A HISTORY OF THE CLIFTON ROCKS RAILWAY
copyright Nick Catford 2001We are delighted to reproduce this excellent study of the Railway and are grateful to
Nick Catford of Sub Brit for his agreement. If you want to do a project of the Railway or
are just interested, this must be the definitive account. Please refer to Nick via
the Sub Brit site if you wish to make use of the information for other than educational
purposes. Nicks own account of a visit in September 2001 is available here.
Richard Hope-Hawkins excellent history of
the tunnel was published in Subterranea Britannica Bulletin 29
(1993). The tunnel had previously been visited by members of Subterranea during the
Bristol Study weekend in 1980.
The Clifton Rocks Railway
by Richard Hope-Hawkins
A forgotten engineering masterpiece; most of us pass by the Clifton Rocks
Railway without even knowing it is there. Constructed with great difficulty
inside the cliffs of the Avon Gorge in order to reduce its visual impact on
the picturesque surroundings, this funicular railway operated for 40 years
against diminishing trade. Its closure before WWII did not mark the end of
its useful life as it became a secret transmission base for the BBC. Now a
disused shell, with access so difficult that any potential scheme to
revitalise it would be so expensive as to be unprofitable, this wonderful
relic of a bygone era will probably remain undeveloped.
Location
Many people remark upon the strange 'house - like' facade set into the cliff
which can be seen from a motor car as one travels from the Cumberland Basin
area towards Bridge Valley Road on the right hand side before passing below
the Suspension Bridge. This facade is the lower station entrance of the
Clifton Rocks Railway. Behind the entrance is a tunnel cut through the rock
which extends at a steep angle to emerge in the now derelict small triangle
of ground between the junction of Princes Lane and Sion Hill, adjacent to
the Avon Gorge Hotel. Within this triangle of ground is the upper Station
which has long since fallen into a state of disrepair. The tunnel itself
forms a straight and direct connection between the upper and lower stations.
A Description Of The Original Railway
The Original Tunnel
The tunnel is 500 feet long, semi elliptical in cross section with a roof
height of 18 feet and a width of 27 feet 6 inches it climbs a vertical
distance of 240 feet on a rising gradient of about 1:2.2, that is a vertical
rise of 1 foot for every 2.2 feet of forward travel. The tunnel was blasted
and cut through badly faulted limestone and was brick lined in almost its
entirety with a wall thickness of 2 feet Although the tunnel was lit by
daylight at both top and bottom, this was supplemented by gas lamps
installed down the tunnel length.
The Upper Station
From the surface, the upper station appears to be a small single storey
building, triangular in plan, with a facade of ashlar bath stone faced
masonry construction facing Princes Lane and the Avon Gorge. The Sion Hill
elevation consisted of iron railings between masonry piers: the railings are
now covered with sheets of boarding. There are two entrances to the upper
station, one at the junction of Princes Lane and Sion Hill, the other onto
Sion Hill itself.
The Sion Hill entrance had an ornamental iron arch over. A visitor would
descend down steps from either entrance to the top station into a small
platform which was below upper street level. In fact the platform extends
under the pavement in Sion Hill, and a series of small arched roof vaults
between the rock face and a substantial steel beam, itself supported on cast
iron columns, support the pavement of the street above. The remainder of the
15 feet wide platform which is not recessed under the pavement was covered
with an awning of small glass panels set in iron frames (pavement lights)
forming a floor on which sightseers could stand and take in the view, or
watch the cars ascending and descending the tunnel. Most of these glass
panels are still in place, but the grid of supporting steelwork in which
they are mounted is in poor condition. At the head of the tunnel was a
timber screen, pay box and turnstiles, together with the two large pulley
wheels described later.
