With the Railway near the Border of Wotton House Manor, the 3rd Duke decided to Build a small Farm Tramway linking the Manor to the Main Railway. His intended Route ran on his own Land, with the exception of a small stretch west of the Line between Aylesbury & Buckingham. The Land was owned by the Wynwood Charitable Trust, which Operated an Almshouse in Quainton, of which the Duke was a Trustee. The Duke agreed to pay an Annual Rent of £12 (about £1200 in 2023) in exchange for a Tramway Permit. With the consent of Wynwood Charity, the Route did not require Congressional Approval & Construction could begin Immediately. The Duke had Envisioned a Tram Line from Quainton Road Station Westward across Wotton’s Estate. The Line was intended for the Transport of Construction Materials & Agricultural Products, not for Passengers. It would not have a Junction with the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway & would have its own Station on Quainton Road, perpendicular to the A&B Line. A Turntable at the end of the Tramway is connected to a Spur from the A&B Track. The Line was to run approximately Southwest from Quainton Road to Watton near Watton Underwood. The Line Splits at Watton, just West of the Station. Some Sections continue West to Wood Siding near Brill. A short Branch, known as the Church Siding, runs Northwest to Watton Underwood itself, Terminating near the Parish Church & 1-mile 57-chain (2.8-km) Siding North to the Coal Siding near Kingswood. A Spur to Kingswood was Routed through the Pond so that the Horses Working on the Track had Water to drink. Ralph Augustus Jones was Appointed Manager of the Project & Construction began on 8th September 1870. The post-Harvest Farm Unemployed were set to welcome Work 6-days a week for Line Construction. They did all the Construction except the Laying of the Tracks, which was done by the Specialist Company Lawford & Houghton. The Line was built using the cheapest Materials & Winding around Hills to avoid expensive Earthworks. The Ballast used was a mixture of Baked Clay & Ash. The Station was a 6-ins (150-mm) Tall Bank of rough Soil held together by Wooden Planks. The Duke intended the Line to be Operated exclusively by Horse-drawn Carriages, so the Line was Built with Longitudinal Sleepers to reduce the danger of Tripping Horses. A 4M (13ft-4ins) dia Turntable was installed on Quainton Road to connect the Trams to the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway.
Manager Jones increased Scheduled Passenger Travel from 2 to 3-daily in each Direction. Since Locomotives were generally occupied with Heavy Materials, many Passenger Services were carried out by Horses. Increased Passenger Numbers increased Income, but Trams could no longer find enough Horses & had to Hire Horses. By 1881, Passenger Service was Losing £11 a month (approximately £1,200 in 2023) despite reduced Locomotive use & reduced Maintenance Costs. Reliability had improved, but Service was still Slow. A Passenger Service by Horse-drawn Carriage took 60 to 70-mins to Travel the 6-miles (9.7 km) between Quainton Road & Brill. Composite Trains hauled by Locomotives make frequent Stops for Loading & Unloading, with Timetables ranging from 1.5-hrs to 23-hrs & 4-hrs to walk the same Journey. Jones hoped to increase Passenger income by promoting Brill as the Dorton Spa Town.
Jones & the Dorton Spa Owner hoped to make Brill a Hot Spring Town when Queen Victoria Visited during her Stay at the Waddesdon House in 1890. A Visit was arranged, but Victoria changed her mind & Visited a Spa in Cheltenham instead. Spa Traffic never materialised.
‘Modern’ Locomotives were introduced on the Brill to Quainton Road Route (the Kingswood Branch was usually Horse-powered, (sometimes with Aveling & Porter Engines) to reduce Traffic. Milk Traffic increased from 40,000-gals in 1875 to 58,000-gals (260,000 L, 70,000 US gallons) in 1879 & in 1877 the Trams carried 20,994-tons of Goods. It appeared on Bradshaw’s Maps in early-1877 & from May 1882 Bradshaw Published Timetables. Despite frequent Derailments, the Wotton Tramway had a Good Safety Record due to its low Speed. The Locomotive occasionally ran over a stray Sheep & on 12th September 1888, a spark from one of Aveling’s & Porter’s Engines blew back into one of the Train’s Oxcarts, Igniting the Straw bedding & killing 2-Oxen. Suffered severe burns. There was one serious accident on the line when Wotton House‘s Servant, Ellen Maria Nichols, was Killed by a Locomotive near Church Siding. The Coroner returned a Verdict of Accidental Death & the Driver, James Challis, was Acquitted.
