Gloucester Tramways Company

Summary

Gloucester Tramways Company operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Gloucester between 1879 and 1904.[1]

Gloucester Tramways Company
Operation
LocaleGloucester
Open26 May 1879
Close17 March 1904
StatusClosed
Infrastructure
Track gauge4 ft (1,219 mm)
Propulsion system(s)Horse
Statistics
Route length3.4 miles (5.5 km)

History edit

In 1877, when The Gloucester Tramways Company submitted details of a system to the City Council. Gloucester Tramways Company was a subsidiary of the Imperial Tramways Company. The Company obtained an order under the Tramways Act on 8 April 1878.

Track laying started on 16 September 1878. By 24 May 1879, the system was ready for inspection by the Railway Inspector, Colonel Hutchinson.[2]

The depots were located off Bristol Road at its junction with Lysons Road at SO 8256 1717, and off India Road at SO 8414 1776.

Services edit

The company provided services on 3 routes:

  • The Fleece in at Wotton along London Road, Northgate Street to The Cross, then Southgate Street to Theresa Place on Bristol Road.
  • St. Nicholas Church in Westgate Street to The Cross, then Eastgate Street, Lower Barton Street to India Road.
  • Kingsholm on Denmark Road, via Northgate Street to The Cross, then to The Royal Infirmary on Southgate Street.

Closure edit

On 30 September 1902 the Corporation bought out the Tramways Company The purchase price was finally agreed at £26,000 (equivalent to £3,000,000 in 2021).[3]

The sale included the India Road and Bristol Road depots, 100 horses, 14 tram cars, 8 horse buses, and 6 charabancs.

The Council established a new company, the Gloucester Corporation Tramways, for the purpose of modernising the tramway.

References edit

  1. ^ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  2. ^ Gloucester Journal, 24 May 1879
  3. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.

External links edit

  • Gloucester Tramways at the British Tramway Company Badges and Buttons website.