The City of Bath

Sidney Gardens

This was where it started, around 75 years ago, trainspotting in Sydney gardens in 1950 with my mum. Then it was Kings, Castles and Halls; now IETs, 125s and 158s, I know which I prefer.

Trainspotting in 1950	Intercity 125, Sidney Gardens	Intercity 125, Sidney Gardens	Intercity 125, Sidney Gardens
Intercity 125, Sidney Gardens	158763, Sidney Gardens, Bath	158950, Sidney Gardens, Bath	158953, Sidney Gardens, Bath
158956, Sidney Gardens, Bath	158956, Sidney Gardens, Bath

Along the Kennet and Avon Canal

From the River Avon to Limpley Stoke

Thimble Mill Lock No '7'	Thimble Mill pump house	Horseshoe Walk Bridge No '190'	Top Lock '13' and bridge '189'
Bath Top Lock No '13'	Cleveland Tunnel	Cleveland Tunnel	Cleveland Tunnel
Sidney Gardens Bridge No '187'	Sidney Gardens Bridge No '187'	Sidney Gardens Bridge No '187'	Sidney Gardens Bridge No '186'
Sidney Gardens Tunnel	The canal at Bathampton	The canal at Bathampton	The canal at Bathampton
The canal at Bathampton	Harbutt's Plasticine factory	Bridge No '182' near Bathampton	Bridge No '182' stop lock
The canal near Bathampton	Rubbing plate on bridge No '179'	Bridge No '178' near Limpley Stoke	Bridge No '177' near Limpley Stoke
Limpley Stoke wharf	Limpley Stoke wharf crane	Limpley Stoke wharf crane

Claverton Pumping Station

A steam-powered pumping house on the Kennet and Avon Canal

The Kennet and Avon Canal	The Kennet and Avon Canal	Claverton pumping station	Claverton pumping station
Claverton pumping station	Claverton pumping station	Claverton pumping station

The Somerset Coal Canal and Camerton Railway

The Somerset Coal Canal started at Limpley Stoke as did the Camerton Railway that superceded it.

The Somerset Coal Canal

The Camerton Railway

The Camerton Railway

Monkton Combe Mill chimney

Around and about Bath

Warehouses, milestones and the Bathampton tramroad

River Avon warehouses, Bath	River Avon warehouses, Bath	River Avon warehouses, Bath
Parish of Lyncombe and Widcombe	Sham Castle building	Bathampton Tramroad	Bathampton Tramroad

The Somerset and Dorset Railway

Walking through the recently reopened Combe Down and Devonshire tunnels

Tucking Mill Viaduct	Tucking Mill Viaduct	Combe Down tunnel, Bath	Combe Down tunnel, Bath
Combe Down tunnel, Bath	Combe Down tunnel, Bath	Combe Down tunnel, Bath	S&D trackbed, Bath
Devonshire Tunnel, Bath	Devonshire Tunnel, Bath	S&D trackbed, Bath	S&D trackbed, Bath

Bristol and Avon

Railways at the Floating Harbour

'Judy' at Bristol Harbour	'Judy' at Bristol Harbour	'Henbury' Peckett No 1940 of 1937	The saddletank from 'Henbury'
Wagon on the Harbour Branch	Wagons on the Harbour branch	Harbour branch, Cumberland Road
Embedded rails near Sydney Row	Embedded rails near Sydney Row	Embedded rails near Sydney Row	Embedded rails near Sydney Row
Embedded rails near Sydney Row	Embedded rails near Sydney Row	Redcliffe Parade quayside

Around the Harbour and Spike Island

'Bee' in the Floating Harbour	Steam tug 'Mayflower'	MS 'Balmoral'	SS 'Great Britain'
SS 'Great Britain'	SS 'Great Britain'	The 1878 Fairbairn crane,	Plate on the Fairbairn Crane
Floating Harbour derrick crane	Wapping Road Swingbridge	Wapping Road Swingbridge signal

Canons Marsh Gasworks and Lead Works

Canons Marsh gasworks	Canons Marsh Gasworks	Canons Marsh Gasworks	Canons Marsh Gasworks
Canons Marsh Gasworks	Canons Marsh gasworks	City lead works chimney	City lead works chimney

