Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station

Railway station in Ashchurch, Gloucestershire, England

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury

General information
Location| Ashchurch, Tewkesbury
England
Grid reference| SO926333
Managed by| Great Western Railway
Platforms| 2
Other information
Station code| ASC
Classification| DfT category F2
History
Original company| Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Pre-grouping| Midland Railway
Post-grouping| London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
24 June 1840[1]| Opened as Ashchurch
15 November 1971| Station closed
1 June 1997| Reopened as Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
Passengers
2019/20|  108,234
2020/21|  17,576
2021/22|  68,810
2022/23|  81,830
2023/24|  93,894

Location

Notes

Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line, serving the market town of Tewkesbury and the village of Ashchurch in Gloucestershire, England. It is located less than 1⁄4 mile (400 m) from junction 9 of the M5 motorway. Originally opened in 1840 but closed in 1971, the station was reopened on 1 June 1997 by Railtrack. There are regular bus connections from the station to Tewkesbury town centre, Gloucester and Cheltenham.

## History

[edit]

The station looking north in 1969

The original Ashchurch station was a stop on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, authorised in 1836, and whose central section from Bromsgrove to Cheltenham, including Ashchurch, was opened on 24 June 1840 (the line was open throughout a few months later).[2] It subsequently became part of the Midland Railway, later the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923, and finally passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was then closed by the British Railways Board in November 1971.[3]

Two fatal accidents occurred near the station prior to its original closure – the first on 8 January 1929[4] and the second forty years later on 8 March 1969.[5]

## Description

[edit]

The station reopened by Railtrack on 1 June 1997, on the site of the earlier station which had lain derelict for 26 years.[6] Only one small ruined red-brick shed remains of the original station buildings. In the post-war period, the station had been used both for passenger services and for cargo loading for the nearby army base; a number of cargo sidings still exist nearby. Ashchurch was once a railway centre of some importance; it was the junction for two branches, one each side of the main line:

* The Evesham loop line, which was a lengthy loop serving Evesham, Alcester and Redditch, re-joining the main line at Barnt Green, near Bromsgrove. This line closed between Evesham and Redditch on 1 October 1962,[7] due to the poor track condition, while Ashchurch to Evesham followed on 17 June 1963 (Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network). A short portion of this route remains intact today to serve the nearby British Army base.[8]
* The line to Tewkesbury, Upton-on-Severn and Great Malvern, which was closed beyond Upton on 1 December 1952; the Ashchurch to Upton section followed on 14 August 1961.

At this time, Ashchurch station was then renamed to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, only for it to be also closed in 1971 having been unstaffed since 14 September 1970.[9] The once sizeable goods yard here had previously closed on 1 June 1964, though MOD traffic continued to be handled. The buildings were demolished in June 1972; the main line platforms and footbridge were removed early in 1974. There used to be a connecting curve linking the two branches; it crossed the main line on the level just north of the station and created a layout which may have been unique in Britain, but this curve closed in December 1957. There was an extensive goods yard to the south and a large grain store to the north west.[10]

The remains of the old lines are still apparent, with much of its infrastructure (such as bridges) still in existence. The old connecting curve and the two branches it served can clearly be traced on a map. With much of the Ashchurch to Tewkesbury line now being used as a footpath, this section proved valuable during the 2007 United Kingdom floods as it was the only dry route into and out of Tewkesbury at the time.[11] Work to remove this embankment began in 2013, as it has claimed that its removal will reduce the scale of flooding in the area.

When reopened in 1997, there were considerably more northbound services, with many CrossCountry or former Central Trains services from Cardiff calling there. However, in the early 2000s, these services were withdrawn, reducing the usefulness of the station. Passengers wishing to travel to Birmingham usually had to travel south to Cheltenham Spa, change onto a northbound train, then return northwards, passing through Ashchurch for Tewkesbury without stopping. From December 2006, some peak time services to and from Birmingham were reintroduced. However, from December 2008, CrossCountry cut the service on weekdays from 7 to 4 northbound services and from 4 (5 on Fridays) to 2 southbound services.

