Long Ashton railway station
Long Ashton | |
|---|---|
 The site of Long Ashton railway station. | |
| General information | |
| Location | Long Ashton, North Somerset England |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Bristol and Exeter Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 14 June 1841 or June 1852 | Opened as Ashton |
| January 1856 | Closed |
| 12 July 1926 | Reopened as Long Ashton Platform |
| 6 October 1941 | Closed |
Long Ashton railway station was a railway station on the
Bristol to Exeter line, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Bristol Temple Meads, serving the village of Long Ashton in North Somerset, England. There were two stations on the site, the first, called "Ashton", opened in either 1841 or 1852 and closed in 1856. The second station, originally known as "Long Ashton Platform" before being renamed as "Long Ashton" in 1929, was operational from 1926 to 1941. The site is now partly under the A370 Long Ashton Bypass, and there are no visible remains of the station. There is local support for the station to be reopened, possibly sited further to the west, and possibly as part of the University of Bristol
's proposed Fenswood Farm development.
First station
The
London Paddington.[1][2][note 1] Quite when the station opened is uncertain – Butt's Directory of Railway Stations states that the station opened with the line in June 1841,[3] but Quick's Railway Passenger Stations states it only opened in June 1852.[4] Both sources agree that the station closed in January 1856,[3][4] however other sources such as Oakley's Somerset Railway Stations contain no reference to Ashton at all.[5] If the earlier date is correct, services would have originally been provided by the Great Western Railway on behalf of the Bristol & Exeter. The Bristol & Exeter took over passenger operations on 1 May 1849.[6]
The line through Ashton remained open after the station closed. In 1871, the Bristol & Exeter opened another station called Ashton, closer to Bristol, this station was later renamed Bedminster.[3] The line had been reconstructed as mixed-gauge by 1 June 1875 to accommodate local traffic. A year later in 1876, the Bristol & Exeter was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway, which took over services. Broad-gauge trains ceased operation on 20 May 1892.[6]
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Temple Meads | Bristol and Exeter Railway (1841 or 1852 – 1856) |
Nailsea and Backwell | ||
Second station
The station was reopened by the
Teign Valley Line in Devon. Again, the exact date of opening is disputed: most sources state 12 July 1926,[5][7][8] but some say 20 September the same year.[9] It was located on the same site as the first station.[2]
The station was a basic halt, and had two 400 × 10 feet (121.9 × 3.0 m) platforms. A
corrugated iron shelter and lamp hut were provided on the westbound platform, and a small booking office was present on the road to the platform. The estimated cost of construction was £1,930.[5]
The station was renamed Long Ashton on 23 September 1929, and closed on 6 October 1941.[5][7] There is now no trace of it left,[5] and the site is now partly under the A370 Long Ashton Bypass causeway.[10]
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedminster | Bristol to Exeter line (1926-27) |
Flax Bourton Line open, station closed. | ||
| Parson Street | Bristol to Exeter line (1927-41) |
| ||
Future
Plans were submitted in 2010 to reopen the station as part of the
Greater Bristol Metro scheme,[14] a rail transport plan approved in July 2012 which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area.[15]
The Bristol to Exeter line through Long Ashton is not currently electrified. The
Notes
- ^ Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to the mile.
References
- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Engineers' Line References: MLN1 Paddington to North Road Junction". Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9780711032361.
- ^ OL 11956311M.
- ^ OCLC 612226077.
- ^ ISBN 1-90453-754-5.
- ^ OCLC 55853736.
- ^ OL 11956311M.
- ISBN 0905466195.
- ISBN 0 7110 0304 1.
- ISBN 978-0-319-22914-9.
- ^ Butcher, Anthony (7 January 2011). "Fenswood Farm". Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "The future of University-owned land at Long Ashton - questions and answers". University of Bristol. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Butcher, Anthony (7 January 2011). "Train station for Long Ashton". Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Bristol Evening Post. 30 June 2011. Archived from the originalon 10 May 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- The Post, Bristol. Northcliffe Media. Archived from the originalon 8 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "Bristol to London line to be electrified". This is Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Weston's rail commuter services could be cut, warns town's MP" (Press release). John Penrose MP. 17 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Benefits of Bristol to London high-speed rail link 'must go beyond just mainline'". This is Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 3 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways. Autumn 2011. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "MP takes drive for better rail services to top". This is Bristol. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
51°25′38″N 2°38′59″W / 51.42716°N 2.64961°W