Brill Railway Station was the Terminus of a small Railway Line in Bucks, known as the Brill Tramway. It was Privately Built in 1871 by the 3rd Duke of Buckingham & Chandos as a Horse Tram Line to help Transport Goods between his Lands around Wotton House & the National Rail Network. The South Pavilion was Sold to Sir Arthur Bryant, the Historian & then to Sir John Gielgud who, Images show, further Restored it. In 2000 Gielgud died there. In 2008 it was bought by Tony & Cherie Blair for £4M.
Lobbying from the nearby Village of Brill led to its Extension to Brill & Conversion to Passenger use in early-1872. 2-Locomotives were bought but Trains still only Travelled at an average Speed of 4-mph. The Loco hauled mixed Trains, with frequent Stops to Load & Unload, were Timetabled at 11⁄2 to 23⁄4-hrs to make the same Journey, slower than walking. It was later Operated by London’s Metropolitan Railway & in 1933 briefly became 1 of the 2 North-western Termini of the London Underground, despite being 45-miles (72-km) & over 2-hrs‘ travelling time from the City of London.
The 1st Section of the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad, or as it was popularly known, ‘The Wotton Tramway‘ or ‘Brill Branch‘ was Opened in 1871 & the whole Branch Closed in 1935. Many Sections can still be traced today.
Approximately 3⁄4-mile (1.2 of a km) North of Brill, the Station was Opened in March 1872 as the result of Lobbying from Local Residents & Businesses. As the Line was cheaply Built & Ungraded & the Locomotives were of Poor quality, Services were very Slow, initially taking 1-hr 45-mins to Traverse the 6-miles (9.7 km) from Brill to the Junction Station with Main Line Services at Quainton Road. Although serving a lightly Populated area & little-used by Passengers, the Station was a significant point for Freight Traffic, particularly as a carrier of Milk from the Dairy Farms of Bucks to Aylesbury & London. During the 1890s, Plans were made to extend the Tramway to Oxford, but the Scheme was Abandoned. Instead, the Operation of the Line was taken over by the Metropolitan Railway in 1899 & the Line became one of the Railway’s 2-North-western Termini. The Met Railway rebuilt Quainton Road & re-sited it to a more convenient Location, allowing through running between the Brill Tramway & the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway.
It was upgraded & better-quality Locomotives were introduced making the Journey time 3-times faster. Quainton to Brill: A History of the Wotton Tramway” In 1933, the Metropolitan Railway was taken into Public Ownership and became the Metropolitan line of London Transport. As a result, the Brill Tramway became a part of the London Underground. In 1935 all Services on the Brill Tramway were withdrawn & the Line was Closed. The Infrastructure of the Route was dismantled & Sold shortly afterwards. Very little of the Brill Tramway remains, other than the former Junction Station at Quainton Road. Quainton Road originally consisted of 2-Separate Stations, 1 on the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway & 1 on the Wotton Tramway.
