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<\/div><\/div><\/span>A new arts and entertainment venue in Tetbury<\/p><\/h3><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Tetbury Goods Shed is a part volunteer-run arts centre, converted in 2016 from a former Great Western Railway building. Shed-Arts opened in the spring of 2017 having received generous support from Tetbury Town Council, the general public and regional donors.<\/p>\n
The first season of events was varied but always informed by our vision for the Goods Shed to become a regional centre of artistic excellence in the Cotswolds. Shed-Arts provides arts and entertainment in an iconic building that doubles as a community hub. <\/p>\n
The most popular events have proven to be music covering the full spectrum of styles including jazz, classical, rock and choral events; the spoken word in the form of poetry, readings and informative talks and discussions; craft workshops for adults and children; and rotating exhibitions of art.<\/p>\n
Always at the heart of the Shed-Arts vision is an ambition to encourage and capitalise on local talent whilst also showcasing performances by artists, authors and speakers from further afield.<\/p>\n
In the spring of 2018 the Goods Shed Cinema opened with weekly screenings of newly released films aimed at all age groups and tastes; and the popular Whistle Stop Caf\u00e9 reopened providing drinks, light meals, delicious cakes and a friendly meeting place to chat and relax.<\/p>\n
2019 saw the Arts Centre settling into its stride with a humming, lively venue. And then came 2020 and COVID19: shutting down the Shed for months along with much of daily life for many of us. We are confident that we will surmount the challenge of revivifying the Goods Shed, although the continued support and goodwill of our users is now needed more than ever. So please, pay us a visit when it’s possible again. We would love to see you.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span>Bringing the Goods Shed back to life<\/h3><\/span>
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<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>The story of how Tetbury’s former railway goods shed became one of only a handful of such buildings in England to become a community asset contains as many ups and downs as the western main line through Devon and Cornwall.<\/p>\n
Below is a potted history of the building from 1964 when BR closed the branch line to 2016, when HRH Prince Charles opened the new Tetbury Goods Shed community arts centre. Click or tap the headings to view each section. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i><\/i><\/span>1964 - 1996 - Neglected and nearly lost<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
\nIn the last chapter of The Tetbury Branch<\/em>, his illustrated history of the branch line from Tetbury to Kemble, (Wild Swan Publications 1985), Stephen Randolph wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n
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\u2018Memories of the railway line to Tetbury are fading into the past. The town has long since become accustomed to life without its rail link, and a new generation of Tetbury\u2019s young people know of the railway only as part of the town\u2019s history, while newcomers see its remains as an untidy, overgrown area, cared for by nobody. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u2018The goods shed stands practically unaltered \u2026 together with the former sidings area, all of which is fenced off\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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<\/p>\nMany people hoped that the town would be able to acquire the station site to turn the land and buildings into a community asset. But when British Rail decided to dispose of the property in 1995, a Tetbury resident, Will Cook, learned at the last minute that it was about to come up at an auction.<\/p>\n
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Will Cook<\/p><\/div>\n
Fearing that the land would be bought by a housing developer before the town had a chance to save it, Mr Cook managed to get the auction stopped. The station lands and Shed had been reprieved – but only temporarily.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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