The Erlestoke Manor Fund
The Erlestoke Manor Fund
The Erlestoke Manor Fund
Bradley Manor is a Great Western Railway 7800 “Manor” class 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive, designed by Charles Collett and built at Swindon Works in 1938.
Owned by the Erlestoke Manor Fund, 7802 is one of the best-known members of the Fund’s collection and has a long and distinguished association with the Severn Valley Railway.
7802 was completed at Swindon in January 1938 and named after Bradley Manor near Newton Abbot in Devon. Initially allocated to Old Oak Common, it soon moved to Bristol, where it worked cross-country passenger and freight services across Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset and South Wales.
After the Second World War, the locomotive became closely associated with former Cambrian Railway territory and was a familiar performer on services including the well-known Cambrian Coast Express.
In its final years in British Railways service, 7802 worked from Shrewsbury alongside sister engine 7812 Erlestoke Manor. Both locomotives were withdrawn in November 1965.
After withdrawal, 7802 went to Woodham Brothers’ scrapyard at Barry in South Wales. When the Erlestoke Manor Fund purchased 7812 in 1973, 7802 had already been identified as another locomotive of real promise.
The Fund acquired 7802 in 1979. Although it was initially intended to provide spare parts and an interchangeable boiler for 7812, support grew for a full restoration in its own right.
That decision proved to be an inspired one. Restoration work began in the 1980s, supported by fundraising, volunteer effort and growing confidence that Bradley Manor could return to steam as a working locomotive once again.
Restoration was completed in the early 1990s, and 7802 entered service in preservation in 1994. It quickly established itself as a hard-working and popular locomotive, giving many years of service on the Severn Valley Railway and appearing on the national network on a number of special workings.
Following withdrawal for overhaul in 2000, the locomotive returned to service in 2002 and continued to build an impressive preservation record. It also appeared in the film The Chronicles of Narnia and later operated with RETB equipment for Cambrian main line work.
By 2009, Bradley Manor had passed 100,000 miles in preservation, underlining just how significant its contribution had become.
After further years of service, 7802 was withdrawn again for overhaul. More recently, following a mechanical failure while away from home, the locomotive underwent a major repair programme including the fitting of new cylinder blocks and associated mechanical work.
This substantial effort involved support from Tyseley Locomotive Works and the Severn Valley Railway workshops, alongside the determination of the Erlestoke Manor Fund and its supporters.
The locomotive returned to steam in 2025, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the preservation life of Bradley Manor.
In preservation, 7802 has run with several different tenders. The Erlestoke Manor Fund has been progressing work towards a more appropriate 3,500-gallon Churchward pattern tender using recovered original components together with newly manufactured parts.
That work forms part of the Fund’s long-term commitment not only to keeping the locomotive operational, but also to presenting it in a form that reflects its Great Western heritage as closely as practical.
Built: 1938
Builder: GWR Swindon Works
Designer: Charles Collett
Class: GWR 7800 Manor Class
Wheel arrangement: 4-6-0
Power classification: GWR D / BR 5MT
Route availability: GWR Blue
Length: 61 ft 9¼ in
Weight: 68 tons 18 cwt
Boiler pressure: 225 psi
Tractive effort: 27,340 lbf
7802 in BR service at Crewe in 1962
7802 in preservation
Bradley Manor featured on the Railwayman’s Arms sign at Bridgnorth
Historical information on this page has been compiled using material from the SVR Wiki, the volunteer-maintained knowledge base documenting the history and operations of the Severn Valley Railway.