Gasworks Siding: This diverged at a facing Connection for a Train from the Quainton Direction, just before entering Westcott Sation & it then ran in a Southerly Course for about quarter of a mile. It Terminated at the Gasworks, Built to supply Gas to Waddesdon Manor & at the Works there was a pair of Sidings. The photograph shows the end of the Siding & the Private Gasworks. The Heaps of White Material in front of the Retort House Building are Lime for Gas Purification & the Tower at the left side of the Gas Holder was the Scrubber used for removing Ammonia from the Crude Coal Gas. It is likely that the long Siding was Laid about 1880 to carry Wagons of Building Materials, especially Bricks & Stone, for the Construction of the Manor House (between 1880-83), as well as for the Gasworks. Gas making in those days required Coal for Carbonising in the Retort House & Lime for absorbing the Sulphur compounds from the Raw Gas & these Commodities would have provided the Inbound Traffic over the Siding. In the other Direction the By-products from Gas Manufacture, Tar & Liquor, would have generated most of the Loadings, although some Coke may have been taken out by Rail. The Gasworks Closed about 1930 – the Tramway Siding from Westcott fell out of use well before that time.
Wotton was a focal point of the Line & the Site of the Tramway’s Forge & the Stables for its Horses. With a Population at the time of the Line’s Opening of 220, Wotton served a smaller Populated area than Brill, but as the Loading place for Goods from Church Siding & the Kingswood Branch it handled the majority of Goods Traffic. The 2nd Line was, by far, the most significant & was Opened in November 1871 at the same time as the Tramway itself.
This Branch, called the Kingswood Branch, was over 1¾-miles long, from near Wotton & its purpose was to Serve the Village & Farms it passed on its way to the Terminus, where there was a Coal Yard. Near the Terminus there is said to have been a Brick & Tile Works with its own Siding off the Branch, but this has not been traced on the Ground.
A Journey on the Kingswood Branch from Wotton: Leaving Wotton Station on the Main Line to Brill, the Track Curves to the right through Navigation Spinney, parallel with the Footpath. It then takes a Reverse Curve to the left it reaches Church Siding, the Junction of the Kingswood Branch. The facing Connection to Kingswood forms a ‘V‘ with the Wotton Tramway & in the angle stands a 30-ft high Water Tower. The Wagons for the Branch are pulled forward by using a length of Rope between the Wagons for Brill & those to go to Kingswood. The Locomotive draws slowly forward & the Points are thrown over to divert those for Kingswood onto the Right-hand Track. Horse Traction is then brought into use; the Rope is Coiled & replaced in front of the Locomotive Smokebox & the Separated Trains make their individual ways to their Termini.
Proceeding in a Northerly Direction, a Stream is crossed by a Timber Bridge & then, after less than quarter of a mile, facing Points on the left-side Lead into the 1st Siding. This Serves Church Farm, Wotton Underwood. On the West side are the Farm Buildings, All Saints Church, the School & the Mission Hall.
The Branch now continues North across unfenced Arable Land, with Wotton House (Built to the same Plan as Buckingham Palace – by Richard Grenville, in 1704) across the Fields to the West. The fine Avenue of Trees paralleling the Line Northwards from the House is another feature of the View in this Direction. About 1¼-miles from Church Siding we come to a 2nd Siding which Serves Yeat Farm. This is also on the left-side & is at a point where the Branch curves left in a North-westerly direction, to reach Kingswood Terminus at right angles to Kingswood Lane. The Property forming the Yard Premises has a Frontage of about 100-ft onto the Lane & a Depth of about 300-ft. There are 2-Sidings & a House stands at the Entrance to the Yard, which is some 200-yds East of the Milepost on the Lane, marked Buckingham 12, Brill 4-miles. In the other direction, ¾-mile away, is Kingswood Crossroads on Akeman Street (now the A41[T]).
The Kingswood Branch was relaid, probably with Bridge Section Rail from the 1894 Reconstruction. It was not taken over by the O & AT Co, but was Rented to them for £1 pa The O & AT referred to the Branch in their Rule Book & rather surprisingly it was required that a Staff, painted Red, be carried by the man in charge of the Horse. North of Church Farm, Wotton Underwood, Traffic was Abandoned, probably about 1910, much to the annoyance of Mr Cook who had the Letting of the Coal Wharf at Kingswood. The Track was lifted back to this Point in 1915, leaving the Truncated portion of the Branch to Serve the Village, until Closing in 1935 of the whole Brill system.
