GCR’s plans for Mountsorrel Railway

From the Mountsorrel Post, #24, September 2008, pp8-10:

Some readers may not be aware that the village once had its own railway: called the Mountsorrel Railway, it was built to serve the nearby granite quarries.

Local resident Steve Cramp is currently in the process of writing a book about the history of this industrial railway and is also heading up, on behalf of the Great Central Railway (GCR), a project to restore a section of the railway as a working museum of the important part the railway once played in Mountsorrel village life.

On July 8 Steve organised a historical walk along part of the disused railway trackbed. The purpose of the walk was to raise local awareness of the project, to allow local people a chance to learn about the railway’s history and to hear about the recreations that are planned for the rebuilt railway.

“I’m very pleased to be part of this project to restore part of the Mountsorrel Railway” said Steve. “18 months ago when I set out to research and write a book I never dreamt that I would actually end up being part of a volunteer community project to actually recreate Mountsorrel’s history”.

The walk was arranged at the suggestion of the Mountsorrel Heritage Group and was very well attended with over 50 people taking part. The group walked along the trackbed viewing the clearance work that has already been undertaken. Steve would stop at intervals to explain the various archaeology that still remains and also to talk about the recreations that are planned.



“Our recreations are quite ambitious” continued Steve. “I have put together what we term as the schools project”.

The schools project is a plan to involve children from the three local primary schools of Mountsorrel, Quorn and Rothley. “Far too much local history becomes lost as people grow old and are no longer with us” Steve continued. “If we can create an interest with our younger generation it may encourage them to ask more questions about the past and to look beyond the now to realise that Mountsorrel, and indeed the world, was once very different.

“We will go into the schools to explain about the railway and the effect it had on village life, in particular that of the children. We will also tell the children about the annual Sunday School excursions where the children would ride in the railway wagons, to the quarry owner’s house, where they would be entertained for the day. We hope to allow today’s children the chance to recreate a static version of this annual event in Mountsorrel’s history”.

The GCR plans to restore and repaint three historical railway wagons into the livery of the former Mountsorrel Granite company.

“15 competition winners from each school will be invited up to Rothley station where they will be allowed to get hands on with the restoration of the wagons under full supervision. When the wagons are eventually finished the children will be invited back dressed in Edwardian costumes. The wagons will be posed on a section of the rebuilt railway, we hope with the last surviving steam loco from the quarry – Elizabeth. The children will be allowed to sit in the wagons effectively recreating the Sunday School scene from 70-90 years ago. Old style black and white photos of the children will be taken and presented to the schools. We will also invite along any of the surviving children that rode in the original excursions of all those years ago.

“This is one of many recreations that will be possible. The GCR also hopes to run passenger trains on the rebuilt railway. Although passengers never rode on the railway originally, being able to on the rebuilt railway will be an interesting new attraction at the GCR. It also allows passengers to experience the history of the railway first hand” Steve explained.

The project seems to have captured the imagination of the local community with most of the volunteers working on the project living locally. “Most of our volunteers have become involved because of a desire to preserve Mountsorrel’s history. We have people of all ages from children right up to the age of 76 and of both sexes. We really seem to be a project for everyone.”

Restoration work has been swift with most of the trackbed now cleared and in the process of being prepared to receive track. The work is being undertaken entirely by unpaid volunteers in their spare time. If you would like to get involved then please contact Steve Cramp either at steve@mountsorrelrailway.org.uk or in the evenings on 0116 230 1374.

Local historian Noel Wakeling has provided the following details about the Mountsorrel Railway

From the Mountsorrel Post, #24, September 2008, pp10-11:

In the days before television I would sit enthralled and fascinated listening to my dad telling me about the Mountsorrel Granite Company (MGC) quarrying and its operations. A great treat for me was to be taken to see my granddad at work who was a locomotive driver on his Peckett Loco Doris 11. Sometimes he would wave to me as he travelled over the bridge in the main street, next to the 1860 bridge and onward to Barrow on Soar, with his wagons loaded with stone.

Quarrying had taken place in various locations around Mountsorrel: Buddon Wood, Hawcliffe Hill, Nunckley Hill, Cocklow Wood etc. Broadhill became the main number one quarry. The MGC Group also had quarries in south west Leicestershire, namely Stoney Stanton, Enderby, Potters Marsden, Huncote, Little Pit and Clint Hill.

