News / railways
Historic railway cutting to let
If someone tells you that tunnelling beneath Bristol to create an underground railway is too difficult, take them for a pint at the Ostrich.
Still visible next to the pub are railway lines from the time when a tunnel connected Lower Guinea Street to Temple Meads.
The entrance to the tunnel is also still visible within a cutting that for more than 50 years has been used as a car park and is now available to let “offering 45 spaces in a secure, convenient and central location”.
The 260-metre long tunnel opened in 1872 and stretches from Temple Meads to Bathurst Basin, with the line previously continuing over a bascule bridge close to where the footbridge is today.
Redcliffe tunnel and Bathurst Basin Bascule Bridge in 1960 – photo: Bristol Archives
According to research from the Friends of Bathurst Basin, the railway “was a key link for the country”.
“Goods from the New World, Irish meat, Guinness, Scandinavian timber, steel, grain etc. were all offloaded onto the harbourside railway, through Redcliffe tunnel and towards London via the GWR.”
During the Blitz, the tunnel was used as an air raid shelter for Redcliffe residents before in January 1964 the line from Temple Meads to Prince Street bridge was closed following the closure of the Redcliffe goods yard in 1962.
Some remains of the railway line that once connected Temple Meads to Lower Guinea Street can still be seen – photo: Martin Booth
Join Martin Booth on a walking tour to find out some of the underground secrets of the Old City and Castle Park. For more information, visit www.yuup.co/experiences/explore-bristol-s-quirkiest-corners
Main photo: Martin Booth
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