## Facilities

[edit]

The station is unstaffed, so tickets must be purchased on the train itself, at the ticket machines or on-line. A push button computerised service provides real-time next train announcements. There is a large car park, situated adjacent to the northbound (western) platform, with 73 spaces. There are 36 bicycle racks.[12]

Access to the southbound (eastern) platform is by a ramped footbridge over the lines; this includes wheelchair access. The A46 road bridge does not provide access to both platforms.[13]

Bus connections can be accessed in the car park on the west side of the station; from here, Stagecoach West provides services 41 and 42 depart to Cheltenham, via Tewkesbury, with route 71 departing to Gloucester.[14]

## Services

[edit]

A southbound Great Western Railway service

The station is served by two train operating companies:

* Great Western Railway (GWR) who manage the station, operate an hourly service from Ashchurch. Northbound trains head to Worcester Foregate Street/Worcester Shrub Hill, with one continuing to Great Malvern. Southbound services head to Bristol Temple Meads via Gloucester; one train per day instead goes to London Paddington via Swindon[15]
* CrossCountry operates a small number of services between Cardiff Central and Nottingham that stop here, providing direct trains to Birmingham New Street mainly in the morning and evening peaks.[16] In the December 2019 timetable, one morning Birmingham service from Bristol Temple Meads continues through to Stansted Airport, via Leicester and Peterborough rather than to Nottingham.[17]

On Sundays, the service is limited to five trains each way and is provided by GWR.

### Future services

[edit]

In 2010, the Ashchurch and Tewkesbury District Rail Promotion Group began campaigning for an improved service to the station. They highlighted the close proximity of the station to junction 9 of the M5 and the free car park as being attractive to potential commuters. CrossCountry trains run three trains per hour in each direction through without stopping and appear to have the potential capacity in the timetable to stop. The group also point out that official figures from the Office of Rail Regulation show 67,000 passengers buying tickets to or from the station in 2008–09; most other stations with that level of patronage have at least an hourly service. The need for an hourly service between Worcester and Cheltenham has previously been noted by other passenger groups.[18]

### Former services

[edit]

* GWR used to provide only one train every two hours; however, most services ran between Great Malvern and Westbury with extensions to Weymouth and Brighton.

* London Midland ran a two hourly service to Worcester Shrub Hill and Gloucester. On Fridays, one Worcester-bound train continued to Birmingham New Street

* Wales and Borders ran services to Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central, with some continuing on to West Wales.[19]

Preceding station  |  National Rail | Following station

|
|

Cheltenham Spa |   | Great Western Railway
Bristol Temple Meads – Worcester Forgate Street |   | Worcester Shrub Hill
Cheltenham Spa |   | CrossCountry
Cardiff – Birmingham New Street – Nottingham |   | Worcestershire Parkway
| Disused railways  |
Cleeve |   | Birmingham and
Gloucester Railway |   | Bredon
|   | Tewkesbury
Terminus |   | Midland Railway
Evesham loop line |   | Beckford
Line and station closed
Tewkesbury
Line and station closed |   | Midland Railway
Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway |   | Terminus

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
2. ^ "The borough of Tewkesbury: Introduction Pages 110-118 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 8". British History Online. Victoria County History. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
3. ^ Disused Stations – AshchurchDisused Stations – Ashchurch; Retrieved 2013-12-12
4. ^ Report on the Accident at Ashchurch on 8 January 1929 The Railways Archive; Retrieved 2009-04-03
5. ^ Report on the Derailment and subsequent Collision that occurred on 8 March 1969 near Ashchurch Station in the Western Region British Railways The Railways Archive; Retrieved 2004-04-03
6. ^ "Ashchurch - A Country Junction". Gloucestershire Railway Memories. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
7. ^ Passengers No More by G.Daniels and L.Dench second edition page 17
8. ^ "MOD Ashchurch and Ashchurch railway station". Roger Farnworth. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
9. ^ "Ashchurch for Tewkesbury Railway Station". The ABC Railway Guide. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
10. ^ "MOD Ashchurch Freight Study" (PDF). Tewkesbury Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
11. ^ "Flooding in Tewkesbury: An Educational Resource" (PDF). The John Moore Museum. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
12. ^ Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 27 July 2024
13. ^ "Ashchurch for Tewkesbury". South Western Railway. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
14. ^ "Stops in Ashchurch". Bus Times. 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
15. ^ "Train Timetables" (PDF). Great Western Railway. December 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
16. ^ Table 57 National Rail timetable, May 2016
17. ^ "Train Timetables". CrossCountry. May 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
18. ^ "Gloucestershire's vision for Rail" (PDF). Gloucestershire County Council. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
19. ^ "Archived Train Timetables". Wales and Borders. September 2002. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

### Sources

[edit]

* Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2006). Bromsgrove to Gloucester. Middleton Press. figs. 36–49. ISBN 9781904474739. OCLC 931169432.
* Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2006). Cheltenham to Redditch. Middleton Press. figs. 15–23. ISBN 9781904474814. OCLC 851839542.

