M&SWJR 2: Wanders around Cirencester Watermoor

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

the concrete bridge is from Beeches estate into ciren as you said. Caroline

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

A very interesting and enjoyable exploration. You managed to trace the line of the M&SWJ Railway and some the embankments - including the one I walked some years ago, south from the former bridge over that very narrow lane to the north of Watermoor - and if I remember correctly, when the other side of the bridge was still extant. Sadly, it's now gone and remaining buttress looks in a very sorry state. The former canal building was a real find and must be one of the sole remains in Cirencester. Thank you.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Malcolm. Glad you enjoyed the tour here. There is much of interest in this part of Cirencester. I don't think that buttress will be standing for much longer, sadly. I must admit I was very surprised to have found that T&S Building - I did not know it was there. There are very few photos of anything to do with the Cirencester Arm of the T&S Canal. Take care, Paul

[@TedCarolCollins]

I remember in the 1960's attending BBC radios Gardeners' Question Time at the agricultural college near Cirencester and my Granny Collins spent her last years at Paternoster House care home in Watermoor Road.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Ah, yes, I think the college is now called RAU (Agricultural University) - a couple of members of the Royal Family attended it, I think. I think I walked past Paternoster House - one of a few rather splendid buildings in Watermoor. Take care, Paul

[@PhilipOlsen11]

Hi Paul. That was great. Such a good find with that beautiful old rounded building from the canal. Nice that you got to speak to the owner 👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Phil. Glad you enjoyed it. yes, the owner had lived there for a while and he remembers it all detailed in the building's deeds. Cheers, Paul

[@dianarolph1770]

I have been to Cirencester( my mum always called it Siscester but I’ve mentioned this before!) Yes quite a bit of traffic now& could do with a station! We never explored the Watermoor area sticking to the touristy areas! So I enjoyed your tour and pointing out the features I would never have noticed! Please be careful in this terrible weather- we have had the worst of it near here with more yellow’ warnings on their way today. Glad you got home o.k. Just to say saw a programme on tv( not sure if you have a tv) called ‘ Abandoned Railways’ - showed the Somerset and Dorset Railway- a lot of mostly drone footage- very interesting- think there may have been a series before! Thanks Paul!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Diana! Yes, this current heavy rain spell is playing havoc with my filming schedule. Light rain is OK, but I can't film in downpours. There was another very heavy downpour after my Geo Park Way walk, and another after doing my monthly vlog yesterday. There seems to be a new pattern of dry mornings, and torrential rain in the afternoons, which means very early starts to get filming and photography done before the rains arrive. I am keeping a keen eye on the detailed forecast. Hopefully, it will be drier this weekend as I have a couple of things planned to film, which can't be changed time and date wise, as they are events. Thanks again, Paul PS I haven't had chance to catch up with that series yet - I get very little time to watch any TV. At least with radio, I can listen (to some extent) when editing. It sounds interesting. PPS - pronunciations! ah, yes, they are the bane of a travelling KZbinrs life - it is really hard to always get them 100% accurate as the knowledge of how a certain place is pronunced often remains hyper local information. Some people in Gloucestershire do pronounce it as 'Sis-cester' others 'Siren' - the latter I really don't like.

[@mrzathrus]

Great video, nice to see some of my old haunts from back in the day. Our garden backed onto the old MSWJR line, so growing up I got to explore a great deal around the area, sadly a lot of it has now disappeared due to modern building including the station and works at Watermoor.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Yes, such a shame that much has now dissapeared but I was glad to find and see what I was able to. Cheers, Paul

[@DarylW426]

What a wonderful diversity of architecture. Constantly changing and always something different to see. Really nice wander. Thank you Paul.👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Daryl. Yes, a lot of interest in this part of town - from the Romans to the Industrial Revolution and much else besides. Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Paul

[@ParkinsonsWalks]

Well done Paul, beautifully filmed, I was interested to see what you could find of the station area. I struggled when I filmed there. Near the town center prime building land I guess. Take care. Ron

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Ron. Yes, such a shame that there is so little to see of Watermoor Station. I think you are right it is because of prime building land - the irony is - the lack of stations has made Cirencester a less desirable place to live and work due to the highly dense traffic levels. Still, it does remain a very attractive town. Take care, Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

these building were the works.. the new grey building is on the site of the station. Caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

Yes, I suspected that, although when I was driving around that dreadful roundabout, and got stopped in the traffic jam, I did briefly manage to peek through a hording, through my car's window, looking into the middle of the roundabout, and I saw lots of of red bricks, similar to the bridge abutment, at the base of the roundabout, where the road contractors had recently dug.....would have loved to have a better explore.

