Target reached!
Extra income raised towards the Oldland Common Project will go towards further plans...
Oldland Common Project
Bristol, South Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
Aim
We’re taking Oldland Common station back to the 1960s, with the restoration of original features which will enhance the heritage atmosphere!
Oldland Common Station
Oldland Common is a small station which forms the Northern terminus of the Avon Valley Railway’s line from Bitton station. It’s a place where passengers can alight from the historic coaches and view the run around of their locomotive, getting up close with the sights and smells of steam, experiencing a by-gone era.
The station itself was opened by the London Midland Scottish Railway in December 1935 to support suburban development in the area. The station featured two wooden platforms with a corrugated iron shelter on each, along with pedestrian access via ramps up to road level. It also had the special feature of having electric lighting compared with the other stations along the line which were all gas-lit.
The station thrived, seeing more passengers than Bitton after opening to the public, forming an important stopping of trains for the community.
The station came under the control of British Railways after nationalisation in 1948, in particular, the Midland Region. They kept the Midland red alive on the railway even after the LMS had disappeared, and is the era represented by Bitton station on our line.
In 1958 the station was moved under control of the Western region, who saw it through to the end. This extremely interesting period saw the addition of the Western’s trademark chocolate and cream colours, and the final running down of the station and line. The station and line were finally closed to passengers of the 7th March 1966, with the platforms and all other infrastructure swept away soon after.
In the years following the line’s closure, the Avon Valley Railway worked hard to rebuild a portion of the railway, reaching Oldland Common station and building a new platform on the site in 1997. Connecting Oldland with steam trains once again.
For an even more in-depth history of Oldland Common station, click the link below to the Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust’s page about the station:
https://www.avrht.org/pages/53-oldland-common-station
Our Plan
To coincide with the recent 25th anniversary of the railway’s new platform at Oldland Common, our plan is to restore Oldland to a 1960s, closure-orientated period, to allow everyone to experience a different era on the Avon Valley Railway, and allow a new heritage experience at Oldland Common. This is all being proposed and managed by young volunteers who seek to improve their railway for the future.
To do this we have some initial, exciting additions and improvements that we plan to bring to the station, these include:
• Repainting of the station lamp posts to a 1960s Western Region Chocolate & Cream colour scheme
• Affix Western Region totem signs to the lamp posts, adding to the period style
• Create a large station running in board reading “OLDLAND COMMON” similar to the original seen in the 60s - a large, exciting feature
• Install a replica of the original closure poster featuring Oldland Common Halt, truly setting Oldland’s period.
These are just some of the installations we have planned and we believe these improvements will improve everyone’s experience at Oldland Common station, allowing you to be taken back to the 1960s when the railway was in its final years.
Why do we need to improve Oldland?
It’s been 25 years since the new platform at Oldland Common was constructed, with restoration paramount in bringing back the heritage atmosphere of the original incarnation.
In recent times, the station has also found itself in a rather sorry state, with the lamps particularly needing some tender loving care.
Our plan to capture the heritage atmosphere of the original station, which will improve everyone’s experience at the station, aiming to allow visitors to enjoy this station properly once again, whilst telling the story of the station and line.
How can you help?
As a charity we rely on your generous support to progress our vision.
We need a total of £2,500 to purchase all the exciting features for Oldland Common, from the totems to the running in board – to really take Oldland back to the 1960s!
Can you help us create one of the first heritage railway stations in the UK to be dedicated to the closure period? An interesting period in our railway’s history which we want to give the opportunity for everyone to experience.
Funds will be focused on the previously mentioned list of installations, however, will also go towards other features at Oldland Common. Any additional funds above that will be used for similar projects across the entire railway.
If we are unable to reach our funding goal of £2,500, the funds which we have raised will still be used towards the project, considering which of our planned installations can go ahead and how we can raise the remaining funds in the future.
Rewards – A token of our appreciation
As a small thank you for your support, we have produced a range of rewards for those who donate to our campaign.
Each reward tier also includes the previous, so for example, if you chose the "£30 - Letter of our thanks", you would receive the Thank You Letter, as well as, the Collectable Totem Magnet and the Commemorative Postcard.
If you are a member, volunteer or local to the Avon Valley Railway, please consider selecting your address as 'Bitton Station' if you are able to pick up your reward. This will allow us to save on postage costs, and allow slightly more income to go towards the project.
If we are unable to reach our funding goal, the funds which we have raised will still be used towards the project and you will still receive your reward.
If you would prefer not to receive a reward, you can support us by clicking ‘donate’ instead.
- A very small percentage of your donation will go towards the creation of your rewards.
Who are we?
The Avon Valley Railway works to preserve the route and legacy of the Midland Railway’s Mangotsfield to Bath Branch, which terminated at the legendary Bath Green Park Station. From humble beginnings in 1972, our volunteers are returning heritage trains to the Avon Valley, with operations currently focused on Bitton Station. Visit our website or social media pages to find out more about the work of the Avon Valley Railway.
The Oldland Common Project is managed by a small group of Avon Valley Railway young volunteers who want to preserve our heritage and enhance the railway.
This project successfully funded on 21st April 2023