England and the seventeen local authorities that are covered by the AONB. The Cotswolds AONB Management Plan 2018–2023 was adopted by the Board in September 2018. The landscape of
4212-490: The CMR failed to live up to expectations. The CMR itself survived and began to recover after it had introduced passenger services in 1876 and was then leased by the Great Western Railway in 1877, but this improvement came too late for Peto. He died in obscurity in 1889. An extremely unfavourable portrait of Peto is included in the appendix to George Borrow 's Romany Rye , where he is described as "Mr. Flamson". When Peto promoted
4320-611: The Celtic path later known as Fosse Way . During the Middle Ages , thanks to the breed of sheep known as the Cotswold Lion, the Cotswolds became prosperous from the wool trade with the continent, with much of the money made from wool directed towards the building of churches. The most successful era for the wool trade was 1250–1350; much of the wool at that time was sold to Italian merchants. The area still preserves numerous large, handsome Cotswold Stone "wool churches". The affluent area in
4428-491: The Chipping Norton Railway scheme took shape appears to have encouraged thoughts of constructing a similar branch line to Bourton-on-the-Water , located just over six miles (10 km) westward from Chipping Norton Junction. The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) was friendly to this proposal, and voted £3,500 towards the subscription list of the provisional Bourton-on-the-Water Railway Company. It
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-592: The Cotswold District was among the lowest in the country. An August 2017 report showed only 315 unemployed persons, a decrease of five from a year earlier. Tourism is a significant part of the economy. The Cotswold District area gained over £373 million from visitor spending on accommodation, £157 million on local attractions and entertainments, and about £100m on travel in 2016. In the larger Cotswolds Tourism area, including Stroud, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury, tourism generated about £1 billion in 2016, providing 200,000 jobs. Some 38 million day visits were made to
4644-493: The Cotswold Tourism area that year. Many travel guides direct tourists to Chipping Campden , Stow-on-the-Wold , Bourton-on-the-Water , Broadway , Bibury , and Stanton . Some of these locations can be very crowded at times. Roughly 300,000 people visit Bourton per year, for example, with about half staying for a day or less. The area also has numerous public walking trails and footpaths that attract visitors, including
4752-558: The Cotswolds AONB. The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens Service was established in 1968 to help conserve and enhance the area, and now has more than 300 wardens. The Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath, just over 100 miles (160 km) long, running the length of the AONB, mainly on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment with views over the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham . Pictured
4860-703: The Cotswolds and is navigable from Inglesham and Lechlade-on-Thames downstream to Oxford . West of Inglesham. the Thames and Severn Canal and the Stroudwater Navigation connected the Thames to the River Severn ; this route is mostly disused nowadays but several parts are in the process of being restored. The area is bounded by two major rail routes: in the south by the main Bristol–Bath–London line (including
4968-575: The Cotswolds. Bath , Cheltenham , Cirencester , Gloucester , Stroud , and Swindon are larger urban centres that border on, or are virtually surrounded by, the Cotswold AONB. Chipping Campden is notable as the home of the Arts and Crafts movement , founded by William Morris at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Morris lived occasionally in Broadway Tower , a folly, now part of
5076-786: The Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company in the 1840s, the railway split Borrow's estate at Oulton Broad , just outside Lowestoft. Borrow deeply resented this and bore a grudge against Peto thereafter. Peto is commemorated by a portrait bust at Norwich railway station by John Pooler. Morton Peto Road, a road in Great Yarmouth, was named after him. There is a road in Lowestoft called "Peto Way" that connects Lowestoft railway station (via Denmark Road, again in connection with Peto's legacy in Denmark) to Normanston. In Ashford. Kent , Samuel Peto Way
5184-565: The National Landscape area was 139,000 in 2016. The largest excavation of Jurassic period echinoderm fossils , including of rare and previously unknown species, occurred at a quarry in the Cotswolds in 2021. There is evidence of Neolithic settlement from burial chambers on Cotswold Edge, and there are remains of Bronze and Iron Age forts. Later the Romans built villas, such as at Chedworth , settlements such as Gloucester, and paved
5292-402: The OW&WR, William Bliss had established an exceedingly successful business manufacturing tweed cloth in Chipping Norton , and he had extensive factory premises there. As well as facilities for transporting his products away to market, his business required considerable quantities of coal to power machinery used in his works. Transport by animal power was slow and expensive, especially as
