i^^^-^- t IVtT >o *<, :/! 1^Q.''^ ' \^ ^ ai'^ %a- '^ '^OAavaaii# '^w ,^'rt^uNlVERS•/A ;i. •j!\'i:Dr/v :.ANCEL£j> ^.OF-CALI ^OF f.Jvi- n^O^ r' —— — — CONTENTS. Page Pkkkace ........ iii Contents ........ v Introduction.— History of Great Western Railway —Peculiarities of C'onstructiou—American Rail- ways— Chairs — Steam Whistle—Carriages . ix GREAT WESTERN RAILW^IY GUIDE.—Pad- DiNGTi'N Station.—Railway Regulations and Restrictions — Scenery— Geology—Evening trip to Windsor—Kensal Green Cemetery . 1 Acton Station, 7 Ealing Station 8— Hanwelt, Staiion, 9 —Brentford, Southal Station, 11 —Hounslow West Drayton Station, 13 . 7 Tour the First to Rickmaiisworth—Uxbridge—Rick- mansworth . .13 Tour the Second to Amersham . .16 Tour the Third to Staines—Colnbrook—Staines . 17 Slough Station, 21—Stoke Pogis—Chalfont St. Giles 21 Tour the Fourth to Beaconsfield—Salthill . 24 GUIDE TO WINDSOR.—Upton— Datchet — Eton — Windsor — Town — Castle — Park— Forest Old Windsor—Ascot—Chalvey Green . 26 Route to Maidenhead Station . , .40 Tour the Fifth to High Wycombe, by Beaconsfield, Great Marlow, or the Thames . .40 Tour the Sixth to Oakingham—Bray— Binfield . 45 Route to Tv\ YvoRD Station . .49 Tour the Seventh to Henley by Wargrave . .49 Route to Reading Station— Sonnini; . .51 — — —— — CONTIiNTb. I'age GUIDE TO READING. — History — Churches- Schools — Theatre — Manufactures—Abbey — Li- 5'i terature—Environs , . Reading Station ...... 58 Tour the Eighth to Henley, by Caversham . 58 Tour the Ninth to Basingstoke and Silchester . 58 Route to Pangbourn Pangboukn Station,. G4 .62 Tour the Tenth to Whitchurch—Englefield—Theale —Aldermaston—Kingsclere—Overton . 65 Tour the Eleventh to Newbury—Andover—Hunger- ford—Ludgershall—Thatcham—Great Bedwin . 67 Route to Wallingford Station—Nettlebed . 75 Tui;r the Twelfth to Aylesbury — Wathngton — Thame—Dorton Spa— Hensington . .77 Route to Steventon Station —Dorchester—Didcot . 84 Tour the Thirteenth tu Oxford—Abuigdon . 84 GUIDE TO OXFORD.—History of City—Christ- church Cathedral — History of University Colleges—Libraries—Museums . .85 Tour the Fourteenth to Witney—Cumnor—Godstow . 98 Route to Faringdun Station—Wantage—Vale of White Horse—Bamptpn . .102 Tour the Fifteenth to Chipping Norton and Stovr-in- the-Woid—Burfurd—Moieton-inthe-Marsh . 104 Tour the Sixteenth to Fairl'ord — Highworth — Lechlade 108 Route to Swindon Station . .110 CHELTENHAM AND GREAT W^ESTERN RAILWAY UNION GUIDE . .112 Crickuade Station, 112 Cirencesier Station, 113 North j.EACH, 115 Stroud Station, 1 17 Bisley—Painswick, 118— Minchinhampton, 1 1 9 —Tetbiiry—Woodchester,121 — Horsley—Wuol- ton-vmder-Edge, 122—Leonard Stanley, 123 Dursley,124—Berkeley, 125 — Castle, 126—Gi.o- CESTEK Station . .128 — CONTENTS. Vll Page GUIDE TO GLOCESTER — History — Public Buildings—Cathedral Churches—Manufactures 1 28 Sodbury, 133— Newent, 134—Ross . .135 GUIDE TO HEREFORD—History—Town Hall- Cathedral—Theatre— Literature . 137 Mitcheidean— Colford, 138—Newuhara, 139—Lyd- ney 142 Cheltenham Station ...... 143 GUIDE TO CHELTENHAM—Churches— Spa- Public Buildings—Prestbury—Suuthara House 143 AViuciicomb, 145— Sudely Castle—Evesham, 146 Tewkesburv, 147 — Pershore, 149 — Upton Malvern Wells 150 Tour the Seventeenth to Marlborough—Aldbourn . 151 Tour the Eighteenth to Devizes—Abuiy—Silburv Hill '.153 Route to Chippe?{ham Station—Woutton Bassett Malmesbury, 158—Calne, 159— Bowuod, 160 Melksham—Melksham Spa, 161 . .156 Route to Batk Station—Corsham—Corsham House —Box—Tunnel- Midd;ehill Spa . 162 GUIDE TO BATH AND ITS ENVIRONS . 163 Tour the Nineteentii to Bradiord—Trowbridge West- bury— Market Lavingt .n .... 174 Tour the Twentieth to Heytesbury—Farleigh Castle —Wai minster—Longleat . .177 Tour the Tweuty-firstMo Frome—Shaftesbury—Sher- bourne — Yeovil — Stourton — Meie — Wardour Castle — Bruton — Wincanton — Castle Cary —Camald 179 Tour the Twenty-second to Shepton Mallett—II- chester—Somerton —Crewkerne — Beaminster Ilminster—Chard 187 GUIDE TO WELLS AND ITS ENVIRONS . 191 Tour the Twenty-third to Bndgewiiter — Taimton —Glastonbiay— Isle of Athelney —Watchet — — — — VIU CONTENTS. Page Dunster—Minehead— Porlock — Culboiie—Mil- verton—Wiveliscombe—Wellington . .193 Route to Bristol Station—Twerton Viaduct TwERTON SrATio>f, 201 —Romau Villa^, 202 Saltford Station, 205 Keynsham Station— Keynsham and Environs—Brislington Tunnel, 207—Temple Meads Depot Bristol Station, 208 201 GUIDE TO BRISTOL, CLIFTON, THE HOT- WELLS AND THEIR ENVIRONS . 209 Tour the Twenty-fourth to Chepstow . 228 Tour the Twenty-fifth fo Newport and CardifF . 230 Tour the Twenty-sLxth to Axbridge, Cheddar and Wookey Hole, and Banwell Caves , . 232 Tour the Twenty-seventh to Weston-on-the-Sea,Cleve- don and Portishead—Walton Castle—Leigh Court 235 BRISTOL AND EXETER RAILWAY GUIDE— Uphill—Burnham — CoUumpton, 24] — Exeter, 243 237 Index 24S INTRODUCTION. ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. The Great Western Railway has always occupied a ^reat share of public attention, equally from its po- sition, as from the peculiar features which distinguish its construction. It forms a direct communication through Bath between London and Bristol, and is one of the most important lines of traffic in the kine;dom. Passing- throui^h the middle of the south of England, it commands the traffic of above two millions of people and of the richest part of the is- land with the rest of the country. The vale of the Severn, with a lar<:e population, is also one of its natural tributaries ; and altogether it occupies a posi- tion perhaps unequalled in railway communication. Branches are already in progress, giving it, by Chel- tenham and Glocester, a second communication to the north, and by the Exeter line a certain monopoly of the south-west of England. Of the road to the south of Iieiand it can never be deprived: and re- cently it has entered successfully into competition for a portion of the American traffic. It is 117^ miles lon^r, and proceeds through the ba- sin of the Thames as far as Swuuion.soon after which enters that of the Avon, which it pursues for the re- mainder of its course. It commences in some of the earliest formations of the tertiary period of the Lon- X ACCOUNT OF THE don basin, in which it continues nearly as far as Read- ing : it then passes through the chalk for some dis- tance, and ends in the secondary formations, which are compressed as it were together a short distance from its terminus. It affords as great a variety of geolo- gical sections as can be obtained on any line, and is one of the best tours that can be pursued by the geo- logical amateur. Following the banks of the Thames, it visits scenes richer intheir historical and literary as- sociations than any part of the empire ; and affords never-failing enjoyment to the admirer of the placid beauties of English landscape. On the right it has the renowned spa of Cheltenham and the unrivalled scenery of the Wye ; and after passing through Bath it has on the left countries as rich as they are pictu- resque. Thus it vies with any railway in the world for the beauty of its position ; and it is of itself an in- teresting feature, from the grandeur and novelty of its construction. After the usual surveys, and the accustomed time spent in obtaining capital, this great undertaking received the Royal assent to its act of incorporation on the 31st of August, 1835, and active operations were immediately commenced to ensure its energetic prosecution. It is one of the most simple lines in its section of any railway in the kingdom, and is formed of two principal inclined planes. It was the object of Mr. I. K. Brunei, its projector and engineer, to make the plan as perfect in its details as the present state of science would permit, and, so far as practi- cable, to anticipate the future progress of railway im- provement. One ot his endeavours was to obtnin a line as nearly level as the nature of the ground would permit ; and he has so far succeeded, that, ac- cording to the testimony of the most eminent engi- neers, it is unequalled for its gradients. There is only one summit level, which is at Swindon, near the Cheltenham branch ; and here it is 253 feet above — GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. XI the London depot, and 275 feet above that at Bristol 76 miles distant from the London end, and 41 A from the other terminus. From London loDudcot it rises gradually at a rate not exceeding 4 feet per mile, or 1 in 1320, and generally undt-rthat. Thence to Swin- don it continues to rise with a maximum inclination of 6 feet per mile, or of one in 8&0. Frum Swindon to Bath the general gradient is 6 feet per mile, or one in 880 ; but it is broken by two inclined planes, both of one in 106 or 50 feet per mile—that at "^Vootton Basset 1 mile 3 furlongs m length, and that at Box of 2^ miles. The curves are chiefly of 4, 5, or 6 miles radius, and are as gentle as possible : one curve, how- ever, is not more than f of a mile radius. For 96 miles from London there is no tunnel, until we come to that at Box, which is the longest on the line, being If miles in length; but between Bath and Bristol are four, one of 528 yards (i mile), one of 1012 yards {^ mile), one of 132 yards, and another of 435 yards (J mile). The tunnels, although for a longer hne, are three-quarters of a mile less than on the London and Birmingham Railway, The uidth of the tunnels is 30 feet, and their height varies from 25 to 30. The cuttings are about ten millions of cubic yards, and, accordmg to the parliamentary evidence, are lighter than on any other principal line ; the proportion Section of a Cutting. Xll ACCOUNT OF THE Section of Cutting prepared for setting out.