Steventon railway station
| Steventon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Location | |
| Place | Steventon |
| Area | District of Vale of White Horse |
| Grid reference | SU472916 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Great Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | GWR |
| Post-grouping |
GWR Western Region of British Railways |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 1 June 1840 | Opened |
| 7 December 1964 | Closed |
| 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 | |
| UK Railways portal | |
Steventon railway station was built when the Great Western Railway extended their main line from Reading to the village of Steventon, opening the line on 1 June 1840.[1] Two months later, on 20 July, it was extended to Faringdon Road,[2] and in December of that year, to Swindon.
Station for Oxford
For four years stagecoaches transported passengers between Steventon and Oxford, until 1844 when a branch was built to the city from Didcot; despite this, mail trains from the West continued to call at Steventon, rather than Didcot, in order to drop off mails for Oxford - this practice did not end until March 1962.[3]
On 7 December 1964 British Railways withdrew passenger services from Steventon and all other intermediate stations between Didcot and Swindon.[3] The station was demolished soon after closure and there is now no evidence remaining.
Headquarters of the GWR
Steventon was briefly the headquarters of the GWR: in October 1841, the Board decided to merge the previously-separate London and Bristol committees. Steventon was chosen as a suitable new location because it was close to the half-way point of the line (56 miles 22 chains from the old station at Paddington, 61 miles 71 chains from the old station at Bristol[4]). After a delay of several months, during which the accommodation was made ready, the weekly board meetings were held at Steventon from 21 July 1842 until 5 January 1843, when the permanent headquarters was established at Paddington.[5]
Route
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Didcot Line and station open |
British Rail Western Region Great Western Main Line |
Wantage Road Line open, station closed | ||
Notes
- ↑ MacDermot Vol. I Part I, p.102
- ↑ MacDermot Vol. I Part I, p.103
- 1 2 Gardner, p.43
- ↑ MacDermot Vol. I Part II, p.857
- ↑ MacDermot Vol. I Part I, pp.160-1
References
- Gardner, Jack (1996). Brunel's Didcot - Great Western Railway to Great Western Society. Cheltenham: Runpast. ISBN 1-870754-41-7.
- MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway 1 (1st ed.). Paddington: Great Western Railway.
Coordinates: 51°37′17″N 1°19′08″W / 51.6215°N 1.3188°W