5400-479: The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway was authorised by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. clxxxiv) on 4 August 1845. It was designed to connect the industrial areas of the West Midlands with the growing railway network, and it was to be built on the broad gauge . The Great Western Railway had friendly relations with it at first, and agreed to lease it on generous terms. That relationship deteriorated later, when
5508-679: The South Wales main line) and in the west by the Bristol–Birmingham main line . In addition, the Cotswold line runs through the Cotswolds from Oxford to Worcester , and the Golden Valley line runs across the hills from Swindon via Stroud to Gloucester , carrying fast and local services. Mainline rail services to the big cities run from railway stations such as Bath , Swindon , Oxford , Cheltenham , and Worcester . Mainline trains run by Great Western Railway to London Paddington also are available from Kemble station near Cirencester, Kingham station near Stow-on-the-Wold, Charlbury station , and Moreton-in-Marsh station . Additionally, there
SECTION 50
#17331067165565616-532: The Terminal station of the branch". Passenger operation commenced on 1 March 1862, with goods traffic starting a few days later. There were four round trips daily, most trains operating as mixed. The Bourton-on-the-Water Railway Company now submitted to Parliament proposals to extend their line to Cheltenham. On 25 July 1864 this scheme was authorised by an act of Parliament, the Bourton-on-the-Water Railway (Extension to Cheltenham) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. ccx), although only as far as Andoversford , from where
5724-439: The additional traffic from the M&SWJR began to overload the single line's capacity. In 1901 double line was provided (by the Great Western Railway) over this section. Starting in 1894 the B&CDR had put forward proposals for the Great Western Railway (GWR) for the GWR to absorb the company. This was an obvious step, but the GWR was not to be rushed, but agreement was reached on 13 August 1896. An authorising act of Parliament
5832-437: The beauty of the Cotswolds AONB is intertwined with that of the villages that seem almost to grow out of the landscape, the Cotswolds were primarily designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for the rare limestone grassland habitats as well as the old growth beech woodlands that typify the area. These habitat areas are also the last refuge for many other flora and fauna, with some so endangered that they are protected under
5940-425: The border regions of South Warwickshire and Worcestershire, through West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, and takes in parts of Wiltshire and of Bath and North East Somerset in the south. Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for sixty-three per cent of the AONB. The Cotswolds Conservation Board has the task of conserving and enhancing the AONB. Established under statute in 2004 as an independent public body,
6048-473: The company had not thought to provide and which they could ill afford. The company now decided to concentrate on opening between Bourton and Cheltenham. On 28 March 1881 Colonel Rich of the Board of Trade visited the line to review its suitability for passenger operation. He noted that only at Andoversford was there an intermediate passing place on the long single line. As well as requesting a large number of detail improvements, he required additional excavation to
6156-417: The cost of construction overran considerably and there was a misunderstanding about the extent to which the GWR guarantee would cover the additional cost. While the broad gauge on the line tied the OW&WR to alliance with the GWR, it installed mixed gauge enabling the operation of standard gauge trains, and this was seen as an obvious indicator of treachery by the GWR. By the time of the authorisation of
6264-402: The cutting slopes near the tunnel approaches, incurring considerable extra cost. After rectification works and a further inspection, the line from Bourton to Cheltenham was opened on 1 June 1881. For the time being the south curve at Hatherley was not constructed although the GWR laid in a "siding" for the passage of locomotives in 1883. Attention now turned to completing the eastern section of
6372-475: The demand for iron ore from the more expensive mining locations served by the line. Most of the railways of Great Britain were restructured in 1923 following the Railways Act 1921 , and were nationalised in 1948. In the period following World War II the local passenger business declined more steeply than ever, and the iron ore traffic which had been the mainstay of the freight business also dropped away. The Kings Sutton to Chipping Norton local passenger service
6480-429: The easternmost stub to continue until 1969. The Hatherley loop ran from Gloucester Loop Junction to Hatherley Junction, leading towards Gloucester on the Cheltenham to Gloucester main line. Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( / ˈ k ɒ t s w oʊ l d z , ˈ k ɒ t s w əl d z / KOTS -wohldz, KOTS -wəldz ) is a region of central South West England , along a range of rolling hills that rise from