The Lower Station
The lower station itself is constructed inside the rock, and was finished
with the facade erected flush with the rock face. This facade was of rubble
construction using grey pennant stone, locally mined and used extensively in
the less expensive houses being built in Bristol in the 1800's. Quoins and
architraves were of bath stone with three decorative gargoyles above the
three entrance arches, the two windows, one on either side remaining
undecorated. A veranda was originally incorporated but was later removed,
the six smaller arches of the upper floor being retained as picture windows
giving a superb view across the river, with a tiled timber canopy above to
provide shade. The building behind this facade was of two storeys and the
ground floor consisted of two rooms. One contained the turnstiles and pay
box (now removed) set in a floor of red 6 inch tiles. The walls of this room
were lined from floor to ceiling with vertical pine matchboarding. The other
room was undecorated and contained the pumping machinery. On the second
floor was situated a small toilet installed in September, 1894 and some
staff facilities. A later addition above the entrance portals were three
bath stone lintels with the legend 'Clifton Rocks Railway' carved in.
The Original Mechanical Plan
The Cars
From the day that it opened the line was operated by four cars. Each car
consisted of an upper passenger section, with a triangular chassis angled to
suit the gradient of the tunnel. The upper passenger section resembled in
appearance the horse-drawn tramcars to be found operating during the 1890s
on the City tramway, and are believed to have been constructed in Birmingham
by Starbruck who built tramcars for the City. Each car could accommodate 18
seated passengers and had sliding doors at either end, the door at the end
facing the river opening onto a small platform on which the 'brakesman' or
attendant rode alongside the brake control. Cars were painted light blue and
white with gold lining when new, but were later re-painted in colours
similar to the Bristol Tramway Company. The cars were mounted by four leaf
springs onto the chassis which were built by Messrs Gimsons of Leicester.
These four chassis were part of a batch of six ordered on 7 March 1892 and
delivered in December, 1892. The balance of the order was for the
Bridgenorth/Castle-Hill Railway, those for the Clifton Rocks being
designated by a C prefix on the detail drawing. The Bridgenorth equipment
had a wider guage at 3 ft 8 ins. The chassis were constructed of 8 in by 3
in steel channel section 14 ft 6 in long, carried on four wheels. The only
item not manufactured at Leicester within the chassis were the axles which
were supplied by J.H. Lloyd and Co. The axles ran in brass bearings fitted
onto cast iron housings bolted onto the top side of the bottom chassis
member. The cars were handed left and right.
The Rails
Cars ran in pairs on adjacent tracks of 75-80 lbs/yd flat bottom rail. These
rails were bolted directly onto concrete cross sleepers the width of the
tunnel at 5 feet spacing firmly bedded in the rock bed of the tunnel, The
gauge of the railway was 3 feet and each pair of tracks either side of the
tunnel were at 5 feet 6 inch centres.
Operation of the Carriages.
Each pair of carriages was connected together via two steel wire cables
'being 30 times stronger than the load that has to be put upon them' which
turned around large pulley wheels at the top of the tunnel. The principle
behind the operation of the cars is known as 'water balance'. As one car ran
down its rail its companion car would be pulled up, the weight of the water
plus passengers in the descending car overbalancing the weight of the
passengers in the ascending car. Mounted in the frames beneath each
passenger section was a tank of 12 gauge steel bolted on 3 inch x 1.5 inch
rolled steel joists and fitted with a lid of 18 gauge steel. At the
beginning of a journey, releasing the brakes on both cars allowed the top
car to descend, pulling the bottom car up in doing so.
Equipped with all "mod cons", an electric telegraph manufactured by King,
Mendham & Co. of Bristol, permitted the brakesman of the car at the bottom
to inform his opposite number in the car at the top of the number of
passengers to be raised. By this means, the correct weight of water required
to balance the load could be added to the top car. If the ascending car was
empty, then the weight of passengers in the descending car (if full) was
sufficient to activate the system without the water tank being filled. Upon
completion of the journey and whilst the passengers disembarked, water in
the tank of the car at the base of the incline was automatically emptied
into a sump before being pumped back up to a reservoir at the head of the
incline by duplicate sets of pumps powered by self starting "Otto cycle" gas
engines manufactured by Crossley of Manchester. The water which was employed
to operate the line was therefore used over and over again, the cost of the
motive power for working that required to drive the gas engines for pumping
the water.
