Great Somerford Halt was a station on the Malmesbury Branch Line of the Great Western Railway in Wiltshire, England. It was open from 1877 to 1933 for passengers, and 1879 to 1922 for goods.
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Great Somerford Halt | |
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General information | |
Location | Great Somerford, Wiltshire England |
Coordinates | 51.5482°N 2.0512°W / 51.5482; -2.0512 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Malmesbury Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Key dates | |
17 December 1877 (1877-12-17) | Opened as Somerford |
1 January 1903 | Renamed Great Somerford |
22 May 1922 | Renamed Great Somerford Halt |
17 July 1933 (1933-07-17) | Closed |
The station, at first named Somerford, was opened in December 1877 as part of the Malmesbury branch which left the Great Western Main Line at Dauntsey, 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) to the southeast. The station was on the road to Little Somerford and separated from the northern edge of Great Somerford village by the River Avon. A small goods yard and siding were in use from January 1879.[1]
The name of the station was changed to Great Somerford in 1903 when the GWR opened a more direct route to South Wales, the South Wales Main Line which left the earlier main line at Royal Wootton Bassett and passed half a mile (900 metres) to the north near Little Somerford, where a new station was built. The reduction in traffic led to changes in 1922 at Great Somerford: the goods yard closed and staff were withdrawn from the station, which was now named Great Somerford Halt.[1]
In 1933, Little Somerford station was linked to the Malmesbury branch and became the junction station. The line south to Dauntsey, along with Great Somerford Halt, was closed on 17 July 1933,[2] as usage of the halt had declined to an average of one passenger per two trains.[3] The track as far south as Great Somerford was retained until 1959 and used for storage of rolling stock;[1] the track further south had been lifted by 1949.[4]
The site of the station and goods yard is now occupied by a sewage works.[1] The station master's house, next to the road, survives.[5]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
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Malmesbury | Great Western Railway Malmesbury Branch |
Dauntsey |