6588-406: The end of the nineteenth century. This potential was increased in 1900 when the Great Central Railway reached Banbury , with the possibility of running traffic from the north and east over the B&CD line. This moved the GWR to revive the flyover proposal at Chipping Norton Junction to enable through operation without reversal, and to double parts of the eastern section of the route. In addition
SECTION 60
#17331067165566696-449: The failure of the Peto and Betts partnership, Peto's personal reputation as a trustworthy businessman was badly damaged and never fully recovered. Between 1863-65 the current Embassy of Nepal in Kensington Place Gardens, London W8, designed by the architect James Murray, was built for Peto. In 1865 he is listed as living at Auchline House at Killin in Perthshire . In 1868, he had to give up his seat in Parliament , despite having
6804-401: The following were among the best attractions in the Cotswolds: The Cotswolds lie between the M5 , M40 and M4 motorways . The main A-roads through the area are: These all roughly follow the routes of ancient roads, some laid down by the Romans , such as Ermin Way and the Fosse Way . There are local bus services across the area, but some are infrequent. The River Thames flows from
6912-406: The following year this had been enhanced to six. The first and last trains of the day then ran through to Shipton to connect with main line trains that did not call at the junction station. Hemmings says that "from the beginning it is almost certain that the line was worked by one of the two small 0-4-2ST locomotives built by E. B. Wilson & Co for the OW&WR in 1853/5." Construction of
7020-403: The intended route which was to have passed further south. Indeed construction of the cutting to the south had already started when the revised route was announced. In fact, after initial enthusiasm, the debenture share issue only had a limited takeup until much later. The Great Western Railway (GWR) agreed to work the line when it opened, but presented a number of requirements for facilities which
7128-400: The landscape, including the nearby Malvern Hills , the inspiration for future work. In 1916, Howells wrote his first major piece, the Piano Quartet in A minor, inspired by the magnificent view of the Malverns ; he dedicated it to "the hill at Chosen ( Churchdown ) and Ivor Gurney who knows it". Another contemporary of theirs, Gerald Finzi , lived in nearby Painswick . Gustav Holst , who
7236-401: The largest National Landscape area and England's third-largest protected landscape. The Cotswold local government district is within Gloucestershire. Its main town is Cirencester . In 2021, the population of the 450-square-mile (1,200 km ) district was 91,000. The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km ). The population of
7344-548: The legal name and designation remains "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 , amending the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . The term AONB is still used in this section. The Cotswolds National Landscape area (formerly the Cotwolds AONB) was originally designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966, with an expansion on 21 December 1990 to 1,990 square kilometres (768 sq mi). In 1991, all AONBs were measured again using modern methods, and
7452-803: The limit of the region. To the south the Cotswolds, with the characteristic uplift of the Cotswold Edge, reach beyond Bath , and towns such as Chipping Sodbury and Marshfield share elements of Cotswold character. The area is characterised by attractive small towns and villages built of the underlying Cotswold stone (a yellow oolitic limestone ). This limestone is rich in fossils , particularly of fossilised sea urchins . Cotswold towns include Bourton-on-the-Water , Broadway , Chalford , Charlbury , Chipping Campden , Chipping Norton , Cricklade , Dursley , Malmesbury , Minchinhampton , Moreton-in-Marsh , Nailsworth , Northleach , Painswick , Stow-on-the-Wold , Stroud , Tetbury , Witney , Winchcombe and Wotton-under-Edge . In addition, much of Box lies in
7560-399: The line had actually cost £23,232; at the end of 1859 the OW&WR purchased the line, guaranteeing 4% to shareholders on their capital. In 1860 discussions between the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) and its allies regarding amalgamation came to fruition. The Worcester and Hereford Railway , which was in financial difficulty, would be purchased, and the OW&WR and
7668-500: The line of route at the eastern end. There was a demand at the South Wales ironworks for this material, as modern smelting methods required a mixture of raw materials and the Welsh iron ore needed to have an admixture. The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway Act 1873 ( 36 & 37 Vict. c. clxxii) received royal assent on 21 July 1873. There was to be a triangular junction at each end, Kings Sutton and at Hatherley , near Cheltenham. At Chipping Norton Junction, later Kingham , there
7776-425: The line, from Chipping Norton to Kings Sutton; much of this had not received any attention whatever for the preceding five years. Work on this section too suffered from bad weather, inadequate project management by the contractor, and above all a lack of finance by the company. The section between Kings Sutton and Bloxham was completed, and inspected and passed for passenger operation by the Board of Trade inspector;
