The historic railway line which once connected Bath and Bournemouth is set to return to the spotlight 58 years after its closure as it features in a major new documentary, , which launches on Channel 4 on Saturday September 21. First opened in the mid-19 century, the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway stretched from Bath, through the West Country and all the way down to the south coast. A famously rural route, it meandered through the rolling hills around Bath and its eccentricities captured the public’s imagination.
The line began to decline in the 1950s and a decision to finally close it was made in 1966, leaving its winding tracks, spectacular architecture and incredible stories to fade into history – until now. The first episode of new six-part series, Abandoned Railways From Above, focuses exclusively on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway – often remembered as one of Britain’s most-loved lines – and uncovers its history through some of the most beautiful countryside the nation has to offer. The programme starts at Bath Green Park station – the terminus for the abandoned line, which has since been transformed into an active retail and events space.
Talking about the iconic station, which was opened 30 years after Bath Spa and was designed to emulate the city’s Georgian splendour, the venue’s Property & Market Manager, Charles Beer, tells the programme: “It was said that whenever you came into Green Park station, there was always a steam train billowing smoke up into the roof which would’ve filled up, giving the place lots of atmosphere. “Although it was a terminus building, it was nothing like Paddington or Waterloo. It only had two lines coming in and would’ve been small but really bustling and full of people.
“During the 1950s, when holidaymakers would’ve been travelling down to the south coast, the station would’ve been packed with people and trains would’ve been coming in and out. It would’ve been a very, very busy place. “But for the rest of the year, it was just a small commuter train serving the local counties.
” The programme’s production team were also given exclusive access to the underground vault that runs the length and breadth of Green Park station and is the only part of the building where rails remain. When the station was operational, the area was used as a bonded warehouse for storing Scotch. Abandoned Railways From Above, which is a co-production between Rumpus Media and High Rock Media, will also take viewers through smoke-filled tunnels and across vast viaducts on the approach to Midsommer Norton, where Julian Peters – the son of the famed railway photographer, Ivo Peters – discusses how his father’s work made the line world famous.
At Winsor Hill, the programme uncovers a tragic secret and highlights the role that the hand-cut tunnels played in the development of Concorde, while at Blandford Forum, viewers will be shown the remains of its viaduct, which was spectacularly blown up in 1978..
