Midford railway station served the village of

Midford Midford is a village approximately south-south-east of Bath, Somerset, England. Although relatively small, it extends over 2 counties (Wiltshire and Somerset), is part of two unitary authorities (Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset) and ...

, in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England. It comprised one platform on the

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

extension of the

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR, also known as the S&D, S&DR or SDJR), was an English railway line Joint railway, jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) that grew to connect Bat ...

(S&DJR), just to the north of the point where the double track became single tracked.

History

The station was opened in 1874. There was a small goods yard to the north of the station, towards the entrance to the

Combe Down Tunnel Combe Down Tunnel is on the now-closed Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway main line, between Midford and Bath Green Park railway station, below high ground and the southern suburbs of Bath, England, emerging below the southern slopes of Combe ...

, which loaded

Fuller's earth Fuller's earth is a term for various clays used as an absorbent, filter, or bleaching agent. Products labeled fuller's earth typically consist of palygorskite (also known as attapulgite) or bentonite. Primary modern uses include as absorbents ...

from

Tucking Mill Tucking Mill is a small hamlet within the parish of Monkton Combe, Somerset, England. It lies on Midford Brook and was a key point on the now disused Somerset Coal Canal. It is at the southern end of the Two Tunnels Greenway which follows th ...

. South of the station, a signal box presided over the double track junction; the railway then ran across the Midford Valley on the extant high viaduct. The station was closed with the rest of the line in March 1966 under the

Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...

, although it had been unstaffed for some years. For about four years from 1911 to 1915, Midford had a second railway station, Midford Halt; it was located on the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

's Camerton branch, which passed under the S&DJR viaduct.

The site today

After a long period in private hands, the site is now part of

Two Tunnels Greenway The Two Tunnels Greenway is a shared use path for walking and cycling in Bath, Somerset, England. The route links National Cycle Route 24 south of Bath with National Cycle Route 4 in the town centre, and is designated as National Cycle Route 24 ...

, a surfaced cycleway and footpath. The platform and remains of the goods shed survive. The station is now owned by the New Somerset and Dorset Railway, which has plans to rebuild the station building and relay the track, once the cycleway will be diverted or accommodated. The site has been cleared to uncover the remains of the old station.

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway formed in early 2009 aims to restore the whole line to main line operations. As the initial objectives of the New S&DR are focused on the southern end of the line, notably Blandford-Bournemouth, Midford will be restored as a cafe and information centre in the short term, in much the same way the

North Dorset Railway North Dorset Railway (previously known as the Shillingstone Station Project, the North Dorset Railway Trust and the Shillingstone Railway Project) is a heritage railway based at Shillingstone railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Jo ...

(previously the Shillingstone Station Project) is undertaking at Shillingstone railway station.

References

Citations

Sources

* Oakley, Mike, ''Somerset Railway Stations'', Dovecote Press, 2002

External links

Station on navigable O.S. map

Midford station, New Somerset & Dorset Railway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midford Railway Station Disused railway stations in Bath & North East Somerset Former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1874 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1966 Beeching closures in England Combe Down