7884-405: The local construction prior to the opening revived the desire of Bliss and his fellow citizens to ask for a branch line. By now the OW&WR was in serious financial difficulty, the cost of construction of their line having seriously overrun the estimate, and agreement to any new commitment was out of the question. In August 1853 Bliss and his friends, realising that persuading the OW&WR to build
7992-603: The local stone. He said: "The truth is that it has no colour that can be described. Even when the sun is obscured and the light is cold, these walls are still faintly warm and luminous, as if they knew the trick of keeping the lost sunlight of centuries glimmering about them." The term "Cotswolds National Landscape" was adopted in September 2020, using a proposed name replacement for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). All AONBs in England and Wales were re-branded as "National Landscapes" in November 2023, although (as of 2024)
8100-709: The main character's residence and the Anglican St Peter and St Paul church was the Roman Catholic St Mary's in the series. Other filming locations included Guiting Power , the former hospital in Moreton-in-Marsh , the Winchcombe railway station, Lower Slaughter , and St Peter's Church in Upper Slaughter . In the 2010s BBC TV series Poldark , the location for Ross Poldark's family home, Trenwith,
8208-474: The meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham . The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire , and parts of Wiltshire , Somerset , Worcestershire , and Warwickshire . The highest point
8316-438: The money received from developers will be earmarked for new infrastructure to support the increasing population. Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic Jurassic limestone . This limestone is rich in fossils , particularly of fossilised sea urchins . When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as honey or golden. The stone varies in colour from north to south, being honey-coloured in
8424-539: The new line. The train also used the Hatherley curve. The B&CDR company had originally suggested that their Leckhampton station should be known as Cheltenham South, an idea that was viewed with disfavour all round. Numerous improvements to existing crossing loops were implemented at the same time, as well as doubling the line at Adderbury. Three new halts were opened at this time as well: at Churchill, named Sarsden Halt , and at Great Rollright and Milton . On 1 May 1909
8532-602: The north and northeast, as in villages such as Stanton and Broadway ; golden-coloured in the central and southern areas, as in Dursley and Cirencester ; and pearly white in Bath . The rock outcrops at places on the Cotswold Edge; small quarries are common. The exposures are rarely sufficiently compact to be good for rock-climbing , but an exception is Castle Rock, on Cleeve Hill , near Cheltenham . In his 1934 book English Journey , J. B. Priestley wrote of Cotswold buildings made of
8640-413: The now anomalous title of Chipping Norton Junction station was changed to Kingham. After the end of World War I there began a process of considerable social change. Motor omnibuses and lorries began to compete with rural railways, and as roads improved they offered ever better services compared to the railways. At the same time, traditional industries transformed, and international competition reduced
8748-530: The official area of the Cotswolds AONB was increased to 2,038 square kilometres (787 sq mi). In 2000, the government confirmed that AONBs have the same landscape quality and status as National Parks . It is England's third-largest protected landscape, after the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks. The Cotswolds National Landscape, which is the largest in England and Wales , stretches from
8856-399: The road network in the Cotswolds was poor, and Bliss was anxious to take advantage of the railway. When the OW&WR line was designed, there were to be stations at Charlbury , Shipton-under-Wychwood and Adlestrop . All of these were six miles (10 km) or so distant from Chipping Norton, making them unsatisfactory for Bliss's needs, although the railway line was to pass much closer to
8964-451: The route, using the flyover. The company sold its undertaking to the GWR in 1896, receiving about a quarter of the capital it had expended on the construction. The line had difficult gradients and curvature, and much of the route was single track. Between 1951 and 1962 the passenger service was withdrawn in stages, and all of the line except a short stub at Kings Sutton was closed in 1964, followed by complete closure in 1969. Construction of
9072-403: The south curve at Hatherley (the "Gloucester Loop"), and at Kings Sutton, which would enable direct running from Oxford and Yarnton towards Chipping Norton was revived, although this latter idea was never implemented. The flyover at Chipping Norton Junction was opened for goods traffic on 8 January 1906, and from 1 May 1906 a through express train from Barry to Newcastle Central ran, using
