Devizes Branch Line

Devizes Branch

Legend
Holt Junction
for Wessex Main Line
Semington Halt
 Seend
 Bromham and Rowde Halt
 Devizes
 Pans Lane Halt
Reading to Taunton line
 Pewsey

The Devizes Branch Line was a railway line from Holt Junction, Wiltshire to Patney and Chirton, Wiltshire, and named after Devizes, the largest town on the line. It was built by the Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, and was later purchased by the Great Western Railway. At one point the Devizes line provided a direct link from London to the West Country.

History

The idea of having a railway line going through Devizes was first conceived in 1830 before the Great Western Railway (GWR) had begun to construct its main lines. Devizes was regularly considered by the GWR as a major stop on its London to Bristol Line but lost out to Swindon due to lack of potential traffic from Devizes.

Although included in several plans for railway lines—including the Thingley Junction to Westbury line, and the Starvarton and Bathampton line—the financial backing required was not available. Also, because Devizes is so high above sea level, construction would have been impractical and expensive, so Devizes was left without a station. In 1846 it was decided that the Devizes line would run from Holt Junction to Devizes, and in 1854 work finally began on the branch. It was completed in 1857 by the Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, an independent company, albeit heavily backed by the Great Western Railway. The Devizes Branch Line opened in 1857, 21 years after its initial conception.

The GWR later extended its Reading-Hungerford line via Pewsey in 1862 to meet at Devizes, creating a direct link from London to Bristol which was quicker than any other line. This was the busiest period for the Devizes line, but it returned to being a branch line in 1900 when the Patney and Chirton-Westbury link was built to reduce journey time by avoiding the steep inclines into Devizes.

Closure

The Devizes Branch line and all of its stations closed in 1966 under British Rail's modernisation plans. The closure of the line can be accounted for by the awkward geography of the Devizes line, and the declining amounts of traffic due to alternative railway lines and the increasing popularity of modern transport.

Apart from a few remaining bridges and tunnels, there is little evidence of the railway on the landscape, and after the closure of the line all stations and halts were demolished in 1970.

See also

References