Paul, Another fascinating vlog. Thinking about it, I guess the railway must have transported gravel from the location via the canal and railway branch for construction works around the towns and cities in the UK. It's possible the railway's demise was down to road transport. Checking I noticed that the local operator Cullimore's still operate a gravel pit on the outskirts of the village. Their web site mentions the 90 year family history and having supplied the gravel used to build the Filton runway for example. I recall seeing their lorries on local roads, all had individual names some from Charles Dickens novels I think and struggling with reading them as a youngster as they were sign written in an italic font. I was a the 'not joined up words' level then 🙂 Frampton I recall was a very quiet part of mid-Gloucestershire out on a bit of a cul-de-sac; next stop the banks of the river Severn. It did liven up a bit when the Frampton Fair annual festival took place on the Village green; known as 'The Frampton Feast'. In the early 1980's I recall watching the Elver eating contests (not for me) and eating the pig or venison burgers washed down with some of the local beers. This alcohol of course didn't help me when it came to trying to 'win the teddy bear' on the shooting range for the unimpressed girlfriend at the time - LoL I guess the pandemic has put paid to that event. Different times. Des
Another great comment there Des which adds depth to the video. Thank you for sharing this. The reason I emphasised the military part of it, and something I have learnt since I made the video it that the railway was ripped up around 1919 and put in again around 1921(?) to aid a MOD munitions depot to the North of Bristol (Henbury) which was (is?) rail connected. I think gravel is needed as a packing material for some bombs. I don't know if it was used for Filton runway at that point, as Filton is close to Henbury. I don't know how far and wide the gravel was used, apart from building the then new extension to Avonmouth Docks. Yes, Cullimore's are still going strong. They don't excavate much from their Frampton depot these days, but use it as a base for their haulage operations. As an aside, in our local paper, Cullimore's have just put in a major planning bid for a huge gravel excavation operation at Ripple in Worcestershire by the banks of the River Severn. I guess gravel will always be needed! I am unsure why the railway closed as it would have been useful, and rail is a good method of transfering bul haulage, but mabybe because the Frampton site was starting to be worked out. Yes, I remember the Dickens' characters names on their lorries too! Great share, thanks for watching and commenting, Paul.
I complement you. I was only down on the canal two weeks ago and had no idea of the existence of the railway. Wonderful and congratulations on your presentation.
Cheers Paul just found your RUclips channel.I often wondered about this line.Found it on the rail map online site.Thanks for posting yes we do live in a lovely part of the country l am up in Gloucester look forward to more of your vblogs all the best Lee
Cheers Lee, and welcome to Westcountry Wanderings. Yes, I cover the entire region from Lands End, up to Birmingham and across to Oxford. There was another line, a little further to the south which left the MR at Gossington, and went across to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal at Shepherd's Patch, near the WWT Slimbridge centre. Unfortuately, very little remains to film of it, and I have been unable to find any archive photos either. It served the Ordnance at Moreton Vallance. Paul
Hello Paul - greetings from Poland I've been looking forward to this vlog. Your explorer instinct and being like a dog with a bone, has made this a brilliant video. A railway built by POWs for the extraction and delivery of gravel in two different directions. I think the bits and pieces you found proved beyond doubt that the railway ran the course suggested. Fantastic investigation Paul. The 1918 photograph was superb. I also noticed from the map you kept showing, that there was an engine shed sited not too far way from what is now that gorgeous lake. What a shame you couldn't get at the place it was. Gorgeous still photographs, wonderful camera work and a brilliant commentary. Fantastic!
Hello Michael. I can't believe that nothing has been done about this railway on YT previously. Very little on the internet about it. Thanks again, Paul 🙂👍
Very interesting Paul👍 I was a bridge man on the G/S and met a chap who said he had a map of railway lines and building’s between Cambridge and Slimbridge. He told me the buildings were military stores for the army with railway access and that Cambridge Arms got its name not from the arm of the river Cam joining the canal but because of the armoury during World War One.
That's fascinating! I am considering doing both a video of the Cambridge Arm (as you know, there was never a pub called the Cambridge Arms!) and one on the Slimbridge Munitions Depot and it's extensive railway system - although there is very little to see of the latter nowadays sadly. Great comment! Thank you. Paul.
