Corsham railway station

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Corsham
Corsham station engine house spring 2007 Ben Croft.jpg
Site of former station in 2007
LocationCorsham, County of Wiltshire
England
Coordinates51°25′31″N 2°11′21″W / 51.42535°N 2.18924°W / 51.42535; -2.18924Coordinates: 51°25′31″N 2°11′21″W / 51.42535°N 2.18924°W / 51.42535; -2.18924
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
June 1841Opened
4 January 1965Closed

Corsham railway station served the town of Corsham in Wiltshire, England, between 1841 and 1965.

History[]

The station was on the Great Western Railway main line from London to Bristol and was opened when the Chippenham to Bath section opened in June 1841.

The station was situated in a cutting to the south of the town, with the main station building at the top of the cutting on the town side. There were small shelters with canopies on each of the two platforms. Passengers accessed the up platform using a path, and the down platform from the footbridge. The Station Hotel was situated alongside the main station building.

Corsham had extensive and much-used sidings on both sides of the track to the west of the station, with a goods shed and a loading dock. The main goods traffic was stone from the quarries under Box Hill, which was brought to the lineside by a tramway system of 2 ft 5+1⁄2 in (750 mm) gauge. The sidings led right up to the mouth of Box Tunnel, whose eastern portal is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the station. A main line siding also extended to an underground wharf in Corsham Down Quarry near the tunnel.[1]

Passenger services were withdrawn from Corsham with the end of stopping services between Swindon and Bath in January 1965. Goods traffic had ended in June 1963, though the siding with the loading dock remained in place until 1978. Of the station structures, only the goods shed now remains; the footbridge is still in place as part of a footpath across the main line.[2]

Stationmasters[]

On 4 May 1926 the Superintendent for the Bristol Division reported to G.W.R. H.Q at Paddington that the station master at Corsham had withdrawn his labour in support of the General Strike. At the conclusion of the strike, he was moved to Bristol as a booking clerk.[3]

  • Charles Lanham 1859[4] – 1897[5]
  • William Tavinor 1897[6] – 1898[7] (afterwards station master at Chepstow)
  • John Toy 1898 – ca. 1915 (formerly station master at Chepstow)
  • Thomas Morgan 1915 – 1926 (joined the General Strike and was demoted)[3]
  • Bruce Conrad Saxon 1926 – 1935[8] (afterwards station master at Highbridge)
  • William C. William 1935 – 1939[9]
  • Cyril Boundy 1941 - 1951[10] (afterwards station master at Barnstaple)
  • D.R. Widdows 1951 – 1956[11] (afterwards station master at Melksham)
  • R.M. Ludgate from 1956[12]

Reopening[]

As the town has grown, reinstating the station has been suggested since at least 2009.[13] In March 2021, a bid was made to the Department for Transport's "Restoring Your Railway" fund for a feasibility study into re-opening the station.[14] In October 2021 it was announced that £50,000 would be provided for further studies.[15][16] Local MP Michelle Donelan, who had been involved in the bid, said she hoped the new station could be built within five years.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ Brooks, A.T.; Pearce, A.E.McR.; Perkins, J.W. (1979). Bath Stone, a quarry history. ISBN 0-906230-26-8.[page needed]
  2. ^ Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. pp. 44–46. ISBN 1904349331.
  3. ^ a b Rumsey, Michael (1 March 2019). "Did you know?". Corsham Spotlight. 16 (1): 9. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  4. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 47. 1835. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Presentation to Mr. C. Lanham". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 6 March 1897. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Corsham. The New Stationmaster". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 13 March 1897. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "1835–1910 Clerks Vol.6". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 47. 1835. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Presentation to Corsham Stationmaster". Western Daily Press. England. 23 December 1935. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "New Stationmaster". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 26 July 1947. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Corsham Stationmaster Leaving". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 20 October 1951. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "New Stationmaster". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 21 July 1956. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Chippenham Mans Appointment". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 1 September 1956. Retrieved 27 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Support for railway station plan". BBC News: England. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  14. ^ McLaughlin, Matthew (11 March 2021). "Fresh bids submitted for funding to create two new stations". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Restoring your railway: successful bids". GOV.UK. Department for Transport. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  16. ^ a b Baker, John (27 October 2021). "MP welcomes £50,000 grant towards station". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Chippenham
Line open, station open 		  Great Western Railway
Great Western Main Line 		  Box (Mill Lane) Halt
Line open, station closed

External links[]

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