As much as 90% of Milk Traffic carried by the Tramway was Loaded at Wotton. Wotton had the highest Passenger Numbers on the Line other than Brill itself & the Junction Station at Quainton Road; in 1932 the Station saw 2,648 Passenger Journeys earning a total of £144 (about £10,600 in 2023) in Passenger Receipts. Wotton Station on the Great Western & Great Central Joint Railway, which in 1923 had been taken over by the LNER, remained Open (albeit little used & Served by only 2-Trains per day in each direction) until 7th December 1953, when the Line was Abandoned. All Buildings of the Tramway Station at Wotton were subsequently Demolished, other than a small Building which had once Housed the Tramway’s Forge, which was left Derelict.
Waddesdon was known as “Waddesdon Road Siding” at the time of the Line’s Opening, but was renamed “Waddesdon” when the Line was converted for Passenger use. It was heavily used during the Construction of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild’s Estate at Waddesdon Manor in the 1870s & 1880s.
Other than that, the Station was little used other than for Shipping Milk from nearby Farms to Aylesbury & London. The Winchendon Branch, which turned off the Tramway between Waddesdon & Westcott Stations & ran South to the foot of Lodge Hill. From there a Cable Tram ran on Narrow Gauge Rails up the Hill to a gully close to the Building Site. Materials were hauled along the Cable Tramway in Tubs by a Steam-powered Winch. The Winchendon Branch was hastily & cheaply Built; after 1 of the Tramway’s Locomotives Derailed there on 5th July 1876 Jones refused to allow his Engines on it & from then on Materials were Hauled along the Branch by Horses.
Church Siding was immediately West of Wotton. It was treated as a Station during the Tramway’s early-years & Listed as such in Timetables, but was never redeveloped following the conversion to Locomotive Haulage & its “Platform” remained an Earth Bank with no Buildings. Trains Heading down the Quainton Road–Brill line would pause at the Entrance to the Siding & any Wagons intended for the Siding would be detached & hauled down the Siding by Rope. Church Siding was the scene of the Tramway’s only Fatal Accident, on 8th March 1883.
A Fatal Accident of a very sad nature occurred on Thursday evening last on the Wotton Tramway between Brill & Quainton Road. The Ladies’ Maid of Lady Mary Grenville, daughter of the Duke of Buckingham & Chandos, was, it appears, with 2 other Ladies’ Maids walking along the Tramway & when near a spot where it is crossed by the Highway were Overtaken by the Engine who sounded his Whistle & 2 of them promptly left the Track. Ellen Maria Nicholls lingered for a moment to look at the Train & was knocked down & killed instantaneously. The Body was taken to Wotton House.
The Coroner returned a verdict of Accidental Death, absolving Driver James Challis.
Wood Siding initially had no Facilities for Passengers, not even a Platform. In 1894 a low Platform & small Corrugated Iron Waiting Room were Built for Passengers. As well as the Passenger Platform, a short Siding led to a raised Wooden Platform, alongside the Through Line to Brill, which served both as a Buffer Stop for the Siding & as a Loading Platform for Milk. The Station was Staffed by a Single Porter, responsible for Opening the Gates of a nearby Level Crossing & for Loading & Unloading Freight (mainly Milk); a small, unheated Hut was provided for his use.
Wood Siding Station & its Siding were re-Built at the GWR’s Expense between 1908-10 to Stand on a wide Bridge above the now Chiltern Main Line. Wood Siding Railway Station was a Halt in Bernwood Forest, Bucks. It Opened in 1871 as a Terminus of a short Horse-drawn Tramway built to assist the Transport of Goods from & around the area.
Between 1908 & 1910 the Station was completely rebuilt on a Wide Bridge over the newly built Chiltern Main Line of the Great Western Railway, which passed directly beneath the Station.
