Bruton railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bruton
National Rail
Bruton - FGW 43180-43124 down train.JPG
LocationBruton, South Somerset
England
Coordinates51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W / 51.11170; -2.44732Coordinates: 51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W / 51.11170; -2.44732
Grid referenceST687347
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeBRU
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1856Opened
Passengers
2015/16Increase 36,950
2016/17Increase 40,660
2017/18Increase 41,364
2018/19Increase 42,798
2019/20Increase 48,818
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Bruton railway station serves a largely rural area in the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated in the small town of Bruton.

The station is on the Bristol to Weymouth line some 32.75 miles (53 km) south of Bath Spa. Trains on the Reading to Taunton line pass through the station but do not normally stop. Services are operated by Great Western Railway (who also manage the station) and South Western Railway.

History[]

Bruton station in 1963

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1856 on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth main line. At that time this was just a single track but a loop was provided at Bruton to allow trains to pass. Stone buildings were erected on both platforms, and a footbridge linked the platforms from 1895. A signal box was provided from 1877 at the west end of the station.[1]

The goods yard, which was on the north side of the line opposite the signal box, was closed on 5 April 1965 and the station was downgraded to an unstaffed halt from 6 October 1969 under the Western Region of British Railways.

Stationmasters[]

  • John George Indermaur 1856[2] - 1862 (formerly station master at Keynsham)
  • William Matthew Mitcham 1863 - 1865 (formerly station master at Maiden Newton, afterwards station master at Frome)
  • William Edward Bock 1865[3] - 1866 (afterwards station master at Maiden Newton)
  • Alfred James 1869[4] - ca. 1871
  • Walter Titball 1874 - 1882[5] (formerly station master at Yeovil)
  • Arthur Percy Dagg 1882[6] - ca. 1895 (formerly station master at Maiden Newton)
  • Thomas William Wood from 1898[7] (formerly station master at Malmesbury)
  • Herbert Edwin Matthews from 1908[8]
  • G.E. Nailor 1925 - 1927 (afterwards station master at Castle Cary)
  • Godfrey Beaconsfield Taylor ca. 1929 ca. 1931
  • G. Bennett from 1947[9] (formerly station master at Hullavington)

W. Wilcox for six years in charge of the goods department at Warminster is reported as being appointed stationmaster in 1888[10] however, Arthur Dagg is still recorded as station master in the GWR Register of Clerks in 1890 and in the 1891 census.

Description[]

The station has two platforms with a modern glass-and-metal waiting shelter on each. A footbridge enables passengers to cross the line. There is no wheelchair access to the far platform (for trains arriving from Bristol and going to Weymouth). The station has a bike rack and help points.

The cutting in which the railway is built is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as one of the best places in England to demonstrate the stratigraphic distinction of ammonites in the and the .[11]

Services[]

A train to Weymouth

Great Western Railway operates eight trains each way on the Bristol to Weymouth line during the week and five on Sundays. It is not a regular service; there are some gaps of up to three hours between trains. To the north services run to and from Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads via Westbury. Most are extended beyond Bristol to and from Gloucester. To the south trains run to Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth.[12]

South Western Railway operates four services per day (one on Saturdays and Sundays) to London Waterloo via Westbury and Salisbury.[13]

A faster and more frequent service to London is available at Castle Cary station from where Great Western Railway operates trains into London Paddington.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Castle Cary   Great Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line 		  Frome
  Great Western Railway
Weymouth Wizard
(Summer Saturdays Only)
(North-bound only) 		 
  South Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line 		 

References[]

  1. ^ Oakley, Mike (2006). Somerset Railway Stations. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1-904537-54-5.
  2. ^ "1835-1860 Clerks". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 33. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 60. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 228. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. ^ "1838-1876 Clerks Vol 3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 401. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  6. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 382. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 126. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.6". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 623. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. ^ "G.W.R. Changes". Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer. England. 26 September 1947. Retrieved 10 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Bruton". Shepton Mallet Journal. England. 4 May 1888. Retrieved 15 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ English Nature citation sheet for the site Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 7 August 2006)
  12. ^ National Rail Timetable (May 2016), Table 123
  13. ^ "South Western Railways Timetable, Table 20A, 15 December 2019 to 16 May 2020" (PDF).

External links[]

Media related to Bruton railway station at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""