Albion Dock and Underfall Boatyard

'Forth Hope' in the Albion Dock	'Forth Hope' in the Albion Dock	Thames barge 'Repertor	Thames barge 'Repertor'
Albion Dock	Underfall Boatyard hydraulic engine	Underfall Boatyard engine house	Underfall Boatyard engine house
Underfall Boatyard	Underfall Boatyard	Underfall Boatyard	Pooley weighbridge at Underfall

The 'New Cut', the River Avon

Footbridge over 'The Cut'	'Lysaghts' plate at 'The Cut'	Wharf on 'The Cut'
The gatehouse to the Old Gaol	The tobacco warehouse

The Harbour branch from Ashton Gate along Cumberland Road

Harbour branch to Ashton Gate	Ashton Avenue bridge	Ashton Avenue bridge	Ashton Avenue bridge
Ruston at the tobacco warehouse	Ruston at the tobacco warehouse	Harbour branch at warehouse	Harbour branch at warehouse
Harbour branch at warehouse	Harbour branch, Cumberland Road	Harbour branch, Cumberland Road	Harbour branch, Cumberland Road

Along the River Avon

Hotwells wharves	Hotwells wharves	Hotwells wharves	Hotwells swingbridge
Hotwells dock gates	'Society of Merchant Venturers'	River Avon mooring bollard	'CB III' milestone
River Avon valvehouse	'T Allen Clifton' fence post

The Portishead Branch

Clifton Bridge station platform	Clifton Bridge station back wall	Nightingale Valley bridge	Nightingale Valley bridge
Nightingale Valley tunnel	Nightingale Valley tunnel	Nightingale Valley tunnel	Nightingale Valley tunnel

The Clifton Rocks Railway

The Clifton Rocks Railway, Bristol - ST 5660 7295

The Clifton Rocks Railway opened in 1893 and closed in 1934. During the war it was used as an air-raid shelter and offices by BOAC. It also became a broadcasting studio by the BBC from 1941 to 1960. Until 2005 it lay amost derelict when the Clifton Rocks Railway volunteers began to make it slightly more presentable - a formidable challenge indeed !

The 'new' entrance gate	Looking through the 'glass ceiling'	The 'glass ceiling'	The other passenger gateway
The right-hand wartime staircase	From the boarding platform	The water filling valve	The entrance turnstile
One of the mid-track cable rollers	Dumped ironmongery	Dumped ironmongery	Looking up the left-hand staircase
The larger air-raid shelter	The larger air-raid shelter	Cableways down the tunnel	A bore-hole from the 1960s
A rail in the rubbish	One of the construction shafts	War-time ventilation system	The BBC ventilation system
The BBC ventilation system	One of the BBC studios	One of the BBC studios	One of the BBC studios
The exit to the Portway road	The BBC ventilation system	The ladies loo door	The BBC ventilation system
The water outlet filter	Original panelling	Original panelling	The water outlet reservoir
The water outlet reservoir	The entrance arches	The entrance arches	The BBC ventilation outlets
The tramcar trackbed	Air-raid shelter 3	The 'secret' tunnel under Sion Hill	The Railway managers office
Lower entrance	Lower entrance	Upper entrance

The South Gloucestershire Coalfield

Coalpit Heath

New Engine Colliery - ST 6778 7938

New Engine Colliery was sunk c1822 and became the supply and maintainence depot for the surrounding pits. It was 500ft deep and closed c1870 but the chimney and machinery survived until c1930. The dramway here became loco worked in c1865 and the original engine house and horse whim have survived though much altered.

New Engine, 1880	Engine bedstones at New Engine	The dramway to New Engine	The dramway to New Engine
The dramway from New Engine	The dramway from New Engine	New Engine engine house	New Engine engine house
New Engine horse gin	New Engine horse gin

Ram Hill Colliery - ST 6091 8024

Ram Hill Colliery started life as a drainage shaft in 1783 and a winding shaft in c1824, around 550 ft deep It was worked by a horse whim and later by a beam engine. The colliery appears to have ceased winding between 1870 and 1880.

