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| Welcome to our new website (under construction) charting the restoration of the 1873 built, William Clarke designed Great Western Railway station at Clutton, Somerset to exact 1939 "timewarp condition" with Childrens Adventure park on the lower Goods Yard and trailway to King Lane summit bridge. |
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The Bristol and North Somerset Railway opened on September 3rd 1873 linking Bristol with Radstock where it joined the Radstock Mineral Railway to Frome, forming a 24 mile through route. The line was operated by the Great Western Railway.
It left the mainline just outside Temple Meads station by the current showcase cinema and retail complex and climbed up through Brislington Station (Tescos) and still higher through the suburbs, then through Whitchurch Halt to a summit by Whitehall Garden Centre then dropped down Hursley Hill swinging over the A37 twice before entering Pensford Station and crossing the magnificent 1000 foot long, 100 foot high 16 arch Pensford Viaduct.
Climbing recommenced up the valley, under Chelwood roundabout then up through the heavily wooded Fry’s Bottom on a huge embankment to King Lane before descending through Clutton Station, under Marsh Lane and down the valley between Cloud Hill and Highbury Hill, to Hallatrow Station, where the branch from Limpley Stoke and Camerton climbed in from the left on another huge embankment.
After climbing past the Bookbarn to Farrington Church in a long deep cutting, the railway passed the Miners Arms and Farrington Gurney Halt then dropped down behind Old Mills (Tescos) and then into Welton Station where the cyclebridge and cyclepath now use the old trackbed along the Welton Vale, under the Somerset and Dorset mainline viaduct called Five Arches, through the Tom Huyton playpark and over the level crossing (double mini roundabout) before entering Radstock’s GWR station where the curving Frome bound platform survives behind the rank of 1965 shops.
The railway had a regular local passenger service and a daily Channel Islands boat express between Weymouth Quay and Bristol, which passed Clutton every night at 6:25pm. There was a lot of stone quarry and Coal traffic along with local goods, livestock and produce.
Collieries, some with their own branches feeding the railway, were situated at Pensford, Bromley, Fry’s Bottom, Clutton, High Littleton, Farrington Gurney, Old Mills, Springfield, Welton and Radstock which had many mines just within the town.
The Steam passenger service was withdrawn in November 1959 and Steam goods trains gave way to Hymek Diesel Hydraulics in May 1964, but final closure of the Radstock to Brislington section came on July 10th 1968.
Clutton station lost its road bridge, waiting shelter, Signal box, goods shed, workshops and main brick building shortly after closure and tracklifting in 1969-70, then the platforms were filled in and grassed over. The scout hut now sits at the stations northern throat and Youth club sits on the lower level goods sidings.
The platform tops began to be uncovered in June 2004 along with the foundations of the signal box and repairs to the waiting shelter wall. Replica platform fencing has also begun to reappear on the Radstock bound platform.
Over the next decade or so it is planned to create a Childrens playpark (first) on the lower yard next to the Youth club and relocate the Scout Hut here too and to fully restore the Railway station as it was in 1939, will all buildings, fixtures, track with a buffet coach and museum as the centre piece of the village plan and a resource and centre for young and old alike to relax and play.
It is also planned to construct a proper footpath between the station and King Lane. We hope everyone will support and join in with this exciting venture.
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 | | Clutton Village Show 2006 (42 images) |
 | | Clutton JCB work August 2006 (9 images)
Excavating the down platform north end, digging pilot holes to check status of infilled trackbed and recovering blue engineering toppers from the 1926 platform reconstruction.
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 | | Clutton Restoration Progress 2004-2005 (10 images)
Record of specific industrial archaeological finds and restoration work at Clutton Station
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 | 3rd Sep 1873 | Gradient Profile (1 images) |
 | 24th Jun 2004 | Management Only (37 images)  |
 | 11th Sep 2004 | Fencote, a Preserved William Clarke Station - a taste of things to return at Clutton! (10 images)
This "Sister station" between Worcester and Leominster has been restored by the family who live in it, open 1 weekend each year to the public. Please respect their privacy.
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 | 11th Sep 2004 | Rowden Mill, a preserved William Clarke Station - a taste of things to return at Clutton!! (16 images)
This "Sister station" between Worcester and Leominster has been restored by the family who live in it, open 1 weekend each year to the public. Please respect their privacy.