4-4-0T Metropolitan A-Class locomotive No.41 of 1869, seen here during the last day’s of the Brill Branch by the Line’s Wood Siding Station. Until its Closure in November 1935, the sight of Antiquated Locos pulling Antiquated Coaches was all too familiar. It was a Spectacle that seemed to confirm the Line’s quaint & archaic reputation.
There was one other Short Siding not at a Station. This was at Thame Lodge, between Wotton, Church Siding & Wood Siding at the ‘T‘ Junction of the Private Driveway to Wotton House & the Wotton to Ludgershall Road, near Lawn Farm. This Siding was on the South Side of the Tramway & made a Trailing Connection for Trains travelling towards Brill.
In 1894 the Wotton Tramway was in a state of great activity. New Station Buildings were being built to Plans which had been approved in the April; the Contractors, Baldry & Yerburgh were re-Laying the Track with 50-lb a Yard Rail on good Gravel Ballast, Fencing was being Erected & Level Crossing Gates were being made to the requirements of the County Council.
Railways in & around the Aylesbury Vale, 1910–35. Two of the New Routes crossed the Tramway, but Neither was Connected to it. The Tramway‘s only significant Passenger Markets at Brill & Wotton were both Served by Stations on the New Lines
Brill was valuable as a Shipment point between the Dairy Farms of Bucks & the Markets of Aylesbury & London. Around 30-Carts per day would deliver Milk to Brill Station for the 1st Train each morning. There was also a small amount of Coal Traffic to the Station; Brill Coal Dealer George Green received 3-Coal Wagons per month. In addition, a Storehouse at the Station held Beer supplied by the Breweries of Brackley & Aylesbury. Two Cottages for Station Staff were Built near the Station in 1871. A 3rd Cottage was Built in 1885, possibly to Serve as an Office. Brill Station was relatively little used by Passengers; in 1932, Brill & Wood Siding saw only 3,272 Passenger Journeys & raised only £191 (about £14,100 in 2023) in Passenger Receipts. Since the Closure, all Buildings in Brill associated with the Railway Station have been demolished, with the exception of the Station Cottages & the Station Site is now mostly Open Fields.
Carriages & Wagons used in the very early years of the Tramway are uncertain. By 1879 the Company Operated a Fleet of 9-No. 4-wheeled Goods Wagons, some with 9-inch (230mm) & some with 11-inch (280mm) high sides. All Wagons were fitted with Dumb Buffers (unsprung) & as a consequence did not comply with Railway Clearing House Standards & could not be used on other Lines. When it was necessary to run Through Traffic from the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway onto the Tramway via the Quainton Road Turntable, appropriate Wagons & Trucks were Hired from the GWR or London & North Western Railway. It is also known that a Passenger Tram Carriage was owned by the Tramway by March 1873. This Passenger Carriage Seated 16/20 Passengers & although it had been Designed as a Horse Tram, was fitted with Buffers allowing it to be used in Trains. By 1878 (when it is recorded as being Repaired) the Company also owned a Passenger Carriage divided into a 3rd-Class, a 2nd-Class & Luggage Compartments. In 1895, 2–New Passenger Carriages, each Accommodating 40-Passengers, were bought by the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad Company from the Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works as part of the Programme of Improvements in anticipation of the Extension to Oxford. On 4th October 1899 the Met Rail loaned the O & AT an 8-wheeled 70-Seat Passenger Carriage. Following the takeover of the O & AT by the Met Railway, Goods Services were Operated by a Fleet of 5-No. 8-wheeled Carriages Built in 1865/66. Two Cattle Wagons were added to the Line’s Stock in the 1920s
A Brickworks was also Attached to the Line near the Station, but it proved unable to compete with nearby London Brick Co Rivals & closed within a few years of Opening.