9180-567: The support of both Benjamin Disraeli and William Ewart Gladstone . He exiled himself to Budapest and tried to promote railways in Russia and Hungary. When he returned he became the main contractor for the Cornwall Minerals Railway which opened in 1874, but the failure of the related Cornish Consolidated Iron Mines Corporation meant that he sustained heavy losses when iron ore traffic on
9288-430: The term Cotswold is derived from Codesuualt of the 12th century or other variations on this form, the etymology of which is "Cod's-wold", meaning "Cod's high open land". Cod was interpreted as an Old English personal name, which may be recognised in further names: Cutsdean , Codeswellan, and Codesbyrig, some of which date to the 8th century. It has subsequently been noticed that Cod could derive philologically from
9396-462: The time allowable by the original act, and the company went to Parliament in 1877 seeking additional capital. A further £400,000 in debenture shares was authorised by the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway Act 1877 ( 40 & 41 Vict. c. cix) of 23 July 1877, with further time to complete land acquisition as well as the actual construction. The viaducts in the vicinity of Chipping Norton were not on
9504-523: The town. William Bliss had already motivated people in Chipping Norton to clamour for a closer station, and now he started correspondence with the directors of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR), proposing not merely a closer station, but a branch line into Chipping Norton itself. At this stage, the directors declined to promise the branch line. The OW&WR line opened in 1853, and
9612-449: The tune for Come Down, O Love Divine . His opera Hugh the Drover depicts life in a Cotswold village and incorporates local folk melodies. In 1988, the 6th symphony (Op. 109) of composer Derek Bourgeois was titled A Cotswold Symphony . The Cotswolds are a popular location for scenes in movies and television programmes. The 2008 film Better Things , directed by Duane Hopkins, is set in
9720-528: The workforce needed to undertake them, made him the world's largest employer. As a partner in Peto and Betts , he then became one of the major contractors in the building of the rapidly expanding railways of the time. Along with a small group of other Master Builders in London he is credited as a founding member of the Chartered Institute of Building in 1834. Samuel Morton Peto, normally called Morton Peto,
9828-432: Was a last attempt by the Great Western Railway to insist on the broad gauge being adopted. This demand was lost and on 31 July 1854 the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (Chipping Norton Branch) Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. ccix) was passed; it would be a narrow (standard) gauge line, sponsored by the OW&WR company. Construction of the short line (four and a half miles, 7 km) did not take long, and it
9936-479: Was always short of money, and the timescale of construction was correspondingly lengthy. When the extensions opened, the Great Western Railway worked the B&;CDR line and the two earlier branches as a single railway throughout. Reversal of through trains was necessary at Chipping Norton Junction until a flyover line was opened, in 1906, and from that year a through express train from Barry to Newcastle Central ran over
10044-461: Was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer, and, for more than 20 years, a Member of Parliament (MP). A partner in the firm of Grissell and Peto , he managed construction firms that built many of London's major buildings and monuments, including the Reform Club , The Lyceum Theatre , Nelson's Column and the replacement Houses of Parliament - commissions which brought him great wealth. The scale of his operations, and that of
10152-478: Was born in Cheltenham, spent much of his early years playing the organ in Cotswold village churches, including at Cranham , after which he titled his tune for In the Bleak Midwinter . He also called his Symphony in F major, Op. 8, H47, The Cotswolds . Holst's friend Ralph Vaughan Williams was born at Down Ampney in the Cotswolds and, though he moved to Surrey as a boy, gave the name of his native village to
10260-455: Was born on 4 August 1809, in Woking , Surrey. As a youth, he was apprenticed as a bricklayer to his uncle Henry Peto , who ran a building firm in London. When his uncle died in 1830, Peto and his older cousin, Thomas Grissell (who had been a partner to his uncle for five years), went into partnership. The firm of Grissell and Peto (1830–1847) built many well-known buildings in London, including
10368-516: Was building its line connecting Southampton with Cheltenham , and on 16 March 1891 it made a connection with the Banbury and Cheltenham line at Andoversford , reaching Cheltenham by running powers over the B&CDR and at Cheltenham itself using the Midland Railway station there. About 1880 passing loops had been added at Leckhampton and Charlton Kings , between Andoversford and Cheltenham, but
10476-595: Was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1117, and Malmesbury Abbey was one of the few English houses with a continual history from the 7th century through to the Dissolution of the Monasteries . An unusual house in this area is Quarwood , a Victorian Gothic house in Stow-on-the-Wold . The grounds, covering 42 acres (17 ha), include parkland, fish ponds, paddocks, garages, woodlands and seven cottages. Another