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 | 11th Oct 2005 | Clutton Station and Village Model in P4 Scale (49 images)
expert Bristol model maker Tim Venton (see links) spent 16 years making this P4 (Improved OO Scale) representation of Clutton Station and immediate surrounding village landmarks and showed it at Clutton station in the youth club cabin in October 2004 & 2005. The cabin now sits on the lower goods yard (down behind the waiting shelter on the model) Enjoy.....
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 | 21st Nov 2005 | Clutton Station 2005 (17 images) |
 | 30th Dec 2005 | Severn Valley Miscellany (35 images) |
 | 17th Mar 2006 | Crowcombe & Williton, WSR Miscellany (10 images) |
 | 27th Jul 2006 | Clutton Station Plans & Diagrams (2 images)
Historical and Restoration plans and Diagrams relating to GWR or Clutton specific civil works
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 | 27th Jul 2006 | Clutton in Steamdays (3 images) |
 | 29th Jul 2006 | Along the BNSR Today (3 images)
The Bristol (Marsh Junction) to Radstock (West Yard) section was closed on 10th July 1968 and lifted the following year. Much has been infilled, demolished and built over but much remains if you know where to look! .........
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 | 30th Jul 2006 | Montages and Superimposings (7 images)
Digital impressions of Restoration
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 | 30th Jul 2006 | Clutton Station & other Staff (1 images)
Station personalities down the years
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 | 30th Jul 2006 | BNSR Track Layout Diagrams (1 images)
Track Layout Diagrams of Stations and Sidings between Bristol and Radstock (GWR) at their zenith
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 | 30th Jul 2006 | BNSR Route maps (3 images)
Sectional maps, Journeying along the Bristol & North Somerset Railway in Steamdays, with detailed line description and state of the route today
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 | 30th Jul 2006 | Then & Now comparisons (1 images)
Past, Present and Future comparison photos from in and around Clutton Station from exactly the same photographic viewpoint
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1610 3 pits in operation
1833 Mar 9th indenture to mine at Greyfield
1838 Mining at Fry's Bottom
1840 Mooresland Colliery opened
1863 May 6th Permission for Fry's Bottom siding to be built
Jul 21st Act authorising the construction of the BNSR Bristol & North Somerset Railway
Oct 7th First sod cut at Clutton
1873 Sep 3rd Opening of line from North Somerset Junction, Bristol, to Radstock
1874 Jun 23rd-24th Conversion of the Frome to Radstock Broad Gauge mineral railway to standard gauge enabling through working
1875 Aug 11th Agreement to start work on Greyfield & Fry's Bottom branches
1876 Mar 25th The above 2 branches open, using horses
1885 The above 2 branches using steam power, Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0 Saddletank Frances
1887 Mining at Fry's Bottom suspended
1890 Sep New Down platform and Signalbox brought into use
1894 Peckett 0-4-0 Saddletank Daisy working Greyfield Branch
1895 Hawthorn Leslie Frances scrapped on site
Jul 31st Fry's Bottom Colliery closed
1898 Station platforms entended north on lower levels
1900 0-4-0 Saddletank Emlyn arrives
1904 Jun 4th Mooresland Colliery abandoned
1906 Spur to Greyfield brickworks built
1908 Burchells Colliery East reopened and the chimney bulit
1909 Sep Greyfield pits flooded and Greyfield brickworks closed
Parcels shed built next to Station building. Up running-in board and lamp moved
1910 Burchells west pit (Lower Bristol Rd) opened. Siding and loading dock into use off Daisy line. Emlyn departs
1911 May 28th Greyfield branch closed. Peckett Daisy moved from Greyfield shed to Fry's Bottom branch (burchells or "Daisy" Line)
1912 Dec 18th Burchells East Colliery taken over by Burchells brick company
1913 Feb 10th Bristol & Clutton Wagon Co. sidings into use
1921 Aug 25th Burchells colliery closed, Knapp hill drift opened
Oct 11th Salvage work at Burchells complete. Daisy returned to Pecketts of Bristol
1922 Peckett Daisy goes to Wynnstay colliery, Denbighshire
1923 Knapp Hill drift closed
1926 Platform faces rebuilt in concrete blocks and fence uprights replaced by concretes, (south half survive to this day)
1927 Nov 24th New Bristol and Clutton Wagon company long siding into use (siding no. 4)
more to follow.............
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GWR City Class 4-4-0 No 3440 City of Truro (National Railway Museum main line certified)
GWR 45XX Class 2-6-2T No 4555 (Paignton & Dartmouth Railway)
GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T No 5542 (West Somerset Railway)
GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T No 5532 (Llangollen Railway)
GWR 57XX Class 0-60-PT No 9642 (Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway) |
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