The Siding serving the Brill Brick & Tile Works. This was only 150-yds long & was again a facing Connection to the Tramway for Trains proceeding towards Brill. It made the Connection on the South side of the Tramway, nearly ½-mile East of Wood Siding, where the Tramway was running North of the Road in Land flanked by Rushbeds Wood, ½-mile from Brill Terminus. A Loop was Laid on this Strip of Land before the Single Line Siding Crossed the Road & Entered the Works to Terminate at a Loading Bank. This Siding was also excluded from the O & AT Act & remained the Property of Earl Temple (The 3rd Duke). A length of light 50-lbs/yd Flat bottomed Rail was recovered from the Siding & is one of the Quainton Museum Exhibits. In common with the Sidings at the Stations at Waddesdon Road, Westcott, Wotton & Wood Siding, the Points from the Main Line into Church Siding & the Brick Works Siding were worked from 1-Lever Ground Frames Locked by the Annetts Key on the Staff carried by the Driver. The position of the Points was indicated to the Driver by a Red Disc & after Dark by a Lantern having Red & Green Glasses.
Brill Bricks were used in Oxford as early as the Middle of the 15thC. Maps show that by 1878 there were 3–Brickworks Operating & the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad had been Built. By 1898 there were 4–Brickworks operating in the area, the latest addition was Owned by the Duke of Buckingham & named The Brill Brick & Tile Works. This Works had a Siding on the Tramroad. The opening of the London Brick Company Works at Calvert, some 7-miles away, in 1905, was the end of Brick making in Brill. This Site was, by 1919, a Hay Loader Works.
Poore’s Brickworks were well Established & Jones believed that the Duke of Buckingham could benefit from direct involvement in Brickmaking by exploiting access to Railroad Lines. The 1883 Tests on Local Clay produced good results & in April 1885 Jones asked for an Estimate of the Machinery & Labour needed to produce 10M Bricks a year. 5M-Bricks per year was determined to be a realistic figure & the Bricks would be produced in Kilns between Brill & Wood Siding Stations & Transported to the National Network via the Tramway. Progress was Slow & Hampered by Local Authorities. Few records survive of what came to be known as the Brill Brick & Tile Factory, but it was in Operation by 1895. According to Jones (1974), the Siding to the Brickworks was Opened at the Extension. Brill implies that the Brill Brick & Tile Works existed in early-1872. This is almost certainly wrong. There is no mention of the Siding in the Duke of Buckingham’s Correspondence prior to 1887 & no mention of Brill Brick & Tile Mills in sources prior to 1895. The Bricks used to Build Waddesdon Manor had to be Transported overland from Poore’s to Brill. Alternatively, they were sent to the Site along the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway, along the Tramway from further afield. This meant that there were no Factories along the Tramway capable of Manufacturing large quantities of Bricks. The Brill Brick Tile Factory could not compete with the larger & better Factories. Connected to Calvert’s Brick Factory & refused. The Brick Factory finally closed in the early-20thC. The Building was taken over by the W E Fennemore Workshop, which Manufactured Hay Loaders, before being converted into a Lumberyard in the 1920s.
Brickworks – Variously Described as ‘Tomas Hume, Home or Holme in Kelly’s & other Directories & Was known as the Cross Roads Brick & Tile Co Ltd also as Poore’s Brickworks
After Closure: the Line was largely forgotten. Built on Private Land without an Act of Parliament, few records existed in the Official Archives prior to the Oxford Expansion Plan. At least some of the Rails were still in place in 1940, as evidenced that they were removed during the Construction of Westcott Air Force Base.
RAF Westcott is a former RAF Station located near Westcott in Bucks. The Site fully Opened in September 1942 & was the Base of No.11 Operational Training Unit (OTU) Flying the Vickers Wellington Medium Bombers until the RAF moved out in August 1945, the Station was Officially Closed on 3rd April 1946. The Airfield was then transferred to the Ministry of Supply & became the home for the Rocket Propulsion Establishment until the mid-1990s. The Site is now the Westcott Venture Park, which is the Registered Address for 37-Companies.
