New campaign for heritage status for Great Western Railway

​A new campaign has been launched to win international heritage status for the railway line through Bath.

Government officials are compiling a fresh list of buildings and places to be put forward to UNESCO as potential World Heritage Sites.

It will replace Britain’s previous Tentative List, which was drawn up in 1999 and which included key stretches of Brunel’s Great Western Railway.

Work by the pressure group Bath Heritage Watchdog has ensured that the historic railway has joined nearly 40 other sites on a new long list drawn up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

It is now keen for people in the city to press the case for the line’s inclusion – but it faces opposition from Network Rail, which is responsible for its upkeep.

DCMS officials are now considering the 38 nominations, which range from Arbroath Abbey in Scotland to the entire city of York, as well as Blackpool and Jodrell Bank.

The whole of Bath has been a World Heritage Site since 1987, with the status – which is also enjoyed by 27 other locations in the UK – meaning major developments can attract international attention.

The department will submit its final list to UNESCO next year.

The nomination for the GWR – which saw its first train in 1838 – suggests seven sections but deliberately steers clear of the track and what is called operational infrastructure.

One of these is in Bath, taking in Twerton Tunnel and Viaduct, Bath Spa Station, St James’s Bridge and Sydney Gardens, while another is at Box, taking in the Middle Hill and Box tunnels.

Bath Heritage Watchdog spokesman Jim Warren said the group had been worried that the line could have been overlooked because it passes through so many local authority areas.

“We decided that we should take this forward.  It’s just something that ought to be done,” he said.

The group’s submission drew heavily on documents used to get the line on the previous list, describing the GWR as “the most complete early main line railway in the world.”

It is now urging people to write to the DCMS in support of the line’s inclusion in the new Tentative List.

An independent expert panel will now be set up to assess each bid.

The Bath Preservation Trust supports the inclusion of the GWR line, partly because it feels the status would reduce the likelihood of overhead cables if it is ever electrified.

Chief executive Caroline Kay said: “I think there is a very good case on a national basis for the line to be on the list.”

Tourism and heritage minister John Penrose, who is visiting Bath on Thursday, said all 38 long list suggestions had “the wow factor.”

“The UK’s heritage is world class and this list represents the unique variety and history present in all corners of this country and our overseas territories.

“We wanted a strong and varied list to eventually put to UNESCO and I’m delighted that so many wonderful, diverse places have been put forward.

“Any list that includes Jodrell Bank, the Forth Bridge, Blackpool and the Turks and Caicos Islands certainly doesn’t lack variety.  But what all 38 sites have in common is a wow factor and a cultural resonance that makes them real contenders to sit alongside The Pyramids and Red Square in this most distinguished of gatherings.”

To join the Bath Heritage Watchdog campaign, go to www.bathheritagewatchdog.org