We are delighted to announce that Tetbury Goods Shed has been awarded a £5,800 National Lottery grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enable us to collate memories from those people who either worked on or used the Tetbury Branch line in the 1950s and 60s.
It was closed by the Beeching cuts in 1963. All the memories we record will form part of an audio/ visual history of the Branch Line and allow us to provide a more complete exhibition of the background to the site and highlight the whereabouts of major buildings.
It is the one hundred and thirtieth anniversary this year of the establishment of the branch line after a major campaign by local people in the 1880s. As a result of the branch line opening in December 1889 local farmers got together to open a new cattle market next door. Much of the early rail traffic was animals being taken to and from that market as well as milk being taken out and coal supplies brought in. The train was a lifeline in those days for people wanting to explore beyond Tetbury and excursions were organised to Cirencester, London and the sea-side.
Today only The Goods Shed survives from those days and that has only been restored and saved as an Arts Centre by the hard work and dedication of local people over a number of years, who have tirelessly raised money and drawn up plans for the site.
Chair of the Trustees Christine Berry said: “We are delighted the National Lottery has given us this chance to expand our knowledge of the place of the line in our history and hope lots of people who remember using or working on the line in the 50s and 60s will come forward with their memories.”
If anyone has memories they would like to share you can contact the Goods Shed at [email protected] or call 01666 505496
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery.
