Your Cotswold questions answered

Above: One of the Woolworth elephants

Send your Cotswold queries, or further answers to any of those featured this month, to Kate Davis, Cotswold Life, Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, GL50 1BB or email: kate.davis@archant.co.uk

Please include a full address and daytime telephone number, maximum 150 words.

What triggered the Battle of Mickleton Tunnel?
Simon Barrington, Cirencester

Believed to have been the last conflict fought by private armies on British soil, the Battle of Mickleton Tunnel was triggered by a financial dispute over payment terms within a railway engineering contract.

In 1846, contractor Robert Mudge-Marchant was commissioned by engineer Brunel (who, coincidentally, was also his second cousin) to construct a section of track for the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway. Although slow and intermittent at first, progress was made until the workers reached the Mickleton Tunnel, a key section of the project in 1851.

Marchant asserted that he was owed £34,000 and refused to continue until this money had been paid. With the project’s future under threat and having received instructions from his client, Brunel attempted to employ Peto and Betts – the contractors hired to engineer the rest of the line – to complete the tunnel and link the two sections of track together.

However, Marchant, who had already invested heavily in the endeavour, refused to be sidelined and several skirmishes ensued. He enlisted the help of the local magistrates and armed police, stating that a major fight would be inevitable unless they were there to read the Riot Act.

Brunel and his men withdrew and waited for the authorities to leave. They spent the next 24 hours arranging for Peto and Betts navvies to converge on the tunnel from both directions. The first group arrived from Evesham at 3am and were apparently met by a pistol-wielding Marchant who threatened to shoot anyone who tried to pass him.

Once they had received the go-ahead from Brunel, the navvies engaged in fist-to-fist fighting, having been forbidden to use any weapons or tools. Brunel was hoping to overwhelm Marchant through a show of strength but once again the police were summoned and they witnessed several more clashes. Although reports suggest that one man had his little finger bitten off and another man’s head was nearly severed, remarkably nobody was killed during the confrontation.

Eventually, after approximately 2,000 navvies had converged on the tunnel, Marchant surrendered and both he and Brunel agreed that the dispute should be referred to Stephenson & Cubitt, the reputable railway contractors. Blame was largely laid on Marchant although he vehemently denied ever raising a pistol, and Brunel’s involvement seems to have largely been swept under the carpet so as not to damage his own reputation or that of the company’s shareholders.

The tunnel was subsequently finished the following year.

What is the significance of the series of elephant mosaics on the external wall of Woolworths in Cheltenham?
Lucy Jameson, Churchdown

The mosaics are a homage to the day in 1934 when two elephants went on a mini rampage in Cheltenham’s Albion Street.

The animals – alongside polar bears, ‘comedy’ bears, lions, tigers and boxing kangaroos – were appearing in Chapman’s London Zoo Circus which was in town for one weekend only, performing on Carter’s Playing Field in Prestbury. As a publicity stunt to encourage ticket sales, two keepers decided to march three elephants through the centre of Cheltenham. Although this sight alone must have seemed quite a spectacle for the local residents, the day became even more memorable when two of the elephants made a beeline for the bags of dog biscuits and potato seeds on sale in Bloodworth & Sons.
 
Whilst one squeezed into the shop hastily followed by a keeper, the second became wedged in the doorway, thwarting a prompt rescue mission. Thankfully after a few minutes of tail-pulling the trapped elephant was encouraged into reverse and the second subsequently evicted from the shop with a mouthful of treats. Although slightly shaken by the experience, the shopkeeper and his assistant were relieved to find that little damage has been done and enjoyed telling the amusing anecdote to their friends.

The escapade was reported in the Gloucestershire Echo on March 26, 1934, and later immortalised in Turton & Robertson’s ‘Elephant Mural’. Consisting of five mosaic panels depicting the incident, these were subsequently added to the external wall of Woolworth’s in Grosvenor Place South in 1993.

Although only nine or 10 years old at the time, I seem to recall a local athlete triumphing in the 1968 Olympics. Do you know who this might have been?
Jim Dodge, Burford

I believe you are referring to David Hemery, who won gold in the 400m hurdles in the 1968 Mexico Olympics – at the same time breaking the world-record with his time of 48.12 seconds. This feat was all the more remarkable considering the games were held at 7000 metres above sea level where the air was much thinner. He was the only Britain to attain a gold medal.

Hemery was born in Cirencester on Tuesday, July 18, 1944, but at the age of 12 he moved with his family to America where his father had work commitments. Deciding to compete for his country of birth rather than his adopted home, his first victory came in the 120yd hurdles at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Despite winning further gold medals in the 1969 European Games & 1970 Commonwealth Games (in the renamed 110m hurdles), it was his Olympic success in the tougher 400m discipline for which he has received the most recognition.

He was voted BBC Personality of the Year in 1968 and received an MBE from the Queen in 1969. This was later upgraded to a CBE after his election in 1998 as the president of UK Athletics.