Thank you Jay! It is so surprising, with the amout of interest in old railways, to come across one that is so little known or recorded about. Thanks for watching and commenting. Take care, Paul.
Love old booka,used to have so many,but then space and places to put them,i had to stop.so much information paul,loved this,makes me sad that so many lovely things are quickly forgottten.have a lovely weekend and stay safe debs x
HI debs, yes I have too many! Space is at a premium, and I have sent loads to charity shops. Although I have got a kindle, I prefer holding a book. I love books of old photos - the one mentioned in the video has been out of print for years. Yes, it was so surprising that no one seems to know about this railway -I didn't until two months ago. Hope you have a great weekend debs! Take care & stay safe, Paul.
Thank you and thanks for commenting. Yes, I am not familiar with that area or railway - indeed I wasn't familar with this until a couple of months ago - it is so little known. Three people in Frampton asked me what I was doing when I was filming, and none had heard of it, despite being local! Thanks again, Paul.
There is of course another railway that used to branch off the main line slightly further south at Gossington that used to go out a a large wartime ammunition store. Not sure how accessible any of that is?
Thank you Ken. Did you mean the Sharpness Branch, which leaves the Bristol - Birmingham at Berkeley Road (which is very near Gossington)? That line is still open for freight, and plans have recently been submitted to reopen it for passengers (because of a large number of new homes near Berkeley) under the 'restoring your railway' initiative. I can't find anything on a wartime ammunitions store though. Do you have any more information, books or links on that? I'm very interested! Thanks again, and thanks for watching. Paul.
Hi again Ken, I've just seen on the Rail Maps Online website that there was a connection to the Sharpness - Gloucester canal at Shepherd's Platt near Slimbridge WWT from the Birmingham-Bristol MMR - I will investigate when I am next in the area. I cannot find anything on that wartime ammo dump though; it is in a very low lying land, which has had new drainage channels put in it, so I am doubtful that there is anything there, but I will have a look. Thanks for letting me know as I wasn't aware of this either! Regards, Paul.
Hi Paul, I did not know about this line till I watched your video, thank you for making it, I suspect this was not an easy one to do. AT 15:15 you show a bridge which I am sure if you got to would have enabled you to show the site of the facing Junction. If you are that way again it might be worth seeking it out and as it could show the remains of the site today. I think it's a road bridge looking at the maps. Take care, Andrew.
Hi Andrew yes, I do know that bridge. You can see what was Frocester Station from it - it is now a restored private house - it's lovely. I did have a look from the bridge and filmed it but there was nothing of that branch there at all, so I decided not to use the footage (it is an incredibly noisy location too because of the traffic). In fact, Ron has been there on one of his videos too! You are right, this wasn't at all easy, as there was so little to work with - no cuttings, embankments, signal boxes, platforms or old photos apart from the one that you see in the video. What is curious is that there is nothing recorded in railway history books or railway atlases either - it is like it (almost) never existed. And, of course, no one is still alive that remembers it. But, it was an interesting project to do. Thank you for watching and commenting 👍🙂 Hope you are well and staying safe, Cheers, Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Hi Paul, I should have guessed you had investigated the view from the bridge mentioned given your high level of detail and excellent research, I know exactly what you mean concerning the lack of information on certain railways. When my house was being built the remains of a military railway were found in what's now the garden, old rotting sleepers still in there laid position but I cannot find much out about it. It went to the woods some distance away where there is still the remains of two very long sand bagged built walls, filled with a dry cement mixture. The walls went out to see and were constructed in such away that they held the water to train soldiers in the use of some type of vehicles I am told. There are no known photographs of it to the best of my knowledge and even people who have lived in the area far longer than I have know little about it. You take care now, I will watch some more of your videos as and when I can. Andrew.
You might want to revisit this one. Try looking at Google Earth and set the date to 2005, you can clearly see the route from Frocester to the lakes. You were in the wrong fields entirely at Park farm, nowhere near the railway route. Look at your map and compare to Fretherne bridge where you said the wharf was, to Splatt Bridge, the drains and bulge in the canal indicate this was the location.
