Witney (Passenger)

The section from Witney to Brize Norton & Bampton was the longest gap between stations on the line, at 3¾ miles. This page takes us from the road bridge at Witney, past Ducklington and Lew, and on towards Bampton.

Witney water tower

The water tower at Witney was situated just to the west of the road overbridge. In this early 1960s view, the station can be seen in the background. On the left the end loading dock is already grass covered and obviously little used. The well and pump were situated in the base of the water tank building, which as can be seen stood next to a PW hut. Note the level indicator on the tank. The bridge outlasted all other railway infrastructure on the site by a considerable margin. Latterly by-passed by a new road, it stood for some years in glorious isolation, until demolition came in 1984.
Colour Rail

Another view of the water tower, this time looking west, with the grass covered end loading dock in the foreground. The line of willow trees in the background mark the course of Emma's Dyke - a drainage ditch feeding into the River Windrush. Further beyond, and just visible on the original slide are the houses on the Ducklington Road. Station Lane Industrial Estate now occupies these fields. At least the willow trees still survive!
Colour Rail

Although the station building was demolished soon after closure, the road overbridge survived for many years, although latterly cut off from the road. The remains of the end loading bay also survived and is pictured here on 18 April 1980, along with the steps which gave access to rail level. The realigned Station Lane is behind the fence inn the background.
Martin Loader

A slightly different viewpoint of a train approaching Witney in March 1961. 0-6-0PT 7412 is just passing the point that leads to the end loading bay with the 12:32 Fairford to Oxford service. A quick reference to the water tower picture above shows the photographer's vantage point. Witney's up home signal is visible above the first coach. This is now Station Lane (see below), a very busy road linking up the town's industrial estates.
Tony Doyle

7412 Witney March 1961

The view westwards from the Witney station bridge in the autumn of 1975 shows the new Station Lane under construction on the course of the East Gloucestershire Railway. The distinctive beech tree in the centre of the picture indicates the position of the point leading to the end loading bay, and the end of the line after the Fairford section was lifted (see the two pictures below). The houses of Burwell Farm can be seen in the distance, and the bowling club on the extreme right. The tarmac surface has just been laid from Emma's Dyke onwards, but the meadows on the left of the road and the playing field on the right in the distance have yet to be built on. The photographer's Vauxhall Viva which is obviously trying to be one of the first cars to use the new road, has probably long since gone to the scrapyard!
Witney & District Museum

A few months later than the previous picture, in the spring of 1976, the new Station Lane has been surfaced. This view clearly shows the truncated embankment, with the bridge just visible near the notice boards. These notice boards herald the arrival of the first of the many industrial estates that were to spring up along the new road over the next few years.
Witney & District Museum

The present day road built along the trackbed is ironically called Station Lane and serves a number of industrial estates. I used to drive along the course of the Fairford line everyday on the way to work! The traffic lights at the junction of Station Lane & Ducklington Lane (SP351088) marks the site of another EGR road overbridge, demolished soon after the railway closed. During 1983 another new road was constructed along the course of the line here, almost up to the point where the 1977 built Witney by-pass crosses the course of the line for the second time (SP346087).

The end of another section of the Fairford branch line trackbed. In 1983 a new road was constructed between Ducklington Lane and Curbridge Road, between the Burwell Farm housing estate and the A40 Witney bypass. This is the scene on 6 May 1983 looking west along the course of the line from near Ducklington Lane. The hedge along the southern boundary has already been ripped out, prior to construction of the road. The dandelion covered field on the left is now a retail park.
Martin Loader

This view taken from the Witney by-pass on 15 April 1983, shows the course of the Fairford Branch passing in front of Burwell Farm, just a few weeks before the line was cleared to make way for a new road (Thorney Leys). The housing estate which takes its name from the farm can also be seen in the background. The field between the line and the houses has since been built on. In the foreground can be seen a bridge spanning a small stream (SP348087). This was one of a number of bridges on the line that utilized Barlow rail for the decking.
Martin Loader

Bridge near Burwell Farm

Trackbed near the Ducklington to Curbridge road

After the second crossing of the Witney by-pass, the course of the line is initially open, before a section of impenetrable brambles gives way to another open section just before the Curbridge road (seen here as a muddy track on 5 April 2006). Two bridges spanning small streams (SP342084 & SP341083) are still extant along this section. The bridge on the Curbridge to Ducklington road (SP339083) was one of the early casualties, no doubt the East Gloucestershire's skimpy bridge construction was more pronounced here.
Martin Loader

the course of the line heads south-west towards After a further ¾ mile the line crosses Elm Bank Ditch, pictured here on 11 January 2004. (SP331075). This section of line is on a low embankment, briefly interrupted, as the culvert a little further on (SP329074) has been excavated out, and replaced by a pipe, without being back filled. A large pile of car tyres blocks the course of the line on the approach to the Curbridge to Ducklington road.
Martin Loader

For the next 1½ miles the line runs through open countryside with only Lew Hill on the left breaking the monotony. ½ mile west of the A4095 bridge is the second of the line's two underbridges (SP319068). Like the South Leigh bridge, this was an accommodation bridge between two fields, passing through the low embankment at this point. At only 4 ft wide it was narrow even for 19th century traffic, and was soon replaced by a gated crossing on the level just to the west. This view from the north side of the line on 14 December 2003 shows the bridge parapet in the background, with the gatepost in the boundary fence on the left and the rubble filled approach to the arch in the centre of the picture.
Martin Loader

Underbridge between Witney and Bampton

A close up view of the underbridge on 14 December 2003 shows that the original bridge was strengthened at some time, but the very top of the original arch can just be seen. Just like the line's other underbridge near South Leigh, the arch of this one is composed of three courses of bricks. A little further along the former bridge over the Norton Ditch (SP313064) has now been replaced by a large diameter concrete pipe.
Martin Loader