10584-437: Was greater than was originally thought: the cutting near Hook Norton was said to be one of the largest attempted in England. Extremely difficult weather conditions, failure of the contractor Alfred Terry to honour promises about the speed of completion of work, and a very considerable cost overrun beset the works. In 1876 it was apparent that completion of the line was not possible without additional finance, and an extension of
10692-686: Was made Baronet of Somerleyton Hall in the County of Suffolk. King Frederick VII of Denmark honoured Peto for establishing the Flensburg–Husum–Tönning Railway Company and its construction of railways in the Duchy of Schleswig , which led to a growing export/import trade with the port of Lowestoft . Another project abroad was the Homburg Railway built from 1859 to 1860. The Peto and Betts partnership became insolvent in 1866 due to
10800-592: Was not until 1 February 1874 that the arrangement was formally effective. In 1872 proposals were formalised for what became the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway. It was to run from the GWR's Oxford line at Kings Sutton , and use the Chipping Norton branch and the Bourton-on-the-Water Railway as part of its route. The proposed capital was £800,000; this proved to be a significant underestimate. Considerable deposits of haematite iron ore were known to exist on
10908-442: Was one of the most prominent figures in public life. He helped to make a guarantee towards the financing of The Great Exhibition of 1851 , backing Joseph Paxton 's Crystal Palace . In 1855 Peto was made a baronet ; but in the 1860s his businesses ran into trouble, so that in 1863 he sold Somerlyton Hall and in 1866 became bankrupt. After his involvement with the insolvency of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in 1866, and
11016-462: Was opened to goods traffic on 1 June 1855. Colonel Yolland of the Board of Trade inspected the line for passenger operation on 26 July, and approved it. Accordingly, on 10 August 1855 the line opened for passenger traffic. A new station on the main line, Chipping Norton Junction , was opened for the branch train connections. At first there were three passenger (probably mixed) trains each way daily, but by
11124-456: Was required, and this was obtained on 6 August 1897. The effective date was 1 July 1897. The GWR paid £450,000, being 25% of the issued capital of the B&CDR. Ordinary shareholders received £2 per cent. Iron ore deposits had been found on the course of the eastern part of the line, and a number of siding connections had been made to accommodate the traffic; in addition flows from Northamptonshire to South Wales had been running for some time by
11232-695: Was still a delay in opening the line, discussions with the GWR over the working arrangements apparently intervening. Eventually, on 6 April 1887 the eastern section of the line opened and the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway was operational throughout. It was worked by the Great Western Railway. Nearly £1.8 million had been issued as share capital. The line ran between Kings Sutton and Chipping Norton, and between Bourton-on-the-Water and Lansdown Junction at Cheltenham. Chipping Norton to Kingham and on to Bourton were GWR routes by this time. There were five passenger trains and two goods trains daily each way. The Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR)
11340-411: Was straightforward. Captain J. H. Rich of the Board of Trade inspected the line for the necessary approval for passenger operation on 14 February 1862 and was satisfied. Extension to Cheltenham was evidently already under consideration, for Rich received an assurance that turntables would be erected at the projected terminus of the line, Cheltenham, or at Bourton-on-the-Water "in case it shall remain as
11448-487: Was submitted to Parliament in the 1860 session and obtained its authorising act of Parliament, the Bourton-on-the-Water Railway Act 1860 ( 23 & 24 Vict. c. lxxxii), on 14 June 1860. Capital of the new company was £30,000. Land acquisition proved to be exceptionally difficult, with many landowners holding out for unreasonable remuneration, but otherwise the construction, undertaken by Sir Morton Peto,
11556-400: Was to be a flyover across the main line for the benefit of through trains. An alternative proposal was considered, to make a loop entering from Chipping Norton in to the junction from the south, enabling through operation without the cost of a bridge, but this was not proceeded with. Acquisition of the necessary land proved to be exceptionally difficult, and the scale of the engineering works
11664-595: Was withdrawn in 1951, and in October 1962 the Kingham to Cheltenham service was also closed. This was followed by closure of the Kingham to Chipping Norton trains in December 1962, as well as the Kingham to Hook Norton freight service. Hook Norton to Adderbury closed in 1963. Kingham to Chipping Norton and Kingham to Bourton-on-the-Water closed completely in September 1964. Ironstone workings at Adderbury serviced from Kings Sutton enabled
#555444