Moretonhampstead railway station

Disused railway station in Devon, England

Moretonhampstead railway station was the terminus of the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway at Moretonhampstead, Devon, England.

History

The station opened on 4 July 1866;^[1] it was situated on the south side of the town by the road to Bovey Tracey. The platform was 300 feet long and mostly covered by a wooden train shed. Beyond the train shed was a short platform with cattle pens.

South of the station was a goods shed and engine shed. The signal box was unusually built onto the side of the engine shed.

In 1929, the Great Western Railway, which now owned the line, opened the Manor House Hotel just outside Moretonhampstead. Set in 193 acres (0.78 km²), it boasted a golf course and also attracted holidaymakers to visit Dartmoor.

After the last passenger train ran on 28 February 1959,^[1][2] regular goods trains continued until 6 April 1964, although British Railways continued to use the station as a base for its road goods services until the end of the year.

The site today

Although the train shed was demolished shortly after the station's closure, the goods and engine sheds were retained; these are now used by a commercial road haulage business. Part of the platform is extant.^[3]

References

Citations

1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M., Page 163
2. Quick, M. E. (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales – a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 303. OCLC 931112387.
3. Holman, Dave (21 May 2017). "Station name: Moretonhampstead". Disused Stations. Retrieved 15 August 2024.

Sources

• Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-906867-90-7.
• Jenkins, S C; Pomroy, L J (1989). The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway. Oxford: Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-389-3.

50°39′28″N 3°45′38″W / 50.6577°N 3.7606°W / 50.6577; -3.7606