Hotwells railway station

Hotwells railway station, was a railway station situated in the suburb of Hotwells in Bristol, England. It was the original southern terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier which ran to a station and pier at Avonmouth. The station opened in 1865, originally named Clifton station, and was situated in the Avon Gorge almost underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, near the Clifton Rocks Railway,[1] the Hotwells terminus of Bristol Tramways, the Rownham ferry and landing stages used by passenger steamers.

Hotwells, originally Clifton
The site of the station
Location	Hotwells, City of Bristol England
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Bristol Port Railway and Pier
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
6 March 1865	Opened
19 September 1921	Closed

Railways in the Bristol area
Cross Country Route Thornbury branch line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPR&P) North Filton Platform Stoke Gifford depot Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Docks Avonmouth Filton Junction Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Avonmouth Docks Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield (1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield (1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Warmley Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Oldland Common unitary authority area Avon Valley Railway Lawrence Hill Waste depot Bitton Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Avon Riverside Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Princes' Wharf Kelston Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh T&RSMD SS Great Britain East Depot Bristol Docks (North) Bedminster Bristol Docks (South) Parson Street CREATE Centre Mangotsfield branch line South Liberty Lane Depot Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Bristol–Exeter line Pill Whitchurch Halt Portbury shipyard Keynsham Royal Portbury Dock Bristol & North Somerset Rly Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Great Western main line (1954–1964) Portishead Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (1879–1954) Portishead Portishead Pier

Hotwells station

Hotwells station, Bristol

In 1871 the railway company was acquired by the Great Western Railway who created a tunnel under Clifton Down and linked the Port and Pier line to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. This left the Hotwells branch as a stub. The station remained open, renamed as Hotwells until 1921[2] when it and the track to Sneyd Park were removed to enable the building of the Portway road.[3]

The only trace remaining today is a short tunnel under Bridge Valley Road which was used during the Second World War as an air raid shelter. Overcrowding became such a problem that Bristol City Council had to institute a permit system.[4] In later years, until 1996 part of the tunnel was used by a local gun club as a short range.[4]