Ram Hill Colliery layout	Ram Hill horse whim	Ram Hill Colliery shaft	Ram Hill beam engine house
Ram Hill beam engine house	Ram Hill winding drum	Ram Hill Colliery sump	Ram Hill boiler house
Ram Hill engine house	Ram Hill Colliery sump	Ram Hill chimney base	Ram Hill Colliery loading bank
Ram Hill loading crane base	Ram Hill Colliery horsebox	Ram Hill Colliery dramway yard	Ram Hill Colliery dramway yard
Ram Hill Colliery dramway yard	Ram Hill dramway chairs	Ram Hill dramway chairs	Ram Hill dramway chairs

Ram Hill Dramway

The Ram Hill Dramway connected the colliery to the line from Frog Lane Colliery to Bristol and the River Avon. It was one of the last lines to be built designed specifically for horsepower and was never worked by locomotives. It was also one of the few broad gauge horse tramways, being dual gauge for a time. A short spur ran to Church Leaze Colliery

Ram Hill Colliery dramway, 1880	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery
The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery
The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery	The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery
The dramway to Ram Hill Colliery

Serridge Engine - ST 6747 7963

Serridge Engine was a drainage pit, with coal winding carried out at Orchard (or Middle Whimsey) Colliery, a few hundred yards away. It was sunk in c1785 to 300 ft and draining a wide area into the 'Clamp' pond. The underground workings include the pumping shaft, a reservoir shaft with a heading to the Clamp and an ash pit below the engine. It is likely the engine ceased work some time after 1845.

Serridge Engine, 1880	Serridge Engine site	Serridge Engine engine pit	Serridge Engine ash pit
Serridge Engine ash pit	Serridge Engine ash pit	Serridge Engine ash pit	Serridge Engine tunnels
Serridge Engine tunnels	Serridge Engine tunnels	Serridge Engine tunnels	Serridge Engine tunnels
Serridge Engine tunnels	Serridge Engine drainage level	Serridge Engine bolts	Serridge Engine engine base
Serridge Engine reservoir shaft	Serridge Engine reservoir shaft	Serridge Engine reservoir shaft	Serridge Engine reservoir shaft
Serridge Engine drainage culvert	Serridge Engine eye bolt	Serridge Engine drainage culvert	Serridge Engine pumping shaft

Parkfield and Brandy Bottom

Brandy Bottom (Parkfield South) - ST 6820 7713

Brandy Bottom Colliery, officially Parkfield South Colliery, was sunk in c1837 as 'Lord Radnor's Pit' to a depth of about 600ft. Handel Cossham took over the lease in 1871. Coal winding ceased c1910 and only man-riding and ventilation took place until the colliery closed in 1936, passing to the NCB in 1947. The site was later acquired by the Shortwood Brick Co to protect their adjacent claypit. Brandy Bottom is now in the hands of the Avon Industrial Buildings Trust who are actively conserving the site.

Brandy Bottom Colliery, 1881	Brandy Bottom Colliery, 1901	Brandy Bottom from above, 2018	Brandy Bottom Colliery plan
Boiler House, Brandy Bottom	Boiler House, Brandy Bottom	Boiler House, Brandy Bottom	Boiler for the boiler house
Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House, Brandy Bottom
Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House, Brandy Bottom	Engine House chimney flue
Brandy Bottom chimney	Brandy Bottom chimney	Brandy Bottom chimney	Brandy Bottom chimney detail
Drainage system	Drainage system	Drainage system	Brandy Bottom cellar
Winding shaft	Winding shaft	Winding shaft	Winding shaft
Pumping shaft	Boiler supply well	'Bovey' Brick	Site information board
Brandy Bottom New Pit	Brandy Bottom New Pit	Brandy Bottom New Pit	Brandy Bottom New Pit shaft
Sirocco fanhouse at New Pit	Sirocco fanhouse at New Pit	Sirocco fanhouse at New Pit	Winding wheel at New Pit
Fishbelly rails at New Pit	Fishbelly rails at New Pit	Fishbelly rails at New Pit	Modern 'dram' at New Pit,

Cooks Pit, Great Cart Pit and Puffers Pit - ST 6923 7750

This is a group of mines from the 1700s taken over by Handel Cossham in 1851 with a view to re-use. Cooks Pit at the North of Parkfield Rank was re-opened and was connected to the 'dramway' by a tramway incline. It appears to be short-lived but was used for ventilation by Parkfield Colliery. Puffers Pit is similarly dated. It's probable that the stone building would have once been the engine house. Nothing is known of Great Cart Pit, to the South of Parkfield Rank, but it is also likely to have been of the same period. Most of these old mines reached a depth of c400ft.

