News / railways
Special event to recreate 1960s protest against railway closures
Members of Avon Valley Railway will reenact a protest from the 1960s on Sunday to commemorate the closure of two important railway stations in the area.
An actor playing Dr Beeching will “survey” people about their use of the railway, while acting protestors will express their concerns and feelings at The People & Their Protest event.
The reenactment comes six decades after the final train carried passengers between Temple Meads and Bath Green Park Station on March 6 1966, following The Beeching Cuts.
Actors playing Dr Beeching and the protesters from 1960s will be spotted across Britton Station on Sunday – photo: Adam Bryant
Visitor services & volunteering officer for Avon Valley Railway, Matilda Snook said: “This is an opportunity to shine a light on Bristol’s strong protest history all the way through to the modern day, and no better way to do it with real people and one of our historic moving trains.”
“Re-enactors in and around Bitton station will provide not just something educational for our passengers, but also an experience which is uniquely interactive and engaging.”
While the former Bitton Station closed following the cuts, volunteers resurrected around 3 miles of tracks in 2004 to run steam trains under what is now called the Avon Valley Railway.
Avon Valley Railway has a booking office, a gift shop and steam trains between the Bitton Station to Oldland Common and back to the start.
People will have the chance to interact with actors at the station and onboard the heritage train service – photo: Joseph Calvin
With support from theatre group The Kingswood Players, actors dressed in costumes from the era will roam around Bitton Station and onboard the heritage train service, interacting with passengers, opposing the railway’s closure and explaining how it will affect them.
After Bitton Station closed, people living in Bitton, Oldland, Warmley, Mangotsfield, Staple Hill and Fishponds were left without a railway station in proximity.
Trustee of Avon Valley Railway Joseph Dean said the event on Sunday would help emphasise their desire to reinstate the railway.
A special plaque at Avon Riverside Station, where the current operation of trains ends will also be unveiled at the event. He added: “The Avon Valley Railway really is more than just a heritage railway, it’s a key community asset and living museum, exhibiting our shared heritage – something we really hope to showcase with this event.”
Tickets for the People and The Protest event on Sunday can be purchased here.
Main photo: Adam Bryant
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