The Brakes and Speed Governors
The design of the system showed a great concern for safety: some might
describe the design as 'belt, braces, piece of string and the Royal Air
Force'. This is amply demonstrated in the superb braking systems which were
arranged 'such as to satisfy the requirements of the most nervous of
passengers'. Duplicate brakes were incorporated, operated by hydraulic
pressure and acting on both sides of the rails of the line. Another set of
duplicate brakes were incorporated for arresting the speed should the cars
for any undue cause exceed their proper pace and a third set of duplicate
brakes were also incorporated for automatically stopping the cars should
either of the other two systems fail, or should the two steel ropes break at
the same time.
The hydraulic brakes acting upon the rails were the ones controlled by the
brakesmen. They were designed such that the brakesmen had to give their
attention to prevent the car from stopping, rather than trying to make the
car stop. Thus, should one brakesman become careless or lose his hold of the
brake windlass handle, both of the cars would immediately stop, even though
the brakesman upon one of them might be unaware of the problems which had
befallen his companion, The hydraulic brake mechanism consisted of hydraulic
rams acting into cast iron blocks which gripped the rails in a 'callipe'
action. The rams were connected by copper tubes to much larger master
cylinders, the hydraulic fluid being water. Pressure on the system was
applied by heavy weights acting on the top of pistons in the master
cylinders. The weights were directly connected to the conductor's windlass
hand wheel. The act of turning the windlass hand wheel would raise the
weight from the top of the master cylinder reducing the pressure in the
system and hence the grip of the cast iron blocks on the rails. Should
either conductor release his hold on the handle for any reason, the weights
would automatically drop back under gravity, increasing the pressure in the
system, applying the brakes and bringing both cars to a halt.
The speed governing brake acted independently of the controlling brake to
cause the hydraulic pressure to be increased and the rails to be gripped
should the recommended speed be exceeded. How it worked is not clear, but
from the general specification it appears to have been operated by means of
an eccentric on the lower axle. The third system of brakes which would
operate in the event of a cable failure was completely automatic. It
consisted of two large cast iron wedges with serrated faces mounted inside
either rail, on the ends of steel anus, both of which were pivoted on a
heavy steel cross member. Both ends of the cross member enclosed the rails.
The free ends of the arms were attached to the two cables, and a large coil
spring was incorporated held under compression by the tension in the ropes.
In the event of a cable failure, the load on the spring would be released
and the spring would pivot the arm jamming the wedge between rail and cross
member. Deflection of the rail was prevented by the outer ends of the cross
member. Thus the design incorporated fail-safe systems which were made
simple and which were also duplicated throughout the assembly: a very
reliable design concept.
Construction of the Tunnel
At the time of construction, the tunnel was the widest of its kind in the
World. Being brick lined, the timbering necessary to provide temporary
support during construction was built in above the bricks, which
incidentally were set in cement. Construction of the tunnel started from
both ends and from intermediate shafts down its length. Steam power was used
to provide compressed air for the rock drills for hauling away excavated
rock, and was the power for the pumps used in draining the workings from the
ever present seepage of surface water. Considerable difficulties were
encountered with the tunnelling due to the faulting in the limestone, and
rock falls (both inside and outside of the tunnel) were a constant source of
worry and delay. Even as late as six weeks before the opening, a rock fall
of some 20 tons down the outside of the rock face on the 31st of January,
1893 demolished a portion of the miniature wooden veranda which formed part
of the design for the bottom entrance to the railway, just missing a City
bound horse-tram that was passing. Apart from the looseness of the rock
causing problems in the construction, the limestone in some cases was found
to be so conglomerated with other metalliferous rock 'as to break the drills
and turn the edges of the tools that were used for boring'. The scaffolding
of the tunnel was a matter of great difficulty to the contractor, and the
greatest caution was necessary when erecting the complicated centre pieces
and when placing in position the immense amount of timber required as struts
for the roof and sides of the cutting. On account of the steep incline, it
was impossible to arrange gangs of men to work one above the other
simultaneously, and it was very difficult to provide for the dislodging of
the material above without choking the entrance below. Intermediate shafts
were used to remove dislodged rock via winding engines and machinery erected
above the ground. Men were brought from Canada to operate the pneumatic
machines as suitably skilled labour was not available in Britain. There was
considerable difficulty in keeping the men at work for more than a few weeks
at a time, various accidents causing them to become nervous. The work
originally scheduled to be completed in 12 months, actually took two years
to finish, but great celebration occurred when H. C. Hayes, the Contractor's
10 year old son, squeezed through the hole when the two headings joined and
found the shafts lined up perfectly. Construction costs had been anticipated
at £10,000, but in fact with all the problems, costs rose to over £30,000.
