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LECHLADE |
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Lechlade is a pleasant small market town standing on the River Thames. Except for very small craft, it marks the limit of navigation on the river, and in consequence it was nearby that the Thames & Severn Canal began its journey across the Cotswolds to link up with Severn. A popular tourist destination now, Lechlade was unfortunately some little distance from the station, and tourist traffic probably suffered as a consequence. Ironically, since closure, the town has grown out to meet the station! As Kelmscott & Langford station had not opened at the time, Lechlade station featured in the funeral arrangements for William Morris in 1896, the coffin being taken to Kelmscott from Lechlade on a specially prepared farm wagon. |
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Lechlade station (SP218006) was
situated next to the A361 road just to the north of the town and was
18 miles 38 chains from Yarnton Junction. Standard EGR buildings were
provided along with a GWR signal box. Although a passing loop was
added during the Second World War, this was only for the use of
freight trains. It can just be seen in the background of this early
1960s view. Note also a wagon standing on the overgrown long back
siding to the left of the signal box. The field on the left was
shortly be used for gravel extraction, and is now a popular fishing
and wildlife lake. |
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57xx Class 0-6-0PT 9653 waits at Lechlade with a
two coach train for Fairford in early 1961. There are at least a few
passengers visible in this view, as the guard in his Hawksworth bow
ended coach gives the 'right away' to the driver, who is not taking
any notice as he is watching the photographer! |
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57xx Class 0-6-0PT 3722 passes Lechlade goods shed
with a train bound for Oxford in the late 1950s. There was obviously still a little goods traffic being handled at this late date, as a line
of wagons are visible in the goods shed siding. 3722 had moved from
Oxford to Newport (Ebbw Junction) by late 1960, and was withdrawn from
there in May 1962, and was scrapped at Cashmores of Newport the following
November. |
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The fireman of an Oxford to
Fairford train is about to hand the train staff to the Lechlade
signalman in this 17 April 1959 view. A couple of the signal levers
can be glimpsed through the open signal box door. In 2006 it is
still possible to stand on this spot (see below), but the platform
surface and the road bridge are the only structures still extant.
The typical flood under the cheaply built EGR is evident in this
picture, while in the distance, the down advanced started signal can
just be seen, placed on the north side of the line. In the far distance
the line can be seen disappearing under Bridge No.26. |
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An excellent view of the
station approach road taken in the early 1960s. From left to right
we can see: the gates giving access to the platform for the loading
of milk churns, the station building, standard GWR pagoda hut,
goods shed, corrugated iron store, with the isolated cattle dock
behind, and the weighbridge hut. As can be seen, the field to the
south of the station was used for allotments. Note the elm trees
in the background, a once familiar sight in the area until the
ravages of Dutch Elm Disease in the late 1960s changed the landscape for ever. The original Kodachrome slide
shows plenty of detail, including a PW hut in the far distance,
and the famous topiary hen in the gardens opposite the platform.
This can just be seen through the branches of the tree by the
station building. Compare this view with the same scene on 21
November 2005 (hover your mouse over the image).
Virtually the only feature linking the two pictures is the railway
fence. |
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Lechlade station building seen
from the approach road on 2 September 1959. The toilet block is on the
left, the small window giving light to the ladies toilet. The first
window in the main building was for the ladies waiting room, followed
by the main waiting room. The doors in the centre of the building
opened directly into the main waiting room. The next two windows (both
with bars) are for the office and parcels store respectively. The back
of the signal box can be seen between the station building and the pagoda
hut. The cupboard like extension on the rear of the box presumably
housed the ATC equipment and batteries. As in the previous picture, an
air of desertion already exists here. |
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Very few pictures have come to
light showing the Witney to Fairford section after the cessation of
train services but before removal of the track. However, this rather
poor quality picture of Lechlade station on 30 June 1963 shows the
line one year after closure. Apart from some forty gallon drums and
tyres on the platform, not a lot seems to have changed, although a
caravan has appeared behind the signal box and there appears to be
some kind of mast, or possibly borehole drill erected behind it.
Does anyone know what this was for? |
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Over three years later in
late 1966, the track has gone and the platform is becoming choked with
grass. At this time the trackbed was clearly used by farm vehicles, as
prior to the building of the housing estate on the other side of the
A361, this must have been a convenient route between fields, avoiding
the main road. Although having not been tended for several years, the
elaborate garden opposite the platform is still just about holding out
against the rough grass. In the background the field on the left has
been cleared for gravel extraction, and the resultant lake has already started
to form. |
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On 19 April 1980 (above
left), the station site was still being used as a coal yard, with
sacks of coal stacked on the concrete base of the corrugated iron
pagoda hut. Shortly afterwards, the site was abandoned, and nature
quickly took over. In this view from 19 May 1992 (above right) the
vegetation is starting to gain the upper hand. During the late
1990s the area had become an impenetrable jungle. |
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In August 2003 the whole site
was cleared of all vegetation and a new fence erected alongside the
road. The concrete plinth visible behind the pagoda hut base in 1980,
now stands in glorious isolation (above right). Various other
sections of masonry and assorted railway came to light during this
clearance. |
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This view, taken on 24 August 2003,
shows the remains of the platform with the road bridge just visible
behind the tree in the background. The newly erected fence alongside
the road can also be seen. New houses were built some years ago on the
other side of the road, and presumably the recent clearance operations
herald the end of the station's existence. However, over three years after the
clearing operations nothing has happened, and nature is already
starting to gain the upper hand again! No work can begin until the
road bridge is demolished due to safety concerns over the junction
into any new development. Take the opportunity to view the site now before the likely
redevelopment takes place. |
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The extensive clearance operations in
August 2003 revealed the layout of the station after years of being