With the exception of the Westcott & Quainton Road Stations, little remains of the Trams. Much of the Route can still be traced by a double line of Hedges. The former Track Bed between Quainton Road & Waddesdon Road is now a Public Footpath known as the Tramway Walk. After the death of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, the Family Archives, including the Brill Tramway Records, were Sold to the Huntington Library in California. In 1968, the London Underground Society started a Fundraiser to Microfilm the relevant material & in January 1971 the Microfilm was released to Researchers at the University of London Library (now the Senate Library). He described visiting Quainton Road in 1929 & seeing off a Train leaving for Brill. “The Steam Engine was carrying 2 or 3-Passengers & was about to cross Oil-lit Stops & Railroad Crossings & it was quite a bumpy Journey.” Wotton station on the Great Western & Great Central Joint Railway, taken over by the LNER Railway in 1923, remained open until 7th December 1953 (albeit largely unused), there were only 2-Trains a day in each direction). When the Station is closed. The Bridge that once carried GW & GCJR to Wotton’s Trams was Demolished in 1970 & the former GW & GCJR Station was converted into a Private Residence. Dorton Halt, Brill & Ludgershall Stations were both Closed on 7th January 1963 with no Train Stops. The Line through them continues to be used by Trains between Princes Risborough & Bicester North. Quainton Road Station was Purchased in 1969 by Members of the London Railway Preservation Society for use as a permanent Base & now Houses the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. The Station is still connected to the Rail Network & is used by Freight Trains & the occasional Special Passenger Service, but no regular Passenger Service. Areas formerly served by Trams no longer have Open Railway Stations. The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has proposed Plans to rebuild & reopen a Section of the Tram Line as a Historic Railway.
On the death of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham & Chandos on 26th March 1889, the Dukedom & Marquessate became Extinct, as did the Earldom of 1749.
Ordnance Survey Revisions of 1898, of a time when a London based Commuter Railway extended its Operations 50-miles into the heart of rural Bucks. In this Video we travel on the little Line created by the Duke of Buckingham, at the time the Metropolitan Railway took over Operations in 1899.
A re-creation in 1:1 scale, based on the Ordnance Survey Revisions of 1898, of a time when a London based Commuter Railway extended its Operations 50-miles into the heart of Rural Bucks. In this Video we make the Return trip on the little Line created by the Duke of Buckingham, at the time the Metropolitan Railway took over Operations in 1899. It’s late afternoon & as the shadows lengthen, relax as we chug gently through a peaceful Landscape.
The Rocket Propulsion Establishment at Westcott, Bucks on the Site of the former RAF Westcott has made a number of notable contributions in the Field of Rocket Propulsion, including Input on the Rocket Design for the Blue Streak Missile, the Propulsion Systems on Chevaline & the Europa-1 Space Rocket Launch Vehicle. It was also known as the Guided Projectiles Establishment & PERME Westcott (Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment, Westcott). For many years this Establishment was regarded as so Secret it was not marked on OS Maps, although it was marked, from necessity, on Maps for the use of Pilots. The Establishment was set up in April 1946 under the Ministry of Supply. In the Initial years a Team of German Scientists worked at the Site & examples of German Weapons were Onsite for Study. These included the V-1 flying bomb; V-2; Feuerlilie (Fire Lily) F-55 Subsonic Missile; Messerschmitt Me-163B Komet Rocket-Propelled Interceptor; Ruhrstahl X-4 Air-to-Air Wire-controlled S to A Missile; Enzian E-1 3,150-lb S to A Missile; Henschel Hs 298 Anti-Aircraft A to A Missile; Hs-293 A to A Anti-shipping Weapon & Schmetterling & Wasserfall Anti-Aircraft A to A Missiles.
Throughout the 1950s & 60s Westcott undertook the Design & Development of Rocket Motors & was responsible for most of the Rocket Motors used in British Guided Missiles & Research Vehicles. The Design of these whole Missile Systems was undertaken by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at its facilities in Farnborough & Bedford. In 1984 the Rocket Propulsion Establishment came under the Control of the Royal Ordnance Factories & in 1987 Control passed to the Private Sector when British Aerospace took over Royal Ordnance.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 