Timetable of Operation
The following is a timetable of operations dated January, 1922, which was
almost identical with that of the first week of operations:
1 June - 30 Sept Weekdays 8.30 am - 10.00 pm
Sundays 2.30 pm-10.OOpm
1 October - 31 May Weekdays 8.30 am - 9.00 pm
Sundays 2.30 pm- 9.00 pm
By September, 1928 the timetable had become:
All year round Weekdays 8.45 am - 9.15 pm
Sundays 2.3Opm- 9.lSpm
Ticket Prices
Upward Downward
Ret
On the day of opening:
4d
1893
ld
0.5d
1906
2d
1d
1928-People
2d
1.5d
Mail cars and bicycles
3d
2d
The Conception of the Clifton Rocks Railway
In the mid to late 19th Century, Clifton, Bristol and Hotwells, were
considered as separate. Clifton was a posh area. Hotwells, no longer a spa
attraction was very down market, the River Avon a stinking open sewer, and
the inhabitants including a substantial number of lower class drunken
mariners due to the abundance of ships in the harbour. The residents of
Clifton really did not particularly want ready access to their domain made
available to the surrounding population. For some time they even resisted
having trains use their streets. This then was the back drop to the
conception of the Clifton Rocks Railway. The only way to get from Hotwells
to Clifton was via a variety of steep hills, such as the zig zag path which
remains with us today, or Granby Hill. Thus the Clifton Rocks Railway owed
its existence to the self imposed isolation of the elegant and fashionable
residential area of Clifton from the developing public transport system of
the City of Bristol.
Historical Diary
The Proposal
23rd July, 1880. Mr George White, founder of the Bristol Tramway Company and
later founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company made an alternative proposal
for an inclined railway form the north end of the Suspension Bridge down the
face of the Avon Gorge to Hotwells. Here a connection would be made with the
City Tramway, with the Hotwells terminus of the Bristol Port & Pier Railway
and its services to Beach and other suburbs of Bristol, and with the
Hotwells landing stage from which P & A Campbells and others operated their
pleasure steamers to the exotic charms of Ilfracombe and the South Wales
ports. Such a project was rejected by the Society of Merchant Venturers,
owners of the cliffs, probably because they thought it would be such an
eyesore.
27 September, 1889. A similar application from a Mr Kincaid was also
rejected by the Society of Merchant Venturers.
26 September, 1890. A proposal was placed before the Society from Mr George
Newnes MP for an inclined lift from Hotwells Road to the garden of no. 14
Princes Buildings. Princes Buildings is the row of houses which now
incorporates the Avon Gorge Hotel. This time the proposal was for a railway
running not up the cliff face, but through the rock in a tunnel. The Society
of Merchant Venturers, being prepared to consider this scheme, resolved to
confer with Engineers.
The Individuals Involved with the Development
The promoter, George Newnes, was a Member of Parliament for Newmarket.
Cambridgeshire, from 1891 to 1895, founder of the Newnes Publishing Company
and was created a Baronet in 1895. His country residence at Hollerday Hill,
Lynton, Devon, brought him into contact with the Lynton/Lynmouth Cliff
Railway, and a business association began between Mr Newnes and the eminent
Engineer who was responsible for the Lynton/Lynmouth Cliff Railway and
similar projects elsewhere, namely Mr G Croydon Marks AMICE, MIME. The
Architects appointed for the project were Philip Monroe & Sons of Baldwin
Street, Bristol and the Civil Engineering Contractor Messrs C A Hayes of
Thomas Street, Bristol were employed to carry out the construction of the
tunnel.