hidden under dense vegetation. This view shows the base of the goods
shed. Lechlade had a very spacious goods yard - the area behind the
goods shed in this view only contained one siding. The picture was
taken from the bank on the north side of the line, and is looking
towards Manor Farm in the distance. |
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Lechlade road overbridge
pictured on 22 April 2006. The new housing development on the
other side of the bridge has resulted in a fence being erected,
blocking off the other side of the bridge. This has obviously been
seen as too good an opportunity to miss, and so a second lower fence
has been erected on this side (just visible behind the bushes) and the
resultant void used as a handy dumping ground for domestic and
builder's rubbish. |
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The structural integrity of
Lechlade bridge seems a little in doubt, when you examine this view of
the underside of the span seen on 22 April 2006. At sometime in the
bridge's life the original rolled joists and timber decking were
replaced with these reinforced concrete sections. However, ingress of
water has rusted the reinforcing rods and consequent expansion is
splitting off large junks of concrete. Although not dangerous yet,
this can only get worse, and when you consider that the road above is
the A361 which carries a high volume of heavy traffic, it seems
certain that demolition will have to be considered shortly. |
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| Immediately after the A361 road bridge there is now new housing development on both sides of the line, effectively obliterating the route. The straight line where the gardens of the more recent houses on the north abut the houses on the south marks the course of the route. Less than ¼mile from the A361 bridge (SP215006) the houses on the north of the line give way to the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Edward Richardson nature reserve. This is another former gravel pit, now a haven for birds and other wildlife. A couple of footpaths cross the route here (SP213006 and SP212006). |
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Approximately ½ mile after leaving
Lechlade station, the line passed under another of the characteristic
EGR bridges (SP210006), referred to in the GWR bridge survey as
Hambridge Road, Bridge No.26. The road is currently called Hambridge
Lane and is part of the old Salt Way, the medieval trackway used for
the transportation of salt from Cheshire to the Thames at Lechlade.
The bridge has a span of 12ft 8in (13ft 3in on the
skew). On 19 April 1980 the track has gone but the flood remains!
This view is looking back towards Lechlade. |
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This bridge still survives,
and the approach road doesn't seem to be suffering quite so much
subsidence trouble as many of the others. In fact, as this picture taken
on 16 July 2008 shows the bridge has recently had some significant
repair work carried out. The former corrugated iron sides have now been
replaced by a mesh screen, and in addition to repair work on three of
the stone parapet ends, the one on the south west corner has been completely
replaced. Apart from the fact that the capstone is concrete rather than
the original stone, it is an excellent job, and no doubt once it has
weathered will be an perfect match. This is a surprisingly busy road,
considering it only leads from Lechlade to the villages of the Coln
Valley. Obviously the structure of the bridge was considered to be sound
enough to warrant repair work rather than demolition, which would
probably also have entailed realigning the road at this point to remove
a noticeable double bend. Note the retention of the former railway
fencing on the right. |
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Continuing westwards from the
Hambridge Lane bridge the railway has been incorporated into the
fields, as can be seen here at the point where another footpath
crosses the line (SP204007). This view is looking east along the hedgerow
on 16 July 2008. The field on the left have been extended over the
railway. Presumably the removal of many tons of ballast was considered
worthwhile for the small increase in field acreage. |
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Although all trace of the line has been
obliteratied adjacent to the footpath crossing, the bridge over the
stream (SP204007) survives in its original condition. However, as
these views from 16 July 2008 show it may well not survive much
longer. Although the north side of the bridge is in good shape
(upper picture), the same cannot be said for the south side (lower
picture). Although not immediately obvious from this picture, the
whole side of the bridge above the arch is leaning outwards at an
alarming angle, due to the root growth of a tree that is growing on
the track bed. It can only be a matter of time before the whole
section comes crashing down into the stream. As this will obviously
block the watercourse and lead to flooding of the neighbouring
fields, it is inevitable than when this happens this original
structure will be replaced by the ubiquitous concrete pipe. The
creeping roots of the ivy have not helped either, as the outer
bricks of the lower arch ring have already disappeared, except for
the few at the left side, which are also on the point of falling
into the water! |
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A short distance further on, the
remains can be seen of
one of the concrete ballast bins that were placed at intervals along
the line to assist with local manual ballast packing. Constructed from
four concrete sections bolted together, these bins have all the
hallmarks of emanating from the former Southern Railway's concrete
works at Exmouth Junction. Two sides had disappeared by the time this
picture was taken on 14 August 2004. |
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The course of the line is now running virtually due east, and soon crosses another stream (SP194008) on a rebuilt bridge that has consequently lost its original Barlow rail decking. The farm buildings of Claydon Field can now bee seen on the left. A further ½ mile brings us to one of the more interesting relics of the line still extant today. |
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As mentioned on the Cassington page,
Barlow rail was used on a number of Fairford branch bridges. These distinctive inverted V shape rails can still be seen in the
decking of the bridge over the stream approximately 2 miles west of
Lechlade station (SP187009). These views taken on 6 December 2003 and 14
August 2004 show (left) Barlow rail visible on the edge of the 4ft wide bridge, and
(right) the heavily corroded Barlow rail decking viewed from the
underside of the bridge. Continuing westward, the course of the
line is discernable until the public footpath from the A361 crosses
(SP181010), thereafter the line has been incorporated into a large
field, reappearing again when it crosses another small stream (SP176011)
and enters a heavily overgrown section. |
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The road bridge carrying
the Whelford to Southrop minor road over the line (SP173011) is the
final surviving structure on the line. When pictured on 19 April 1980,
it still had wooden parapets, however, now it has rather makeshift modern rail
and wire parapets. This view impossible is now due to rampant bush
growth. From this bridge the line curves slightly to the south on the
approach to the site of Fairford Station.
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