Thank you for your comment and watching the video. My only resource was the 1926 OS Map which indicates that the stage into the canal was parallel to a cottage called Splatt, which is near Fretherne Bridge. As you know, Splatt Bridge is nearer the church in Frampton, and the map didn't indicate anything there. This old line then subsequently dissapeared from future OS maps, making working out the exact route very difficult. There is only, as far as I can see, just that one photo available (which is online and in the book I talked about at the start). My relative worked on Park's Farm (prior to when I worked there in the 1970s) and remembered where the gravel track (which was the route of the old line) traversed the fields in the video - however, there is no right of way over those fields, just the bridleway that I walked along. There is another footpath closer to Claypits Jct, but that is too far to the North. I am doing another video (partially at Frampton) about Cadbury's and the canals, and will have a closer look at the mooring posts at the towpath near Splatt Bridge when I am next down there. I will include a mention about that in that video - watch this space! Thanks for watching and commeting, Paul.
@@Spotteroo Hi Roger, I don't have a means of accepting PMs I am afraid. However, I have seen the Google Earth shots that you mention, and I will check that out when I am back in Frampton, which will be soon. Do you mind if I reference your comment and information when I film down by the canal again? Thanks for info, Regards, Paul.
@@westcountrywanderings Google Earth is an ideal tool for this sort of research work. Changing dates can often show info on the ground that is otherwise obscured by crops and such. The wharf was definitely at Splatt bridge and the railway can be traced across the fields. Reference away, if I can help more please get in touch.
Hi William, yes, I will be visiting Splatt Bridge soon as it looks like, from what others have said, that The Stage was at The Splatt and not Fretherne Bridge. I will include this in my next canal video, which is on Cadburys and canals, which will be partially filmed at Frampton. I will also put a correction in the comments. Thank you for watching and commenting 👍😊 Paul.
Paul, Another fascinating vlog.
Thinking about it, I guess the railway must have transported gravel from the location via the canal and railway branch for construction works around the towns and cities in the UK.
It's possible the railway's demise was down to road transport. Checking I noticed that the local operator Cullimore's still operate a gravel pit on the outskirts of the village. Their web site mentions the 90 year family history and having supplied the gravel used to build the Filton runway for example. I recall seeing their lorries on local roads, all had individual names some from Charles Dickens novels I think and struggling with reading them as a youngster as they were sign written in an italic font. I was a the 'not joined up words' level then 🙂
Frampton I recall was a very quiet part of mid-Gloucestershire out on a bit of a cul-de-sac; next stop the banks of the river Severn. It did liven up a bit when the Frampton Fair annual festival took place on the Village green; known as 'The Frampton Feast'. In the early 1980's I recall watching the Elver eating contests (not for me) and eating the pig or venison burgers washed down with some of the local beers. This alcohol of course didn't help me when it came to trying to 'win the teddy bear' on the shooting range for the unimpressed girlfriend at the time - LoL
I guess the pandemic has put paid to that event. Different times.
Des
Another great comment there Des which adds depth to the video. Thank you for sharing this. The reason I emphasised the military part of it, and something I have learnt since I made the video it that the railway was ripped up around 1919 and put in again around 1921(?) to aid a MOD munitions depot to the North of Bristol (Henbury) which was (is?) rail connected. I think gravel is needed as a packing material for some bombs. I don't know if it was used for Filton runway at that point, as Filton is close to Henbury. I don't know how far and wide the gravel was used, apart from building the then new extension to Avonmouth Docks. Yes, Cullimore's are still going strong. They don't excavate much from their Frampton depot these days, but use it as a base for their haulage operations. As an aside, in our local paper, Cullimore's have just put in a major planning bid for a huge gravel excavation operation at Ripple in Worcestershire by the banks of the River Severn. I guess gravel will always be needed! I am unsure why the railway closed as it would have been useful, and rail is a good method of transfering bul haulage, but mabybe because the Frampton site was starting to be worked out. Yes, I remember the Dickens' characters names on their lorries too! Great share, thanks for watching and commenting, Paul.
Frampton Feast the funfair still arrives each year .....
I complement you. I was only down on the canal two weeks ago and had no idea of the existence of the railway. Wonderful and congratulations on your presentation.
Thank you. That's very kind of Kevin. Glad you enjoyed the video. It seems to be largely forgotten and sadly very few photos now survive.