## External links

[edit]

* Ashchurch and Tewkesbury District Rail Promotion Group
* Disused Stations – Ashchurch

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station.

* Train times and station information for Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station from National Rail
* Station on navigable 1946 O. S. map

* v
* t
* e

Railway stations in Gloucestershire

Birmingham–Bristol|

* Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
* Cheltenham Spa
* Gloucester
* Cam and Dursley
* Yate
* Bristol Parkway
* Filton Abbey Wood

Birmingham–Cardiff|

* Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
* Cheltenham Spa
* Gloucester
* Lydney

Cardiff–London
and Bristol Temple Meads|

* Pilning
* Patchway
* Bristol Parkway
* Filton Abbey Wood

Cheltenham–London|

* Cheltenham Spa
* Gloucester
* Stonehouse
* Stroud
* Kemble

Hereford–London|

* Moreton-in-Marsh

Heritage railway stations

Avon Valley Railway|

* Warmley (proposed)
* Oldland Common
* Bitton
* Avon Riverside

Dean Forest Railway|

* Lydney Junction
* adjacent to Lydney railway station
* St Mary's Halt (closed)
* Lydney Town
* Norchard
* Whitecroft
* Parkend
* Bicslade Wharf (proposed)
* Speech House Road (proposed)

Gloucs-Warks Steam Railway|

* Cheltenham Racecourse
* Bishops Cleeve (proposed)
* Gotherington
* Winchcombe
* Hayles Abbey Halt
* Toddington
* Broadway

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Gloucestershire

Road|

| Motorways|

* M4
* M5
* M32
* M48
* M49
* M50

|

A-roads|

* A38
* A40
* A46
* A48
* A403
* A417
* A419
* A429
* A431
* A432
* A433
* A466
* A4032
* A4103
* A4135
* A4136
* A4174

Service stations|

* Gloucester services
* Michaelwood services
* Severn View services

Other|

* B4008
* E30
* Icknield Street
* Westgate Street

Airports and heliports|

* Cotswold Airport
* Gloucestershire Airport
* Cheltenham Racecourse Heliport

Rail|

| Main lines|

* Cotswold Line
* Cross Country Route
* Gloucester-Newport line
* Golden Valley line
* Henbury Loop line

|

Closed lines|

* Avon and Gloucestershire Railway
* Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
* Bicslade Tramroad (Tram)
* Bristol and Gloucester Railway
* Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway
* Bullo Pill Railway
* Cheltenham and District Light Railway
* Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
* Cirencester branch line
* Coleford Railway
* Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway
* Dursley and Midland Junction Railway
* Evesham loop line
* Forest of Dean Central Railway
* Forest of Dean Railway
* Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad (Tram)
* Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
* Ledbury and Gloucester Railway
* Midland and South Western Junction Railway
* Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Junction Railway
* Monmouth Railway
* Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
* Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
* Severn and Wye Railway
* Severn Bridge Railway
* Sharpness Branch Line
* South Wales Railway
* Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway
* Stratford and Moreton Tramway (Tram)
* Tetbury branch line
* Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway
* Wye Valley Railway

Stations|

* Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
* Cam and Dursley
* Cheltenham Spa
* Gloucester
* Kemble
* Lydney
* Moreton-in-Marsh
* Pilning
* Stonehouse
* Stroud

