Hotwells railway station, was a railway station situated in the suburb of Hotwells

Hotwells

Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects those docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The...

 in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It was the original southern terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier

Bristol Port Railway and Pier

The Bristol Port Railway and Pier was a railway in Bristol, England.-Route:...

 which ran to a station and pier at Avonmouth

Avonmouth

Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...

. The station opened in 1865, originally named Clifton

Clifton, Bristol

Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...

 station, and was situated in the Avon Gorge

Avon Gorge

The Avon Gorge is a 1.5-mile long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of...

 almost underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Brunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. Brunel's colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds...

, adjacent to the Clifton Rocks Railway

Clifton Rocks Railway

The Clifton Rocks Railway was an underground funicular railway in Bristol, linking Clifton at the top to Hotwells and Bristol Harbour at the bottom of the Avon Gorge in a tunnel cut through the limestone cliffs. The upper station is close to Brunel's famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and is located...

, the Hotwells terminus of Bristol Tramways

Bristol Tramways

Bristol tramways were operated from 1875, when the Bristol Tramways Company was formed by Sir George White, until 1941 when a Luftwaffe bomb destroyed the power station.-History:...

, the Rownham ferry and landing stages used by passenger steamers.

In 1871 the railway company was acquired by the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 who created a tunnel under Clifton Down

Clifton Down

Clifton Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England, north of the village of Clifton. With its neighbour Durdham Down to the northeast, it constitutes the large area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking and team sports...

 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 when it and the track to Sneyd Park

Sneyd Park

Sneyd Park is a suburb of Bristol, England, lying on the western fringe of Clifton Down, adjacent to the Avon Gorge and the Sea Walls observation point. Home to many millionaires, Sneyd Park was originally developed in Victorian times. Many Victorian and Edwardian villas line the edge of the Downs...

 were removed to enable the building of the Portway

Portway, Bristol

The Portway is a trunk road, approximately long, which links central Bristol, England, with its port at Avonmouth. It is part of the A4 road, which was the primary east west highway in Southern England before the construction of the M4 motorway....

 road.

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. In later years, until 1996 part of the tunnel was used by a local gun club as a short range.

See also

• The Bristol Port Railway and Pier
• 1900 Ordnance Survey map showing Hotwells Station
• Photographs taken in old railway tunnel
• Hotwells
  Hotwells
  Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects those docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The...
  
  
• Hotwells Halt railway station
  Hotwells Halt railway station
  Hotwells Halt railway station, also known as the Hotwells Extension Platform, was a railway station situated in the suburb of Hotwells in Bristol, England. It was on the Bristol Port Railway and Pier line which ran between Avonmouth and...