Fatal Oxfordshire train crash remembered 150 years on

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

From Oxford Mail

The 150th anniversary of a train crash has been marked with a service in Shipton-on-Cherwell.

The service, held on Christmas Eve, commemorated the Hampton Gay train disaster of December 24, 1874.

A train from London which was heading to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Birkenhead was so popular with Christmas travellers that extra carriages were added at Oxford.

As the train gathered speed, one of the carriage wheels disintegrated, just as the train was crossing a bridge over the River Cherwell.

The carriage derailed, causing the train to break apart, with several carriages plunging into the river.

The crash, which occurred between Shipton-on-Cherwell and Hampton Gay, resulted in extensive damage and the highest number of fatalities from a train crash in Great Britain at the time, with 34 people losing their lives.

Contemporary accounts recall villagers from both Shipton-on-Cherwell and Hampton Gay rushing to the scene to assist survivors.

The disaster, which occurred between the two villages, prompted changes in train carriage design and improvements in railway communication systems.

The Christmas Eve service was attended by residents of both communities and led by the Reverends Gareth Miller and Oliver Petter.

Carols were sung and there was a reading giving details of the crash and its effects.

The bells of both churches were tolled 34 times, simultaneously, in memory of those who died.