Heritage Gateway

Shropshire HER

HER Number (PRN):	05407
Name:	Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway
Type of Record:	Monument
Protected Status:	Conservation Area: Ashford Bowdler
	Conservation Area: Belle Vue

Monument Type(s):

RAILWAY (Opened, Mid 19th century - 1852 AD to 1853 AD)

Summary

The Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway was authorised by Parliament in 1846. Work started in late 1850, and the line was opened as far as Ludlow in spring 1852, and to Hereford in late 1853.

Parish:	Condover, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Craven Arms, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Leebotwood, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Ludford, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Ludlow, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Onibury, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Richard's Castle, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Wistanstow, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Woolstaston, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Acton Scott, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	All Stretton, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Ashford Bowdler, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Ashford Carbonel, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire
	Bromfield, South Shropshire, Shropshire
	Church Stretton, South Shropshire, Shropshire
Map Sheet:	SO49SE
Grid Reference:	SO 4768 9019

Related records

32913	Parent of: Ashford Bowdler Level Crossing (Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway) (Monument)
32915	Parent of: Bromfield Railway Station (Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway) (Monument)
06736	Parent of: Coleham Railway Sheds, Carriage and Wagon Works (Monument)
32918	Parent of: Condover Railway Station (Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway) (Monument)
32920	Parent of: Craven Arms Railway Station (Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway) (Monument)
32949	Parent of: Dorrington Railway Station (Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway) (Monument)
33466	Parent of: Little Stretton Halt (Great Western Railway/London Midland Scottish Railway; British Railway) (Building)
33097	Parent of: Marshbrook Railway Station, Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway; Great Western Railway (Monument)
33135	Parent of: Onibury Crossing Keeper's house (Building)
20391	Parent of: Rea Brook viaduct, Abbey Foregate (Monument)
10126	Parent of: Shrewsbury Railway Station, Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury (Building)
05093	Parent of: Tenbury Railway (Monument)
32871	Parent of: Woofferton Junction Railway Station (Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway) (Monument)
32911	Related to: All Stretton Halt (Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway) (Monument)
05393	Related to: Church Stretton railway station (Monument)
20262	Related to: Onibury Station and platform rooms (Building)
06119	Related to: Railway station, Ludlow (Monument)

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

ESA6251 - 2008 DBA at Condover Quarry, western extension, Bayston Hill, by Phoenix Consulting Archaeology

Description

CMHTS Record Sheet <1>

CMHTS Report <2>

The Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway was authorised by Parliament in 1846, but its construction had to be postponed because of financial difficulties. The company had, however, contributed £25000 to the construction of the joint Shrewsbury Railway Station, and it was this that persuaded its shareholders not to pull out. The line was eventually built as a single track railway. Thomas Brassey (who had been the contractor on several other railway lines, including the Shrewsbury & Chester Railway) took it on, on the basis that he would lease it and run it himself after it was built. Work started in late 1850, and the line was opened as far as Ludlow in spring 1852, and to Hereford in late 1853. The biggest piece of engineering on the line was the Rea Brook/ Abbey Foregate viaduct in Shrewsbury [PRN 20391], though there were a number of cuttings and embankments. ->

-> Whilst Brassey was running the line he also became involved with another line, the Severn Valley Line [see PRN 06024], which was seen as a potential rival by the SHR directors. Therefore, as Brassey's lease expired, the directors offered the lease of the SHR to the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). The LNWR diplomatically offered its major competitor, the Great Western, joint running on the line (including the Tenbury Branch). In 1862, the SHR therefore became a second joint GWR/LNWR line in the county (the first being the Shrewsbury to Wellington line [PRN 05220]). By this time, the line had been doubled to cope with increased traffic. The Abbey loop line was added in Shrewsbury in 1867 to provide a way between the two joint lines without entering the now congested General Station at Shrewsbury. <3>

Sources

[01]	SSA19966 - Record form: Buteux Victoria & Dalwood Hal. 1993/ 1996. CMHTS SMR Records Shropshire: Burford to Clun. Central Marches Historic Towns Survey record form. Vol 3. Church Stretton 5407.
[02]	SSA12067 - Historic landscape survey report: Buteux Victoria et al. 1996. Archaeological Assessment of Church Stretton, Shropshire (CMHTS). Hereford & Worcester CAS Rep. Rep 307.
[03]	SSA20232 - Monograph: Morriss Richard K. 1991. Railways of Shropshire. p11,14-15,35,38.
[04]	SSA31567 - Volume: Christiansen R. 1973. Forgotten Railways: The West Midlands. Forgotten Railways. 10. pp.103-109.

Date Last Edited:	Dec 9 2021 4:17PM

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