Cheers Paul just found your RUclips channel.I often wondered about this line.Found it on the rail map online site.Thanks for posting yes we do live in a lovely part of the country l am up in Gloucester look forward to more of your vblogs all the best Lee
Cheers Lee, and welcome to Westcountry Wanderings. Yes, I cover the entire region from Lands End, up to Birmingham and across to Oxford. There was another line, a little further to the south which left the MR at Gossington, and went across to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal at Shepherd's Patch, near the WWT Slimbridge centre. Unfortuately, very little remains to film of it, and I have been unable to find any archive photos either. It served the Ordnance at Moreton Vallance. Paul
Hello Paul - greetings from Poland
I've been looking forward to this vlog. Your explorer instinct and being like a dog with a bone, has made this a brilliant video. A railway built by POWs for the extraction and delivery of gravel in two different directions. I think the bits and pieces you found proved beyond doubt that the railway ran the course suggested. Fantastic investigation Paul.
The 1918 photograph was superb. I also noticed from the map you kept showing, that there was an engine shed sited not too far way from what is now that gorgeous lake. What a shame you couldn't get at the place it was.
Gorgeous still photographs, wonderful camera work and a brilliant commentary. Fantastic!
Hello Michael. I can't believe that nothing has been done about this railway on YT previously. Very little on the internet about it. Thanks again, Paul 🙂👍
Very interesting Paul👍 I was a bridge man on the G/S and met a chap who said he had a map of railway lines and building’s between Cambridge and Slimbridge. He told me the buildings were military stores for the army with railway access and that Cambridge Arms got its name not from the arm of the river Cam joining the canal but because of the armoury during World War One.
That's fascinating! I am considering doing both a video of the Cambridge Arm (as you know, there was never a pub called the Cambridge Arms!) and one on the Slimbridge Munitions Depot and it's extensive railway system - although there is very little to see of the latter nowadays sadly. Great comment! Thank you. Paul.
Great video. Really enjoyable.
Thank you! Glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment. Paul.
Hi Paul. Thanks for another great video
Thank you Ben! Thanks for watching and commenting. Paul.
Very detailed. You did your research. Great history. Thanks for sharing this Paul.
Thank you Jay! It is so surprising, with the amout of interest in old railways, to come across one that is so little known or recorded about. Thanks for watching and commenting. Take care, Paul.
Another interesting and informative video, I did a walk around Frampton and the lakes today so this video was perfect timing
Thank you! Yes, it is a lovely village - some much interest. Thanks for watching and commenting. Paul.
A wonderful bit of detective work, well done and thank you.
Thank you! Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching my channel. Paul.
Love old booka,used to have so many,but then space and places to put them,i had to stop.so much information paul,loved this,makes me sad that so many lovely things are quickly forgottten.have a lovely weekend and stay safe debs x
HI debs, yes I have too many! Space is at a premium, and I have sent loads to charity shops. Although I have got a kindle, I prefer holding a book. I love books of old photos - the one mentioned in the video has been out of print for years. Yes, it was so surprising that no one seems to know about this railway -I didn't until two months ago. Hope you have a great weekend debs! Take care & stay safe, Paul.
Thankyou ,I did enjoy that. It must be similar to the Davington light railway ar Faversham
Thank you and thanks for commenting. Yes, I am not familiar with that area or railway - indeed I wasn't familar with this until a couple of months ago - it is so little known. Three people in Frampton asked me what I was doing when I was filming, and none had heard of it, despite being local! Thanks again, Paul.
Hi Paul another nice informative video 👌
Thank you Roy! Thanks for commenting. Paul.
There is of course another railway that used to branch off the main line slightly further south at Gossington that used to go out a a large wartime ammunition store. Not sure how accessible any of that is?
Thank you Ken. Did you mean the Sharpness Branch, which leaves the Bristol - Birmingham at Berkeley Road (which is very near Gossington)? That line is still open for freight, and plans have recently been submitted to reopen it for passengers (because of a large number of new homes near Berkeley) under the 'restoring your railway' initiative. I can't find anything on a wartime ammunitions store though. Do you have any more information, books or links on that? I'm very interested! Thanks again, and thanks for watching. Paul.
Hi again Ken, I've just seen on the Rail Maps Online website that there was a connection to the Sharpness - Gloucester canal at Shepherd's Platt near Slimbridge WWT from the Birmingham-Bristol MMR - I will investigate when I am next in the area. I cannot find anything on that wartime ammo dump though; it is in a very low lying land, which has had new drainage channels put in it, so I am doubtful that there is anything there, but I will have a look. Thanks for letting me know as I wasn't aware of this either! Regards, Paul.