Cook's Pit and Puffers Pit, 1881	Cook's Pit shaft, Parkfield Rank	Cook's Pit shaft, Parkfield Rank	Cook's Pit shaft, Parkfield Rank
Cook's Pit stables and weighbridge	Cook's Pit incline top, Parkfield Rank	Cook's Pit incline, Parkfield Rank	Cook's Pit incline, Parkfield Rank
Cook's Pit incline, Parkfield Rank	Cook's Pit incline, Parkfield Rank	Parkfield Rank collier's cottages	Great Cart Pit, Parkfield Rank
Puffers Pit, Parkfield Rank	Puffers Pit, Parkfield Rank	Puffers Pit, Parkfield Rank	Puffers Pit, Parkfield Rank

Parkfield Colliery - ST 6890 7780

Parkfield Colliery was sunk in 1851 to a depth of over 800ft by Handel Cossham. Little remains of the site today except for the chimney, noticeable from the M4 motorway. Som small outbuildings also remain close to the site. The coal was good quality and the colliery had its own gasworks. It closed in 1936 due to worsening flooding..

Parkfield Colliery, 1901	Parkfield Colliery Pay Office	Parkfield Colliery buildings
Parkfield Colliery buildings	Parkfield Colliery tramway sleeper	Parkfield Colliery chimney
Parkfield Colliery chimney	Parkfield Colliery yard	Parkfield Colliery reservoir

Along the 'dramway' - ST 6890 7780

The 'dramway' ran from Coalpit Heath to the River Avon between 1830 and 1860 as a horse-worked tramway. This section was the 'Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway' line from Mangotsfield to Yate becoming firstly GWR property, then the Midland Railway from Gloucester to Mangotsfield and Bristol.

Donisthorpe Colliery winding wheel	Donisthorpe Colliery winding wheel	Weighbridge or P.W. building	Along the trackbed
Along the trackbed	Along the trackbed	Along the trackbed

Yate and Engine Common

Rangeworthy New Pit (Oldwood Colliery) - ST 7000 8515

Originally sunk in 1867 for the Frampton Iron Co, Rangeworthy New Pit closed in 1889, shortly after the Yate collieries had closed and stopped pumping. Around 1881 the colliery had created anew drift mine and been linked to the Midland Railway by a short branchline.

Rangeworthy New Pit, 1901	Rangeworthy New Pit model	Rangeworthy New Pit offices	Rangeworthy New Pit vertical boiler
Guss and Crook haulage demonstration	Drams at the colliery site	Drams at the colliery site	Rangeworthy New Pit sidings
Rangeworthy drift mine	Rangeworthy drift mine	Rangeworthy drift mine	Rangeworthy New Pit shaft
Rangeworthy New Pit shaft	Rangeworthy New Pit shaft	Rangeworthy New Pit shaft	Rangeworthy New Pit shaft

Rangeworthy Old Pit - ST 7000 8479
Kedge Pit - ST 7013 8390

Two of the numerous old 19th century pits on Engine Common .

Rangeworthy Old Pit tip

Kedge Pit

Kedge Pit tip

Kibble in school yard

Yate No 2 New Pit - ST 7000 8422

Yate No 2 Pit came into being in the 1860s, incorporating a number of older pits. One of these was Staley's Pit, a pumping shaft operated by a Newcomen steam engine housed in a still existing engine house. A tramway connected the colliery with Yate No 1. The new colliery did not prosper and closed in 1888.

Yate No 2 New Pit, 1879	Newcomen engine house	Possible stable block	New Pit tip, part of Yate No 2 Pit
Tramway from No 2 Pit to No 1 Pit	Tramway from No 2 Pit to No 1 Pit	Tramway from No 2 Pit to No 1 Pit	Tramway from No 2 Pit to No 1 Pit

Yate No 1 Old Pit - ST 7013 8363

Yate No 1 Old Pit was the original colliery, known as New Engine Pit before becoming 'Old', probably dating from the early 1800s. It was linked by sidings to the Midland Railway and closed along with No 2 Pit in 1888.

Yate No 1 Old Pit, 1879	Yate No 1 Pit heapstead	Yate No 1 Pit heapstead
Yate No 1 Pit heapstead	Yate No 1 Pit heapstead	Yate No 1 Pit heapstead

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Many thanks to :- David Hardwick, Steve Grudgings, Peter McCrone and others, South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group (SGMRG), Avon Industrial Buildings Trust (AIBT), Friends of Ram Hill Colliery and Clifton Rocks Railway Trust.

'Kingswood Coal' and 'The History and IA of the Coalpit Heath Colliery Co' published by the SGMRG, 'Brandy Bottom Colliery Historical Research Report' published by the AIBT