Some of the Broadway team with the beginnings of the platform walls. (Photo: Alan Bielby)  

DEVELOPMENTS AT BROADWAY

A team of volunteers have been working steadily at the site since early 2009. Initially, work focussed on site clearance and investigation - to expose what was left of the old station and to decide what, if anything, could be re-used. Our investigations have shown that the old station was demolished without thought for the future so very little was left intact; most parts above ground were thoroughly demolished and then either piled in banks on each side of the track or removed completely, while the remaining foundations are showing the effects of time so cannot be re-used.

On the positive side, our Board took a decision to aim to rebuild the station in the same style as the original, albeit with increased platform lengths to cater for the longer anticipated stopping trains and with a station building which externally replicated as far as possible the original design, whilst internally satisfying building regulations and the needs of our present day visitors. We are lucky in that the Broadway Station building was almost identical to the one left standing at Toddington apart from being a mirror image. This means that we can learn a lot from examining the features of Toddington that make it most definitely a Great Western Railway design.

Since then we have been building up a picture of what is needed at Broadway, both in terms of what should be incorporated inside the building - booking office, booking hall, waiting room, shop, snack bar etc; and what must be provided within the site - toilet block, a large car park, disabled parking, access for tour groups, etc. The site is constrained by being partly on an embankment and partly in a cutting so we have been obliged to expand our field of investigation to ensure that these features can be provided.

With a growing picture of what we need to start reconstruction, our Railway colleagues have been hearing of our need for basic building materials and so have pointed us in various directions where imperial sized bricks can be recovered. In addition to our ongoing brick recovery on site, which has so far gained us around 4000 imperial sized blue bricks, we have recovered a similar number of old red bricks from a church schoolyard in Coleford and several hundred chamfer blue bricks from an old railway building being demolished at Taunton (look at the wall of any GWR station building and you will see them about two feet above ground level). We are always on the lookout for imperial bricks - we need around 20000 of each! So if you are aware of any going for free (and not too far away or too close to operational lines), please let us know.

We have recently had the loan of an excavator - with skilled driver - from Neatford Construction, a local road maintenance company, and have achieved a lot in further brick searches, site clearance, and, significantly, the trenching to pour a second batch of concrete. This has now given us over 200ft (60m) of poured foundation - sufficient to initiate platform construction. Construction started in mid-August and initially we aim to construct at least the first 100ft of platform face. Our thanks must also go to Neil Booth of Railwayana Auctions fame for donating concrete blocks and arranging the most welcome support from leading local building suppliers.

We have compiled sufficient information to confirm that the original track alignment through the station complied with the old GWR plans and so can be confident that we can restore this alignment (using the nearby Evesham Road Bridge as a datum point) and set out the platform face appropriately. With new strong foundations we can erect the platform face to provide a traditional blue brick facing backed by modern concrete block-work. A strong platform design is necessary in view of the local clay soils and a mix of cutting and embankment surroundings.

With our first step into construction under way the on-going construction will depend on funding - currently the Railway's focus is understandably the repair of the major slip that has occurred south of Gotherington. See other parts of this website for the latest progress on this.

In parallel with this activity, we are working on the site layout and building design so that when further funds become available we will be able to put them to good use.

We have also initiated our own fund raising efforts and have a steadily growing Friends of Broadway Station group as well as placing a Broadway Station stand at major events both on the Railway and in the area. If you would like further information on these activities or have any other queries, please email me through enquiries@gwsr.com or telephone me on 01386 584891.

You can also see our week to week activities on the unofficial blog website run by Bill Britton, one of our stalwart volunteers, at http://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/. In addition you can visit our station site (future post code WR12 7DF) to see our progress and, if it is a Saturday or Wedneday, chat to the guys working there.

Alan Bielby, Broadway Group

October 2010