The Society of Merchant Venturers evidently were only prepared to consider
the construction of the tunnel and railway, providing that Mr Newnes also
tried to resurrect Clifton as a spa town by constructing a Hydropathic
Institute (The Spa) adjacent to the proposed upper station. The total cost
of the railway was estimated at £10,000 and Mr. Newnes was the sole
financier for the venture.
31 October, 1890. The Society of Merchant Venturers resolved to consent to
the project on the following terms:
(a)That rents would be raised.
(b) That the works should be finished by January, 1893. (c) That no
alteration should be made to the exterior elevations of the buildings to
be constructed, and that they should be used for no other purposes than
permitted at the Bath Pump Room.
(d) No licence for liquor
(e) That the road adjacent to Princes Buildings should not be obstructed
(Princes Lane).
(1) That no blasting should take place between 7.00 pm and 7.00 am.
7 March, 1891 Lady Wathen, Wife of the Lord Mayor, Sir Charles Wathen, fired
the first shot for the tunnel excavation, an event that was accompanied by
the usual luncheon and speeches. After a difficult and expensive
construction operation which had not been
anticipated, the railway was ready for opening considerably later than had
at first been planned.
Early Operations
11 March, 1893 was the date of the official opening of the Clifton Rocks
Railway. 6,220 people made the return journey and the promoters of the
project must have felt greatly heartened by the way in which the public took
to their development. In the opening period around 11,000 passengers per
week were carried, 427,492 passengers in the first 12 months of operation.
Unfortunately this was really the peak of operations for the railway and
numbers subsequently declined steadily.
The ticket for the first travellers opening day was a commemorative gilded
metal medallion in the shape of a Maltese cross having on one side a
representation of one of the cars together with the initials of the
promoter, engineer and architect. On the reverse was a commemorative
inscription.
27 October, 1893 The Society of Merchant Venturers, being notified that the
railway had been operating for six months, resolve that the Deeds be
executed in favour of Mr Newnes for a period of 999 years, with a Covenant
under which the lessee must maintain the tunnel in proper repair.
Spring 1894. Mr Newnes formed the Clifton Rocks Railway Co. Ltd to operate
the line. Chairman of the Board was Mr Newnes himself with Mr Croydon Marks
a Co-Director along with P. Fussell and
A Yeatman (Company Secretary). Solicitors for the company were Osborne,
Ward, Vassall & Co Bristol. To this company was leased the tunnel for an
annual rental of £50 subject to covenants requiring the company to maintain
the tunnel with the lines, stations, etc., fit for use as a railway tunnel.
1903. A dispute arose between the City of Bristol (Plaintiffs) and the
Clifton Rocks Railway Co Ltd (Defendants). The City claimed that the Clifton
Rocks Railway occupied land which was owned by the City. This was a small
triangle of land which included The Hot Well pump within the same parcel and
was situated at the lower station, on the side most remote from Cumberland
Basin. The infringement of the tunnel on this piece of land was no more than
10 feet at the absolute maximum. The Clifton Rocks Railway Co. replied that
they thought they owned the land, but the lost their case and had to pay a
small sum to the City in compensation,
The Decline
1908. The steady decline of passengers took their toll and a receiver was
appointed.
29 November, 1912. The railway's assets were bought outright by the Bristol
Tramway and Carriage Co, for the sum of £1,500.
5 July, 1913. The Royal Show was held on Durdham Downs and during a 'flash
in the pan' surge of use, 14,500 people used the railway during the week
prior to this date.
1922 The Portway road was widened. This involved the closure and demolition
of the Bristol Port & Pier Railway from Sneyd Park junction up to and
include the Hotwells terminus, which must have been a good connection for
the Rocks Railway, being situated just a few hundred yards away, in the
Avonmouth direction. A major road was now placed only inches from the bottom
station which made access most difficult.
1 October, 1934. After continued deficits, the Clifton Rocks
Railway finally closed, the four cars being lowered to the
bottom station.
1937. Bristol Corporation received an interest in the tunnel
via the Bristol Transport Act 1937.
