Bridgwater North railway station explained

Bridgwater North
Status:Disused
Borough:Bridgwater, Sedgemoor
Country:England
Coordinates:51.1326°N -2.9959°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Bridgwater Railway
Pregroup:Bridgwater Railway
Postgroup:Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Events:Opened as Bridgwater
Years1:26 September 1949
Events1:Renamed Bridgwater North
Events2:Closed for passengers
Years3:7 July 1962
Events3:closed for goods

Bridgwater North railway station was the terminus of the Bridgwater Railway, which ran from a junction with the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Edington, between 1890 and 1954. Although often regarded as part of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, and effectively worked as part of that system, the Bridgwater Railway remained nominally independent until the railway Grouping of 1923 when it was vested in the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway group.[1] [2]

The Station

Originally named Bridgwater, the station was opened on 21 July 1890. It was renamed Bridgwater North in 1949 when it came under British Railways ownership, to avoid confusion with the larger former Great Western Railway (GWR) station in the town. The station consisted of an island platform with a canopy, goods yard and a connection to riverside wharves.

Closure

The passenger station closed when the branch service was withdrawn on 1 December 1952. The line to Edington Burtle via Cossington was closed completely in 1954 after goods traffic was diverted over a new connection to the GWR docks branch which continued until 1962. Bridgwater railway station remains open on the Bristol to Taunton Line.

The site is now occupied by a Sainsbury's supermarket and an adjacent large retail park.[3]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Somerset and Dorset Railway Then and Now by Mac Hawkins page 213
  2. Ian Allan Pregrouping Atlas and Gazeteer
  3. Web site: Archived Document . 2007-09-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070815073927/http://www.nevard.com/sdjr/bridgwater.htm . 15 August 2007 .