My dad was a time served carpenter and joiner with the company but later moved over to the engineering and maintenance side, visiting these south Leicestershire quarries to sort out various problems from time to time, as well as at Mountsorrel, as part of his job.

It wasn’t until I was in my forties that I started to delve into the activities of the MGC and its history.

The Martin era: owners of Mountsorrel Granite Co for 150 years plus

The Martins had taken over the quarrying under a lease arrangement from landowner the Earl of Lanesborough of Swithland Hall in 1842. It became a limited company in 1875.

Horses and carts were the mode of transport for internal use, and local deliveries, and were also used to take stone in its various forms to the main line station at Sileby or Barrow on Soar.

The canal system was being extensively used, using the company’s own barges and contractors. It was a very time consuming operation. Eventually a railway system was a necessity, both in and out of the quarry itself and being far sighted it was decided on main line track dimension of 4 feet 8.5 inches, standard gauge throughout.

The railway network at one time extended into the old previously worked Buddon Wood quarry with proper manually operated level crossing gates across Wood Lane and a bridge nearby. With offices in Mountsorrel, Welford Place Leicester, and Caxton Place in London, stone in all its capacities was being sold throughout the UK.

Not only was the stone known for its hardness but one of its most saleable attributes was its pink colour and it became known nationally both for roads, building and monumental work (i.e. gravestones and war memorials). It became obvious that a more expedient method was required to get the stone to the Midland Counties Railway. Many hours of discussion took place between the main interested parties, namely the MGC, the Earl of Lanesborough and John Ellis, Chairman of the Midland Counties Railway. In 1858 an Act of Parliament was applied for, and passed, for a branch line as an extension to the Midland Counties Railway. The main sponsor was the fifth Earl of Lanesborough. The Act stated that the new railway line over the Soar valley will be known as the Mountsorrel Railway and that it will be beneficial to the inhabitants of Mountsorrel, surrounding villages and granite quarries. The railway will terminate at Mountsorrel north end. The drawings for the said branch line, with all its bridges and ducts, were deposited with the Clerk of the Peace for the County of Leicester at 12 noon on 30 November 1858.

With the Act of Parliament passed, and all necessary arrangements in hand, construction started and was given a four year period to complete. The engineer in charge was John Addison. The junction on the main line at Barrow on Soar was 21.5 miles from Derby and 29 miles from Rugby.

The Mountsorrel Railway

The red brick single arch bridge, with the date in blue brick built into either side and known to locals as the 1860, was constructed with a 40 foot span and 16 foot to the centre of the arch over the canal. It is reputed to be the longest single span brick bridge in England. At the same time the construction of a raised embankment was taking place across the Soar valley with periodic culverts to allow flood water to flow through.

By 1861 the new railway line was up and running and carrying in excess of 200,000 tonnes of stone per annum. Canal borne loads were severely curtailed although they did continue for a while.

Many people think that the Mountsorrel Railway was owned by the Mountsorrel Granite Company but this was not so. It was leased on a quarterly basis from the Earl of Lanesborough who had financed the project and was responsible for its upkeep. Periodic inspections by engineers form the Midland Railway would take place.

1896, some 35 years later, saw the building of Swithland Reservoir and the Great Central Railway through Leicestershire, spanning the reservoir on a blue brick viaduct. At the same time as the Central track was being laid, the necessary connection for the forthcoming rail link to Mountsorrel was put in place.

The MGC, now a limited company, with an extension to the previous Act and under the same arrangements, constructed the railway link out to Swithland sidings, giving a complete link from the Midland main line at Barrow on Soar to the Great Central, a distance of 3.5 to 4 miles.

In 1959 the Mountsorrel Granite Company Ltd was floated on the stock market and was acquired in its entirety by Messrs Redland Aggregates Ltd. It was about this time that the rail network ceased.

The locomotives that had played such an important part in the history of the company, with names like The Baron, Doris, Robbie, Willie, Kate, Gerald, Lady Winifred, The Countess, Violet, Kathleen and Elizabeth were to be scrapped, or had been along with the track and rolling stock. Elizabeth however managed to be saved and ended up in Rutland Railway Museum. It has now been bought and is in private hands for restoration.