FARVIS
Use of the Tunnel During the Second World War
At the outbreak of the Second World War the Ministry of Works and Buildings
took a tenancy of the tunnel from the Tramways Company at a rent of £100 per
annum subject to conditions which required the Office of Works to indemnify
the Tramways Company against any breach of the covenants in the lease under
which the Tramways Company held the property.
25 March, 1940. British Overseas Airways constructed an office suite and
used part of the upper section of the tunnel for storage. Control of the
tunnel came under the ARP (Air Raid Precaution) Committee which later became
the Civil Defence Committee during the War, where they established shelter
number 1898.
The BBC needed to keep broadcasting through the Second World War to try to
distract an estimated audience of up to six million people away from the
blatant propaganda of William Joyce, an American born, English educated
fascist whose exaggerated upper class accent soon earned him the nickname
'Lord Haw Haw.' The Nazis had craftily set up what they called a 'British
Forces Service' which had dance music interspersed with news. Military
Chiefs who, prior to the War were demanding that the BBC be closed down if
and when War broke out were beginning to see the sense in keeping the BBC on
the air, and some sophisticated technical changes were made to prevent BBC
transmitters becoming beacons which would guide enemy aircraft to their
targets. The BBC had to face up to the fact that Broadcasting House might be
badly damaged by bombs or even taken over by invading Nazis. They decided to
set up an emergency headquarters in Bristol, capable of handling programme
production if the need arose. Since however, this station too could have
come under attack, the search began for bomb proof premises. The disused
railway tunnel of the Bristol Port & Pier Railway was ear marked. Despite
the emergency situation, in a true blue act of eccentricity, the BBC,
incredibly, sent its symphony orchestra consisting of nearly 100 members, to
play in the proposed tunnel under the baton of the famous Sir Adrian Boult,
with a view to checking the acoustics. One can only presume that the BBC
wanted to ensure that even if Britain was about to be completely and utterly
destroyed, radio listeners should not be denied broadcasted symphony
concerts of the highest quality whilst the bombs dropped around them. The
maestro reported favourably. Unfortunately the delay incurred in adopting
these procedures had upset the BBC's plans. The Director General went in
person to inspect the tunnel, but the Nazi Air Force beat him to it and
after a series of heavy raids, local people were occupying the tunnel for
shelter. The Director General took a typically British view and at once
decided that it would be impossible now to occupy the tunnel. The BBC had
already considered the use of the Rocks Railway Tunnel but had rejected it
due to the anticipated difficulties of coping with the steep incline.
Circumstances now dictated that they should construct their alternative base
here.
July, 1941. The BBC intended erecting structures in the tunnel which would
constitute a breach of covenant. A Clerk to Bristol City Council opened
negotiations with all interested parties with a view to vesting in the
Bristol Corporation 999 leasehold title free from all covenants which would
prevent the use of a tunnel for other purposes. At this stage the structures
which had already been erected in the tunnel by the Ministry of Works
constituted a breach of covenant.
The result of negotiations was that the Tramway Co assigned their leasehold
interest to the Bristol Corporation free of charge. The Society of Merchant
Venturers released their right to enforce the covenants as to keeping the
tunnel for railway purposes also free of charge. However, the Society still
required that the entrances to the upper and lower stations should be kept
in good repair, the Ministry having sole use of the upper entrance for which
they were solely liable for keeping in repair. The BBC and Bristol
Corporation were jointly liable for the bottom entrance. The Grand Hotel
Company who by then held the original lease to Mr Newnes, and who were
entitled to the rent of £50 per annum payable by the Tramway Company, were
only prepared to sell their interest and release the covenants. Their asking
price of £1,500 was met by contributions from the Ministry of Works and
Buildings of £800, the BBC £400, and the balance of £300 coming from the
City Corporation. The Grand Hotel Company continued to impose covenants
covering nuisance, interference or damage to the amenities of the Hotel, and
their title to the land at either station. Upon completion of the transfers
to the Bristol Corporation, a lease was granted to the BBC for a period of
21 years at a nominal rent of 1 shilling for the bottom portion of the
tunnel, and part of the bottom station, free from any liability to reinstate
the tunnel at the end of the tenancy.
24 February, 1941 Work proceeded on the BBC installation alongside the
negotiations.