Closed stations|

* Adlestrop
* Andoversford and Dowdeswell
* Andoversford Junction
* Awre for Blakeney
* Badminton
* Barbers Bridge
* Berkeley
* Berkeley Road
* Bilson Halt
* Bishops Cleeve
* Blaisdon Halt
* Bourton-on-the-Water
* Bowbridge Crossing Halt
* Brimscombe Bridge Halt
* Brimscombe
* Bullo Cross Halt
* Cam
* Cashes Green Halt
* Chalford
* Charfield
* Charlton Kings
* Charlton Halt
* Chipping Sodbury
* Chedworth Halt
* Cheltenham High Street Halt
* Cheltenham High Street
* Cheltenham Leckhampton
* Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road
* Cheltenham Spa St. James
* Chepstow East
* Chesterton Lane Halt
* Chipping Campden
* Churchdown
* Cinderford New
* Cirencester Town
* Cirencester Watermoor
* Cleeve
* Downfield Crossing Halt
* Drybrook Road
* Dudbridge
* Dursley
* Dymock
* Ebley Crossing Halt
* Fairford
* Foss Cross
* Four Oaks Halt
* Frocester
* Gloucester Eastgate
* Grange Court
* Greenway Halt
* Gretton Halt
* Hallen Halt
* Ham Mill Halt
* Haresfield
* Hayles Abbey Halt
* Henbury
* Iron Acton
* Jackament's Bridge Halt
* Laverton Halt
* Lechlade
* Longhope
* Lydbrook Junction
* Malswick Halt
* Mangotsfield
* Mickleton Halt
* Nailsworth
* Netherhope Halt]
* New Passage Halt
* New Passage Pier
* Newent
* Newnham
* North Filton Platform
* Notgrove
* Park Leaze Halt
* Redbrook on Wye
* Rodmarton Platform
* Ruspidge Halt
* Ryeford
* St Mary's Crossing Halt
* Severn Bridge
* Sharpness
* South Cerney
* Speech House Road
* Staple Edge Halt
* Staple Hill
* Stonehouse (Bristol Road)
* Stow-on-the-Wold
* Stroud (Midland)
* Tetbury
* Tetbury Road
* Tewkesbury
* Thornbury
* Tidenham
* Trouble House Halt
* Tutshill for Beachley Halt
* Tytherington
* Upper Soudley Halt
* Warmley
* Weston-sub-Edge
* Wickwar
* Whitecroft
* Willersey Halt
* Winterbourne
* Withington
* Woodchester

Heritage stations|

* Bitton
* Cheltenham Racecourse
* Gotherington
* Hayles Abbey Halt
* Heywood
* Lydney Junction
* Lydney
* Norchard
* Oakiron
* Oldland Common
* Parkend
* Perrygrove
* Rookwood
* St Mary's Halt
* Toddington
* Whitecroft
* Winchcombe

Heritage railways|

* Avon Valley Railway
* Dean Forest Railway
* Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
* Lea Bailey Light Railway
* Perrygrove Railway
* Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway

Proposed|

* Gloucestershire Parkway

Buses|

| Stations|

* Gloucester Transport Hub

|

Companies|

* First West of England
* Newport Bus
* Stagecoach West

Waterways|

| Rivers|

* River Avon, Bristol
* River Avon, Warwickshire
* River Boyd
* Bybrook River
* River Cam
* River Chelt
* River Churn
* River Coln
* River Dikler
* River Evenlode
* River Eye
* River Frome, Bristol
* River Frome, Stroud
* Hazel Brook
* River Isbourne
* Lam Brook
* River Leach
* River Leadon
* Little Avon River
* Nailsworth Stream
* Painswick Stream
* Ruscombe Brook
* River Severn
* Siston Brook
* Slad Brook
* Stoke Brook
* River Swilgate
* Tetbury Avon
* River Thames
* River Trym
* River Windrush
* River Wye

|

Canals|

* Cinderford Canal
* Coombe Hill Canal
* Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
* Hereford and Gloucester Canal
* Lydney Canal
* Pidcock's Canal
* Stroudwater Navigation
* Thames and Severn Canal

Docks and ports|

* Gloucester Docks
* Sharpness

Footpaths|

| National Trails|

* Cotswold Way
* Thames Path

|

Long-distance footpaths|

* Celtic Way
* Geopark Way
* Gloucestershire Way
* Heart of England Way
* Limestone Link
* Macmillan Way
* Monarch's Way
* Oxfordshire Way
* Sabrina Way
* Severn Way

Other|

* Frome Valley Walkway
* Wysis Way

Cycle paths|

*  Route 42
* Route 44

51°59′56″N 2°06′32″W﻿ / ﻿51.999°N 2.109°W﻿ / 51.999; -2.109
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