[@michaelpilling9659]

Hello Paul. Greetings from Poland What a fascinating video. Superb history lesson. Thanks for all the information. Shame there's so little to see of the railway. The brick built bridge abutment was a great find. I don't think it will be standing for much longer

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I was really taken with this part of town - I found it fascinating, both from a railway and a non railway perspective. No, I don't think that bridge abutment will be around for much longer either, sadly. Take care, Paul

[@Peter-MH]

Consistently great content on this channel! 👍 This has become one of the few channels where I watch every video (others being The New Atlas & The Duran - probably only of interest to those with a military background!). Really good work!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Peter - that's very kind. I have got a military background (10 years in the RAF), but I don't personally have an interest in military things. I only really liked it for the technical side of the job (ground radar technician) - I hated anything to do with the social or military (exercise with guns and camouflage) side of it. Glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers, Paul

[@royedwards8713]

Hi Paul enjoyed the video and info👌

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Roy - sorry, been a very busy few days. Hope all is good with you and you have settled back after you holiday. Take care, Paul

[@Somersetmanwalking]

A Great Video again Paul, i am especially loving the split screen work! great watch! best wishes, Darren 👌👍👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Darren! Been a very busy few days. Yes, I like to experiment with different the edit. This time, I changed the aspect ratios in the split screen, something I hadn't done before. Cheers, Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

for more history of the railways in Cirencester their railway circle is good to contact.caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! I was not aware that Cirencester had one.

[@frankhobbs7695]

Very interesting. Used to visit Cirencester when I was a youngster, but now a days the new bypass hardly gives you a glimpse of the town. My son works for Cotswold District Council he loves Cirencester, although he lives in Gloucester due to other commitments

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Frank. I do like Cirencester and I am quite fond of the town - it is a good location for photography. Shame there is no trains here - it really could do with a station - by far too many cars which do detract from the town somewhat. There were some plans to have some form of light railway to Kemble, but I have heard no more about it. Cheers, Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

quite a bit of railway bits and pieces on the msjr and gwr line to banbury too at Andoversford. Caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

I did have a (albeit) brief look when I was doing the Cotswold Way through there a couple of years ago, but I could not see much then, but it was only a fleeting explore. Cheers, Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

Hi Paul. used to visit the station in 1980s as the ground floor was a printers who eventually moved over to the cotswold water park area. This car park was a bus depot for Bristol buses too. Time team did a dig in Watermoor area too. Caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

Oh, I bet that was a fruitful episode of Time Team! It is Roman Central in that part of town. I wonder if that T.T. epi is on YT? Yes, I remember the busses using it for a while. Take care, Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

many are. including standish too. caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@carolinecleaveley-q1r -thank you Caroline. I will have to have a dig into KZbin!

[@faithg9766]

Your videos cover so many subjects, even though it is part of your railway series, you give us such a great feel for the history & social history of the place. Thanks Paul.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Faith - I think it is important to get 'the whole story', as railways aren't just about steam locos, but how they affected the wider community. Having said that, I do have a 'traditional' steam loco video coming up soon! I really enjoyed this part of Cirencester. Thank you Faith. Paul

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

Watermoor used to be one of the poorest areas of Gloucestershire. The st marys church hall used to be our Cirencester show for the 3mm society. caroline

[@westcountrywanderings]

Oh, yes I saw that hall. I would imagine that the local economy would have been devasted when the M&SWJR became run down and closed as other industries in that area would have been reiliant on the railway. Still, it is a really lovely part of Cirencester. Take care, Paul

[@madrafboy]

Very good video. I have explored this line extensively on my bike from Cricklade to Cirencester. I wonder if you found the WW2 tank traps that were installed near Watermoor Station? They are still in situ today.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Yes, I think it is possible that the concrete blocks that I saw through the fence (near the now disused grey storage warehouse) and next to the brick rubble that was once Watermoor Station, could indeed have been the WW2 Tank Traps. Cheers, Paul

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Paul, 100 railway videos, you should be raising your selfie stick to receive the applause!! There is such a lot in Cirencester, Ive never been, if heading north west we would always take the bypass to get to the M5. Lots of interesting non railway remains on this one and as the saying gos its "all grist to the mill", quite literally in this case!! Your right Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum) is in North Hampshire, I admit I really knew nothing of it until Paul Whitewick did a couple of videos there and also Bob from Pastfinder who I expect you are also aware of. I'm not quite sure where you eastern boundary is, its really not far, 7 miles or so, from Oxfordshire. I think you would enjoy it there it is really peaceful. It was good to seeing that railway abutment just appearing out of the grassy embankment. Some great archive photos too, I particularly liked the inside of the foundry. Great video, all the best!!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you David! Been a full on few days - intensive day filming yesterday - the first installment of The Geo Park Way - which I hope will be out tomorrow evening. Wonderful walk and day - apart from the drive back! Intense thunder, lightening, torrential rain and flooded roads. A one and a half hour journey took nearly three. Glad to have got back safe - sadly, I could not say the same for some other unfortunate drivers that became stranded in flood waters, or skidded off the road - it was horrendous! Editing all day today to try and get it out for tomorrow evening. Glad my car had just had new tyres, and a full service and check up & MOT. I think it tested my car to its limit - poor thing! I know nothing about Silchester I'm afraid - I do subscribe to Paul's Channel, but, like many other YT Channels, I simply do not have the free time to watch the videos. I understand that they are very good though. Glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers, Paul

[@davidberlanny3308]

@@westcountrywanderings Just as well you had new tyres, not a fun journey at all by the sounds of things. Get some rest and take your time tomorrow sounds like it will be a good one.

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@davidberlanny3308 Thank you David - it should be published in a couple of hours. To be honest, the drive back wiped me out much more than the walking and filming - having a leisurely day today! Cheers, Paul