28 February, 1941 The four carriages were removed from the tunnel, this part
of the conversion being subcontracted to the Bristol Tramway Co.
Within three months there had been constructed within the tunnel four large
chambers, one above the other, with three smaller chambers being provided at
ground level. The total cost of the conversion was about £10,000, of which
£6,000 could be attributed to construction work.
Description of the BBC Installation
Top Room: Transmitters
Various transmitters were incorporated in this room. One served Bristol
with programmes whilst two others were set up o keep the station in touch
with the outside World in an extreme emergency. The largest transmitter was
an American RCA 'H' group transmitter operating on 203.5 m and broadcasting
the home service. This had been brought over from America on lend lease in
the early days of the War. The other two
consisted of a Harvey McNamara shortwave set, and an ex RAF medium wave
transmitter for restoring communication between the other main provincial
and metropolitan broadcasting stations should the Post Office telephone
lines be damaged by enemy action.
Second Chamber Down: Studio
This was equipped with piano, gramophone and other facilities for musical,
dramatic or school's programmes and could take a cast of 10-15 actors. Poor
acoustics were accommodated by installing heavy carpets and providing
strategically placed quilting on the walls. Small scale musical, dramatic or
feature programmes could be produced in this room
The Third Chamber Down: Recording Room
This room contained a Philips-Miller record and replay machine which used
gelatine coated celluloid film 7mm wide, onto which recordings were cut with
a sapphire stylus. Also within this room were sufficient programmes for many
weeks of broadcasting.
Fourth Chamber Down: Control Room
Here the BBC Engineers surpassed themselves in compressing an enormous
amount of equipment into a very small space. The room incorporated switching
gear for no fewer than 80 land lines leading to outside stations. The Post
Office routed these in various formations to minimise the risk of a single
bomb damaging all in one go.
The Three Smaller Rooms at Lower Ground Floor Level
These rooms held emergency diesel generators, a special forced ventilation
plant in which full precautions were taken against gas attacks, and a
canteen containing sufficient food and water for several weeks.
Exterior
An aerial was strung from the tunnel head to the Grand Spa Hotel. At the
lower level station the main entrances and windows were blocked, and
ventilation ducts were installed externally.
Throughout the Control Room was manned day and night, transferring countless
thousands of programmes in many different languages to various transmitters.
However, the emergency studio never had to be used. Just in case, whenever
the bombs began to fall on Bristol during the War, key programme staff used
to pile into an armoured Dodge Shooting Break car and make a dash to the
tunnel where they would stand by to go on the air if required. Thankfully,
the main studios at BBC Bristol were never silenced, but the usefulness of
the
Control Room alone fully justified the work which had gone into the
conversion of the railway tunnel.
After the War
30 July, 1946. The War was over and the BBC had reviewed its transmitter and
studio capacity, and was ready to terminate its tenancy and remove all of
it's equipment, except for the heating lighting and ventilation plant. The
ventilation plant had cost £1,600 to install and would cost £104 to remove.
The Bristol Corporation were prepared to purchase all this plant for the sum
of £5 in exchange for no claim being made for reinstatement in respect
of the premises. Ideas had been mooted to retain the station as a museum
piece.
28 August 1946. International trouble arose over the use of the 514 m
waveband, and to comply meant reducing power on all main transmitters, and
boosting the signal using local transmitters. Thus the Bristol transmitter
was retained as a local booster station.
October, 1946. The Ministry of Works' lease was surrendered.
1955. The tunnel was becoming a drain on the BBC's operating costs, the
annual rates alone being £549. A new lease was therefore negotiated by the
BBC for accommodation in the upper part of the tunnel, incorporating the
landing or upper platform at the head of the tunnel, together with a right
of access through the entrance on Sion Hill, adjoining the Hotel, and
together with the right to place and maintain a 40 foot aerial mast and hut
above the premises, the mast to be stayed at three points. The BBC took on
this lease for ten years at a rental of £10 per annum exclusive of rates,
whilst the original lease for the bottom section was surrendered at the same
time.
This turned out to be a timely withdrawal from the bottom section as defects
were about to be found at the base of the construction.
