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Colwall Tunnels

1861 establishments in EnglandBuildings and structures in WorcestershireRailway tunnels in EnglandTunnels completed in 1861Tunnels completed in 1926
Tunnels in HerefordshireTunnels in WorcestershireUse British English from February 2018
Railway emerging from the Malvern Hills Tunnel geograph.org.uk 773350
Railway emerging from the Malvern Hills Tunnel geograph.org.uk 773350

The Colwall Tunnels are a pair of railway tunnels that connect Colwall and Malvern Wells on the Cotswold Line, passing under the Malvern Hills in the Welsh Marches region of England. The original route planned for the Worcester and Hereford Railway did not include the first tunnel, but its inclusion became necessary in response to pressure for the line to serve the towns of Malvern and Ledbury. The first Colwall Tunnel was one of the railway's greatest engineering challenges, after several years of work, it was opened to traffic on 17 September 1861. Its limited cross-section and single track configuration were often felt to be inadequate, contributing to pressure for a second tunnel to be constructed. A partial collapse of the first tunnel during 1907, temporarily blocking the railway, was another contributing factor.During the 1920s, work on the construction of a second tunnel commenced. Once this newer, wider bore was completed and brought into service on 2 August 1926, the original Colwall Tunnel was permanently closed that same day. It was used during the Second World War for storing munitions, being furnished with a concrete floor and a narrow-gauge railway. Only the newer bore remains in use as of the present day. It has been proposed to reopen the older bore as a cycle route.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Colwall Tunnels (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Colwall Tunnels
Broadwood Drive,

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N 52.08391 ° E -2.350527 °
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Broadwood Drive

Broadwood Drive
WR13 6QQ
England, United Kingdom
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Railway emerging from the Malvern Hills Tunnel geograph.org.uk 773350
Railway emerging from the Malvern Hills Tunnel geograph.org.uk 773350
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Colwall Park Racecourse
Colwall Park Racecourse

Colwall Park Racecourse was a British horse racing venue which operated from 1900 to 1939. It was known as one of England’s prettiest racecourses.The course was designed by journalist and National Hunt fan, Frederick Page, as a left-handed, mainly flat steeplechase course of one and a half miles. It had eight fences, including two ditches and a water jump. There was also a one-mile hurdle course. There was a slight rise on the far side of the course and a run-in of 400 yards.The course was situated at Brook Farm on the Barton Court Estate, near to the village railway station and was established by Roland Cave-Brown-Cave, a local man who had married the widowed daughter of the estate's owners. He built the nearby hotel, which still exists. The first meeting was held on Thursday 10 May 1900. Meetings were held annually, with the main races being the Herefordshire Open Hunters Steeplechase and Colwall Stewards Hurdle. Cave-Brown-Cave was reputedly not very good in business, and by 1915 the course was in financial trouble. As a result, the estate, including the racecourse, was auctioned off and bought by J. Scott Bowden. Racing continued throughout the First World War, with four meetings a year on Mondays in March, April, May and October. In the 1920s, the course continued to hold minor jump meetings and by the 1930s, it sold annual memberships and two Tote buildings had been built. The course proved popular with day trippers from South Wales, and hosted famous horses including the future Grand National winner Tipperary Tim who won his first race there, and African Sister, who would win the Champion Hurdle. The course also welcomed top riders like Ernie Piggott and Geoffrey Scudamore of the famous racing family.During the Second World War, Bowden sold the land, under threat of compulsory purchase, to military contractors Dowsett McKay. It became a military vehicle park for the duration of the war and afterwards the new owners chose not to continue racing. The final meeting at the course was therefore the one held on Thursday 25 May 1939. This was not the end of all racing at the course, however. Pony racing took place for five days in 1949 and the North Ledbury Hunt held point-to-point meetings there between 1960 and 1963.Nowadays, the area where the racecourse was is arable farmland and there is little visual trace of its existence, except for the concrete base of one of the stands and a short stretch of running rail. One of the Tote buildings is now a lunchroom on a local estate.

Wyche, Worcestershire
Wyche, Worcestershire

Wyche ( WITCH), often referred to locally as The Wyche, is a village and a suburb of the town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England, and part of the civil parish of Malvern Wells. It is situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Great Malvern, the town's centre, on the B4218 road that runs from Malvern to Colwall. The western boundary of the village is marked by The Wyche Cutting, a pass through the Malvern Hills that was once part of an Iron Age salt route, hence the name "Wyche" — several places in England associated with salt have this (or similar) in their name. As the crest of the Malvern Hills (running north to south) defines this part of the border between the two counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, The Wyche Cutting itself forms a narrow pass through the hills between the counties. From the 1920s until the 1960s, this road (passing through The Wyche Cutting and Colwall) was the A4105, before being re-classified as the B4218. The Wyche village comprises the two informal areas of Upper Wyche and Lower Wyche, mainly comprising residential properties. The Wyche Inn is a public house situated in Upper Wyche and is the county's highest pub, with views to the east overlooking the Severn valley. Old Wyche Road is one of the country's steepest streets, with an incline as great as 17.54° at Upper Wyche.Just on the Herefordshire side of the Cutting (in Upper Colwall) is the location of the Wyche Innovation Centre, that was the former Skot Transformers building. This is also the home of the Malvern Hills Geocentre, a visitor centre based entirely on iPads with an attached cafe. Also in Upper Colwall is the Wyche Free Church.The nearest railway stations are Great Malvern (for the lower end) and Colwall (for the upper end); both are on the same line. The Wyche CE Primary School is located in Lower Wyche.