Gloucester Tramways Company
| Gloucester Tramways Company | |
|---|---|
| Operation | |
| Locale | Gloucester |
| Open | 26 May 1879 |
| Close | 17 March 1904 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft (1,219 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Horse |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 3.4 miles (5.5 km) |
Gloucester Tramways Company operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Gloucester between 1879 and 1904.[1]
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 £3,570,000 in 2023).[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]- ^ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
- ^ Gloucester Journal, 24 May 1879
- ^ 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 7 May 2024.