A day of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the closure of the Tetbury branch railway. The last train ran on 4 April 1964.
During the day there will be a free exhibition, followed at 7.30pm by an evening of music and drama. This will feature a performance of Tetbury musician and composer Richard George’s ‘Train Stories’ and dramatic re-enactments of events.
In conjunction with our closure commemoration, the Swindon & Cricklade Railway heritage line are holding a separate exhibition and train rides on the following weekend, Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 April (see details below).
‘End of the Line’ Evening
An evening of music and drama featuring a performance of Richard George’s ‘Train Stories’ and a series of dramatic sketches depicting a history of the branch line.
Richard George is a Tetbury-based pianist, composer and producer. He studied piano at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. After a hugely successful career in music education, Richard now writes and produces music in a variety of styles, from pop to classical.
His latest release, ‘5 Moments of Calm’ is now available on Spotify.com (Spotify profile name: RHIC). My Bed (release date: 8 March) is dedicated to those whose lives have been ravaged by the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Born in a Station House, Richard spent his early years as a ‘railway child’, his father working as a railwayman for 29 years until his eventual redundancy (a direct result of the Beeching cuts) in the late 1960s.
With such direct connections to the railway world, Richard has composed a collection of piano pieces which are inspired by railway culture, history, humour and emotion. The sheer energy and rhythmic impetus of the subject matter drives through in his album, Train Stories (also available to listen to on Spotify.com).
Advance tickets for the evening are £10 for adults, £8 for those under 25-years-old. Click here to book. Please note: on the door on the night tickets will cost £13 and £11 respectively.
Swindon & Cricklade Railway
Our closure commemoration event is being held in conjunction with the Swindon & Cricklade Railway (S&CR), a heritage railway which is based in Blunsdon, Swindon.
The S&CR will be holding an exhibition on Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 April and giving rides on AC Railbus W79978 that they are currently restoring. This is the last remaining AC Railbus and is the very one that ran the last passenger service on the Tetbury Branch Line on 4th April 1964.