Structural Movement
1956. Cracks were noticed between the masonry of the lower station facade
and the face of the limestone cliffs. Further inspection showed that a crack
some 4 inches wide had also opened up in the brick lining to the tunnel
immediately behind the facade. Tubular steel scaffolding was used to shore
up the facade and the slope behind the facade was cleared of loose rock and
earth and a total of some 1,000 cubic yards of material was removed. The
dense growth of vegetation on the cliff path steps behind the portal was
also cleared. The facade of the railway changed in appearance at this stage,
with a considerable quantity of the high level side masonry being removed.
August, 1957. A W Skempton DSC MICE, and D I Henkel PhD AIvIICE, eminent
Engineers specialising in soil mechanics were employed by the Bristol City
Engineer to give advice on the measures that should be taken to ensure the
stability of the tunnel facade and the cliffs at this point in the Avon
Gorge.
Many of the walls built to retain the earth of the terraces over the Rocks
Railway tunnel showed signs of movement These walls had been constructed
before the tunnel had been built and cracks now were particularly marked
where walls crossed the line of the tunnel. To obtain information about the
site, boreholes were sunk. The boreholes confirmed that a layer of clay
about 5 feet thick was sandwiched between layers of limestone rock, the
strata dipping steeply downwards towards the
Cumberland Basin. The boreholes would not hold water and it was concluded
that the tunnel was acting as a drain removing water which was collecting
above the clay layer. A considerable area of the tunnel was very wet.
January, 1958. It was recommended that a series of tied buttresses be
constructed along the face of the tunnel in Hotwell Road. These buttresses
were constructed from rolled steel sections encased in concrete and the
whole assembly was anchored to the cliff using rock inclined anchors
connecting the top of the assembly down into the rock behind Additionally, a
series of drainage boreholes were specified through the clay layer above the tunnel,
to be backfilled with gravel to ensure drainage of the upper limestone rock
in the area of potential instability.
24 March, 1960. With changes brought about by advances in technology, the
radio station became redundant and the BBC's lease determined.
Since 1960. The Pump Room was used from time to time as a store, but except
for the passage of telephone cables, no permanent use has yet been found for
the tunnel and stations.
Present Status
The top station is in poor condition with the original station layout
disturbed by the subsequent modifications which have been introduced. A
false roof of fibreboard covered with asphalt has collapsed into the station
leaving a skeletal timber framework.
The tunnel itself is wet in places due to seepage, but the majority of the
brick lining is in good condition considering its age. The track bed has
been almost entirely built over. Two staircases 4 feet 6 inches wide have
been constructed against either side rail of the tunnel from top to bottom.
Both staircases have treads constructed from precast concrete units. The
centre channel between the two staircases is separated from them by solid
brick walls. There are also a number of cross walls dividing up the centre
channel into compartments. In the upper parts of the tunnel these areas give
the impression of steep narrow cinemas with tiered platforms rising up the
slope of the tunnel between the two walls dividing
the centre section from the staircases on either side. Further down, the BBC
modifications are in poor condition, with most of the timber floors having
disintegrated. It is estimated that in excess of 27,000 cubic feet of brick
and concrete are now resident inside the tunnel.
The bottom station still contains the BBC's ventilation plant and the
configuration of the rooms is virtually as original. However, the arches
that once led to the verandah have been bricked up save only for small
openings at the top of each arch into which the open ends of the BBC air
ducts once fitted. Unfortunately, the stabilisation work necessary to
prevent further leaning of the facade towards the Portway has severely
disfigured its elegant architecture.
Future Use
Many ideas have been forthcoming on the utilisation of this fascinating
relic of yesteryear. In all cases, the costs of providing the necessary
conversion work far outweigh the returns. There is perhaps something to
commend the idea of leaving it alone so that it can remain virtually
unnoticed except by the few who have discovered its charms. It seems that
the tunnel is almost certain to remain, in economic terms, what it has
always been: an eccentric, exciting white elephant.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Bristol City Reference Library; University of
Bristol Library; Bristol United Press Library; South West
News and Picture Agency.
FARVIS