Hotwells railway station

Hotwells, originally Clifton
The site of the station
General information
LocationHotwells, City of Bristol
England
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBristol Port Railway and Pier
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
6 March 1865Opened
19 September 1921Closed

51°27′21″N 2°37′38″W / 51.455854°N 2.627204°W / 51.455854; -2.627204

Hotwells station is located in Bristol
Hotwells station
Hotwells station
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Hotwells station, Bristol

Hotwells railway station, was a railway station situated in the suburb of Hotwells in Bristol, England. It was the original southern terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier which ran to a station and pier at Avonmouth. The station opened in 1865, originally named Clifton station, and was situated in the Avon Gorge almost underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, near the Clifton Rocks Railway,[1] the Hotwells terminus of Bristol Tramways, the Rownham ferry and landing stages used by passenger steamers.

In 1871 the railway company was acquired by the Great Western Railway who created a tunnel under Clifton Down and linked the Port and Pier line to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. This left the Hotwells branch as a stub. The station remained open, renamed as Hotwells until 1921[2] when it and the track to Sneyd Park were removed to enable the building of the Portway road.[3]

The only trace remaining today is a short tunnel under Bridge Valley Road which was used during the Second World War as an air raid shelter. Overcrowding became such a problem that Bristol City Council had to institute a permit system.[4] In later years, until 1996 part of the tunnel was used by a local gun club as a short range.[4]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Hotwells Halt
Line closed, Station closed 		  Great Western Railway
Bristol Port Railway and Pier 		  Terminus

Notes

  1. ^ "Clifton Rocks Railway". www.cliftonrocksrailway.org.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  2. ^ White, Henry Patrick (1963). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain : Thames and Severn, by R. Christiansen. Phoenix House. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7153-8004-8. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Pastscape - Detailed Result: BRISTOL PORT AND PIER RAILWAY". www.pastscape.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  4. ^ a b "TheTimeChamber - Bridge Valley Road Deep Shelter". www.thetimechamber.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2009.

See also