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The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, with south
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. The route involved a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...
crossing of the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...
. The ferry was replaced by the
Severn Tunnel The Severn Tunnel ( cy, Twnnel Hafren) is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn. It was constructed by the Great Western ...
in 1886 but part of the route continues to be used, forming parts of the
Cross-Country Route Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yon ...
and the
South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...
.


History


Construction and independent operation

A "Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway" was authorised by
Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...
in 1846.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
surveyed a route across the Severn and the ferry at
New Passage New Passage is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England, on the banks of the Severn estuary near the village of Pilning. It takes its name from the ferry service which operated between there and South Wales until 1886. Ferry History New ...
was purchased, but the line failed to raise enough money so was not built. The "Bristol, South Wales and Southampton Union Railway" proposed in 1854 to carry a line through the centre of Bristol and along the
Avon Gorge The Avon Gorge () is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the ...
to New Passage, where a
train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ...
would cross the water. This became the "Bristol and South Wales Union Railway" (B&SWUR) which received its Act on 27 July 1857 but using a route to the east and north of Bristol. Brunel died in 1859 and the works were completed by Robert Pearson Brereton. Construction started in 1858 and the single-track
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...
line opened from South Wales Junction, half a mile east of Temple Meads, as far as the landward end of New Passage
Pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
on 8 September 1863, a distance of . The distance by rail between Bristol and Cardiff was reduced from to . Stations were opened at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road,
Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...
, Patchway,
Pilning Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, close to Redwick and Severn Beach. Pilning is close to the M4, M49 and A403 roads, and has the South Wales Main Line railway running through it, with a minor station. The civil parish ...
and New Passage. The short section on the opposite side of the Severn officially opened on 1 January 1864. On 13 August 1864 Ashley Hill station was opened between Stapleton Road and Filton. In 1868 the B&SWUR was
amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...
with the GWR which had operated its trains from the outset.


Subsequent history

Under GWR ownership, the Portskewett branch was converted to
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...
on 13 May 1872 along with all the other broad gauge lines on that side of the river. The Bristol section was closed for one day on 8 August 1873 and reopened the following day as a standard gauge line. On 1 October 1874 a junction was put in at Narroways Hill, just north of
Stapleton Road railway station Stapleton Road railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city district of Easton in Bristol, England. It is from . Its three letter station code is SRD. The station has two platforms, four runnin ...
, to connect the GWR with the
Clifton Extension Railway The Clifton Extension Railway was a joint railway in Bristol, owned by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the Midland Railway (MR) companies. Description of line The railway ran from a junction with the GWR at Narroways Hill, just north of St ...
, a joint venture with the
Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
to serve the affluent
Clifton Clifton may refer to: People * Clifton (surname) * Clifton (given name) Places Australia *Clifton, Queensland, a town ** Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong * Clifton, Western Australia Canada * Clifton, Nova Sc ...
district. The line from Temple Meads to Narroways Hill Junction was doubled at the same time. Work had started on the
Severn Tunnel The Severn Tunnel ( cy, Twnnel Hafren) is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn. It was constructed by the Great Western ...
a little way downstream from New Passage in 1872 and sidings were laid at both Portskewett and New Passage in connection with sinking shafts to the tunnel workings. On 29 May 1886 a curve was opened near South Wales Junction (between Dr Day's Junction and North Somerset Junction) to allow trains to run directly from London to the new Tunnel. The line between Narroways Hill Junction and Patchway was also doubled to carry the heavier traffic. Just short of
Pilning railway station Pilning railway station is a minor station on the South Wales Main Line near Pilning, South Gloucestershire, England. It is from and is the last station on the English side before the Severn Tunnel through to Wales. Its three letter station ...
the new route diverged to south and a new station was built. The ferry and Pilning-New Passage line ceased operation after 30 November 1886 and the tunnel opened for passenger trains the following day, although goods trains had already been using the new route. A new single track tunnel alongside the old tunnel at Almondsbury carried the Up line on a more gentle gradient from 1887. The increased traffic caused the line from Dr Day's Junction to Narroways Hill Junction to be widened to four tracks in 1891. The B&SWUR had been authorised to construct a line from Pilning to a proposed new dock at
Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Es ...
in 1862, but neither the dock nor railway was built. The GWR reopened a section of the old line for goods traffic on 5 February 1900, this ran from Pilning to New Passage and then connected with a new route to
Avonmouth railway station Avonmouth railway station is located on the Severn Beach Line and serves the district of Avonmouth in Bristol, England. It is from . Its three letter station code is AVN. The station has two platforms, on either side of two running lines. ...
. Passenger trains ran from Avonmouth as far as a new
Severn Beach railway station Severn Beach railway station serves the village of Severn Beach, England. This is the terminus of the Severn Beach Line. This station is north west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line. The station is managed by Great Western ...
from 10 July 1922, and continued to new stations at New Passage and Pilning (known as "Pilning Low Level") from 9 July 1928. The service was withdrawn from 23 November 1964.


