| Midford | |
|---|---|
| Station building and platform in 1962 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Midford |
| Area | Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset |
| Grid reference | ST761607 |
| Operations | |
| Pre-grouping | Somerset and Dorset Railway |
| Post-grouping | SR and LMSR Western Region of British Railways |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| 20 July 1874 | Opened |
| 10 June 1963 | Closed to goods traffic |
| 7 March 1966 | Closed to passenger traffic |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
|
Midford railway station was a single-platform station on the Bath extension of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, just to the north of the point where the double-track became a single track. It served the village of Midford. The station was closed with the rest of the line in March 1966 under the Beeching axe, though it had been unstaffed for some years before that.
There was a small goods yard to the north of the station, towards the entrance to the Combe Down Tunnel, which loaded Fuller's earth from Tucking Mill.[1] South of the station, a signal box presided over the double track junction: the railway then ran across the Midford valley on a high viaduct that still exists.
For about four years from 1911 to 1915, Midford had a second railway station, Midford Halt located on the GWR Camerton Branch, which passed under the S&DJR viaduct.
Contents |
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellow Line and station closed |
Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways |
Bath Green Park Line and station closed |
||
After a long period in private hands the site is now part of a surfaced cycleway and footpath — the Two Tunnels Greenway. The platform and remains of the goods shed survive.
The station is now owned by the New Somerset and Dorset Railway and has been cleared prior to rebuilding of the station building etc. Track laying may well take place in the not too distant future once the cycleway has been diverted.[2]
The New Somerset and Dorset Railway[3] formed in early 2009 aims to restore the complete line to mainline operations, so it is possible that Midford will one day see passengers again.
As the initial objectives of the New S&D are focused on the southern end of the line (notably Blandford-Bournemouth), in the short term Midford will be restored as a cafe and information centre, along much the same lines as the existing Shillingstone Station Project.