Hi Paul, I did not know about this line till I watched your video, thank you for making it, I suspect this was not an easy one to do. AT 15:15 you show a bridge which I am sure if you got to would have enabled you to show the site of the facing Junction. If you are that way again it might be worth seeking it out and as it could show the remains of the site today. I think it's a road bridge looking at the maps. Take care, Andrew.
Hi Andrew yes, I do know that bridge. You can see what was Frocester Station from it - it is now a restored private house - it's lovely. I did have a look from the bridge and filmed it but there was nothing of that branch there at all, so I decided not to use the footage (it is an incredibly noisy location too because of the traffic). In fact, Ron has been there on one of his videos too! You are right, this wasn't at all easy, as there was so little to work with - no cuttings, embankments, signal boxes, platforms or old photos apart from the one that you see in the video. What is curious is that there is nothing recorded in railway history books or railway atlases either - it is like it (almost) never existed. And, of course, no one is still alive that remembers it. But, it was an interesting project to do. Thank you for watching and commenting 👍🙂 Hope you are well and staying safe, Cheers, Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Hi Paul, I should have guessed you had investigated the view from the bridge mentioned given your high level of detail and excellent research, I know exactly what you mean concerning the lack of information on certain railways. When my house was being built the remains of a military railway were found in what's now the garden, old rotting sleepers still in there laid position but I cannot find much out about it. It went to the woods some distance away where there is still the remains of two very long sand bagged built walls, filled with a dry cement mixture. The walls went out to see and were constructed in such away that they held the water to train soldiers in the use of some type of vehicles I am told. There are no known photographs of it to the best of my knowledge and even people who have lived in the area far longer than I have know little about it. You take care now, I will watch some more of your videos as and when I can. Andrew.
You might want to revisit this one. Try looking at Google Earth and set the date to 2005, you can clearly see the route from Frocester to the lakes. You were in the wrong fields entirely at Park farm, nowhere near the railway route. Look at your map and compare to Fretherne bridge where you said the wharf was, to Splatt Bridge, the drains and bulge in the canal indicate this was the location.
Thank you for your comment and watching the video. My only resource was the 1926 OS Map which indicates that the stage into the canal was parallel to a cottage called Splatt, which is near Fretherne Bridge. As you know, Splatt Bridge is nearer the church in Frampton, and the map didn't indicate anything there. This old line then subsequently dissapeared from future OS maps, making working out the exact route very difficult. There is only, as far as I can see, just that one photo available (which is online and in the book I talked about at the start). My relative worked on Park's Farm (prior to when I worked there in the 1970s) and remembered where the gravel track (which was the route of the old line) traversed the fields in the video - however, there is no right of way over those fields, just the bridleway that I walked along. There is another footpath closer to Claypits Jct, but that is too far to the North. I am doing another video (partially at Frampton) about Cadbury's and the canals, and will have a closer look at the mooring posts at the towpath near Splatt Bridge when I am next down there. I will include a mention about that in that video - watch this space! Thanks for watching and commeting, Paul.
@@westcountrywanderings Paul if you have a means of accepting private messages I can send the GE screen shots of the route
@@Spotteroo Hi Roger, I don't have a means of accepting PMs I am afraid. However, I have seen the Google Earth shots that you mention, and I will check that out when I am back in Frampton, which will be soon. Do you mind if I reference your comment and information when I film down by the canal again? Thanks for info, Regards, Paul.
@@westcountrywanderings Google Earth is an ideal tool for this sort of research work. Changing dates can often show info on the ground that is otherwise obscured by crops and such. The wharf was definitely at Splatt bridge and the railway can be traced across the fields. Reference away, if I can help more please get in touch.
@@Spotteroo Thank you Roger, as I say I'll have a look at Splatt Bridge in a few days and put it into my next video from Frampton. Thanks again, Paul.
Wharf at Splatt Bridge
Hi William, yes, I will be visiting Splatt Bridge soon as it looks like, from what others have said, that The Stage was at The Splatt and not Fretherne Bridge. I will include this in my next canal video, which is on Cadburys and canals, which will be partially filmed at Frampton. I will also put a correction in the comments. Thank you for watching and commenting 👍😊 Paul.