In 1811 the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad opened to carry coal, stone, and general materials between Cheltenham and the docks at Gloucester. It was a form of early railway, where 'tram' refers originally to the wooden rails used in early examples, and went on to mean a system of waggons carried on rails.
The line had a spur to the tram road from the quarries on Leckhampton Hill (opened in 1800), and the 15 km main route terminated at the top of Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, where there were 1.75 acres (0.7 ha) of wharves, offices, and freight warehouses. The route between Gloucester and Cheltenham took it north of the present-day railway for most of its length, passing close to the site of Staverton (Gloucestershire) Airport. On a 94 bus you'd probably be closer to the route than you would on a train.
The gauge was 3 feet 6 inches (106.6 cm), using L-shaped rails, and all vehicles were horse-drawn. At its peak the tramroad saw up to 60 journeys each day, and carried over 35,000 tons of general materials and 20,000 tons of stone in a single year. (Source). The only
... show moreIn 1811 the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad opened to carry coal, stone, and general materials between Cheltenham and the docks at Gloucester. It was a form of early railway, where 'tram' refers originally to the wooden rails used in early examples, and went on to mean a system of waggons carried on rails.
The line had a spur to the tram road from the quarries on Leckhampton Hill (opened in 1800), and the 15 km main route terminated at the top of Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, where there were 1.75 acres (0.7 ha) of wharves, offices, and freight warehouses. The route between Gloucester and Cheltenham took it north of the present-day railway for most of its length, passing close to the site of Staverton (Gloucestershire) Airport. On a 94 bus you'd probably be closer to the route than you would on a train.
The gauge was 3 feet 6 inches (106.6 cm), using L-shaped rails, and all vehicles were horse-drawn. At its peak the tramroad saw up to 60 journeys each day, and carried over 35,000 tons of general materials and 20,000 tons of stone in a single year. (Source). The only trials of a steam engine, in 1831-2, resulted in disaster and the steam project was abandoned.
In 1859 the line closed, replaced by a steam railway (the Birmingham & Gloucester) that had opened in 1840 and whose Cheltenham Spa station, an inconvenient distance from the town centre, is now the only remaining main-line station in the town (Racecourse, on the other side of town, is on a preserved railway). At various points there have been five others including St James, close to the town centre. There is a strong case to be made for a Cheltenham North station at Swindon Lane, Wyman's Brook serving both Cheltenham and Bishops Cleeve ... but we digress.
There remain a few relics of the GCR, mostly in Gloucester, including a brick entrance on Southgate, and a railway crossing near Gloucester Royal Hospital. The sleeper blocks under the replica wagons at the Docks, installed in 2010, are also original. The Leckhampton section is remembered with engraved stones at the Norwood Triangle, and Railway Buildings - the former Railway Inn - on Norwood Road carries a plaque.
