Tetbury Road railway station

Not to be confused with Tetbury railway station.

Tetbury Road
The site of the station in 2018
General information
Location	Coates, Gloucestershire, Cotswold England
Coordinates	51.6880°N 2.0284°W / 51.6880; -2.0284
Grid reference	ST981987
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Opened	12 May 1845
Closed	1 May 1882
Original company	Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
12 May 1845	Opened as Tetbury Road
1 May 1882	Closed to passengers
1 May 1908	Renamed Coates
1 July 1963	Closed to freight

Tetbury Road railway station was built by the Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway to serve the Gloucestershire villages of Kemble and Coates, and the town of Tetbury.

History

The station was situated on the Golden Valley Line, to the north of the bridge where the line passes over the Fosse Way.^[1] The site was carefully chosen so as to be outside the land around Kemble, which was owned by Robert Gordon, who forbade the construction of a public station on his land.^[2]

The Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway (C&GWU) had been authorised on 21 June 1836 to build a line from a junction with the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon to Cheltenham via Kemble, with a branch from the latter point to Cirencester.^[3] The first section of the C&GWU from Swindon to Cirencester opened on 31 May 1841; there were no stations between Minety and Cirencester.^[4][2] A junction was later constructed at Kemble, with it, the line from there to Gloucester was opened on 12 May 1845, and the first station on the new line was at Tetbury Road.^[5] A station was also built at the junction, but this had no road access, being intended for interchange purposes.^[6][7] In the meantime, the C&GWU had been purchased by the GWR on 1 July 1843.^[8][2]

During the conversion of the Cirencester branch from 7 ft 0+1⁄4 in gauge to standard gauge, which took place between 22 and 27 May 1872, Cirencester passengers used Tetbury Road station, and were conveyed between the station and Cirencester by omnibus.^[2]

When road access to Kemble station was provided from 1 May 1882, Tetbury Road was closed to passengers.^[9][2][1] It remained open for goods, and on 1 May 1908 was renamed Coates, to prevent goods intended for Tetbury from being sent here by mistake;^[1] the Tetbury branch having opened for passengers and goods on 2 December 1889.^[10] The station closed completely on 1 July 1963.^[2][1]

The line remains open for passenger services between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa.

Route

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Chalford Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway		Kemble Line and station open

Notes

1. Mitchell & Smith 2005, fig. XIII.
2. Tolson 1964, p. 743.
3. Tolson 1964, p. 742.
4. MacDermot 1927, pp. 170–1.
5. MacDermot 1927, p. 184.
6. Mitchell & Smith 2005, Historical background.
7. Mitchell & Smith 2005, fig. VII.
8. MacDermot 1927, p. 174.
9. Butt 1995, p. 227.
10. Tolson 1964, p. 744.

References

• Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
• MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway.
• Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith (January 2005). Swindon to Gloucester. Western Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-46-2.
• Tolson, John M. (October 1964). Cooke, B.W.C. (ed.). "End of an Experiment". The Railway Magazine. 110 (762). Westminster: Tothill Press.