Stations

* Bristol Temple Meads was the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
terminus in Bristol opened on 8 August 1840 and is still the largest station in the city. * Lawrence Hill opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 and is still served by Severn Beach Line and other local services. * Stapleton Road opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 and is still served by Severn Beach Line and other local services. * Ashley Hill was additional station opened by the B&SWUR on 13 August 1864 and closed on 23 November 1964. * Horfield was opened by the GWR on 14 May 1927 and closed on 23 November 1964. *Filton opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863. It was closed on 1 July 1903 to be replaced by a new Filton Junction station, but this in turn has been replaced by Filton Abbey Wood railway station back on the original site and is served by local services on the Bristol to Cardiff and Bristol to Gloucester routes. * Patchway opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 and is still served by train services between Bristol and Cardiff. *
Pilning Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, close to Redwick and Severn Beach. Pilning is close to the M4, M49 and A403 roads, and has the South Wales Main Line railway running through it, with a minor station. The civil parish ...
opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 but closed when the Severn Tunnel opened on 1 December 1886. * Pilning Low Level was opened by the GWR for the Severn Beach circular service on 9 August 1928 and closed on 23 November 1964. * Cross Hands Halt was opened by the GWR for the Severn Beach circular service on 9 August 1928 and closed on 23 November 1964. * New Passage Halt was opened by the GWR for the Severn Beach circular service on 9 August 1928 and closed on 23 November 1964. *
New Passage New Passage is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England, on the banks of the Severn estuary near the village of Pilning. It takes its name from the ferry service which operated between there and South Wales until 1886. Ferry History New ...
opened with the line on 8 September 1863 and closed when the Severn Tunnel opened on 1 December 1886. * New Passage Pier opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 and closed when the Severn Tunnel opened on 1 December 1886. * Portskewett Pier was opened by the B&SWUR on 1 January 1864 and closed when the Severn Tunnel opened on 1 December 1886. *
Portskewett Portskewett ( cy, Porthsgiwed or ''Porthysgewin'') is a village and community (parish) in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located four miles south west of Chepstow and one mile east of Caldicot, in an archaeologically sensitive part of th ...
was opened with the B&SWUR on 8 September 1863 but now closed.


Ferries

Two steam ferries had crossed the River Severn near
Aust Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, about north of Bristol and about south west of Gloucester. It is located on the eastern side of the Severn estuary, close to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which carries the M ...
for many years before the coming of the railway. The upper ferry between Old Passage and
Beachley Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, near the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on a peninsula at the confluence of the rivers Wye and Severn, where the Severn Bridge ends and the smaller secondary bridge over the Ri ...
continued as before but the lower ferry, about away at New Passage, was sold to the Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway in 1847. The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway eventually built new
pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
s for the ferry, that at New Passage being long and that at Portskewett just . On the night of 21 May 1881 Portskewett Pier was badly damaged by a fire; it was reopened on 16 June 1881, during which time a limited train service between Bristol and
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
was operated over the Bristol and Gloucester line of the
Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
. A steam ferry, the ''Saint Pierre'' had been built by Pride and Williams for the New Passage crossing in 1825 and it worked there until 1831. The B&SWUR bought a new steamer, the ''Gem'' in 1863 but it proved unsuitable and was soon replaced by the ''Relief''. John Bland, a carrier and shareholder in the railway, was contracted to operate the ferry. The next vessel purchased was the ''Dragon Fly'', this had been used by the contractors to build the piers but was too small to work as the ferry. Instead, two paddle tugs, the ''Ajax'' and the ''Atlas'' were hired in to cover for the ''Relief''. A new paddle steamer arrived in June 1864, named ''Christopher Thomas'' after the chairman of the B&SWUR, it had been built for the company by Henderson, Coulborn and Company at
Renfrew Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's form ...
in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. A slightly larger vessel named the ''Chepstow'' arrived from the same shipyard on 11 February 1875. These two continued in service until the Severn Tunnel was opened in 1886. They were sold to WS Ogden at Cardiff in 1880, the ''Chepstow'' being renamed the ''Rover''. The funnels were generally painted black with a red band.


References

{{Authority control 7 ft gauge railways Great Western Railway constituents Rail transport in Bristol Rail transport in Gloucestershire Railway lines in Wales Ferry companies of England Ferry companies of Wales Railway companies established in 1857 Railway lines opened in 1864 Railway companies disestablished in 1868 Standard gauge railways in Wales Standard gauge railways in England British companies established in 1857 1857 establishments in Wales British companies disestablished in 1868