Bruton railway station serves a largely rural area in the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated in the market town of Bruton. The station is on the Bristol to Weymouth line some 32.75 miles (53 km) south of Bath Spa. Trains on the Reading to Taunton line pass through the station but do not normally stop. Services are operated by Great Western Railway (who also manage the station) and South Western Railway.[1]
Bruton  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Bruton, South Somerset England |
| Coordinates | 51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W |
| Grid reference | ST687347 |
| Managed by | Great Western Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BRU |
| Classification | DfT category F1 |
| History | |
| Original company | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1856 | Opened |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  42,798 |
| 2019/20 | 48,818 |
| 2020/21 |  12,308 |
| 2021/22 | 40,688 |
| 2022/23 | 46,238 |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
History edit
The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1856 on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth main line. At that time this was just a single track but a loop was provided at Bruton to allow trains to pass. Stone buildings were erected on both platforms, and a footbridge linked the platforms from 1895. A signal box was provided from 1877 at the west end of the station.[2]
The goods yard, which was on the north side of the line opposite the signal box, was closed on 5 April 1965 and the station was downgraded to an unstaffed halt from 6 October 1969 under the Western Region of British Railways.
Stationmasters edit
- John George Indermaur 1856[3] - 1862 (formerly station master at Keynsham)
- William Matthew Mitcham 1863 - 1865 (formerly station master at Maiden Newton, afterwards station master at Frome)
- William Edward Bock 1865[4] - 1866 (afterwards station master at Maiden Newton)
- Alfred James 1869[5] - ca. 1871
- Walter Titball 1874 - 1882[6] (formerly station master at Yeovil)
- Arthur Percy Dagg 1882[7] - ca. 1895 (formerly station master at Maiden Newton)
- Thomas William Wood from 1898[8] (formerly station master at Malmesbury)
- Herbert Edwin Matthews from 1908[9]
- G.E. Nailor 1925 - 1927 (afterwards station master at Castle Cary)
- Godfrey Beaconsfield Taylor ca. 1929 ca. 1931
- G. Bennett from 1947[10] (formerly station master at Hullavington)
W. Wilcox for six years in charge of the goods department at Warminster is reported as being appointed stationmaster in 1888[11] however, Arthur Dagg is still recorded as station master in the GWR Register of Clerks in 1890 and in the 1891 census.
Facilities edit
The station has two platforms with a modern glass-and-metal waiting shelter on each. A footbridge enables passengers to cross the line. There is no wheelchair access to the far platform (for trains arriving from Bristol and going to Weymouth). The station has a bike rack and help points.
Location edit
The cutting in which the railway is built is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as one of the best places in England to demonstrate the stratigraphic distinction of ammonites in the subcontractus zone and the morrisi zone.[12]
Services edit
Great Western Railway operates eight trains each way on the Bristol to Weymouth line during the week and five on Sundays. It is not a regular service; there are some gaps of up to three hours between trains. To the north services run to and from Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads via Westbury. Most are extended beyond Bristol to and from Gloucester. To the south trains run to Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth.[13]
Additionally, there are services provided by South Western Railway that operate between Yeovil Junction and London Waterloo, although these are relatively slow due to taking an indirect route towards London, reversing at Westbury and travelling via Salisbury and the West of England Main Line.[14] A faster and more frequent service to London is available at both Castle Cary and Westbury on the same route, from where Great Western Railway operates trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids. These trains pass Bruton, but do not stop.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Cary | Great Western Railway Heart of Wessex Line |
Frome | ||
| Castle Cary | South Western Railway Heart of Wessex Line |
Frome | ||
References edit
- ^ "New South West Trains timetable 13 December 2015 - 14 May 2016" (PDF). South West Trains. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ Oakley, Mike (2006). Somerset Railway Stations. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1-904537-54-5.
- ^ "1835-1860 Clerks". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 33. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 60. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 228. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1838-1876 Clerks Vol 3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 401. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol 5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 382. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 126. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.6". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 623. 1899. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "G.W.R. Changes". Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer. England. 26 September 1947. Retrieved 10 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Bruton". Shepton Mallet Journal. England. 4 May 1888. Retrieved 15 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ English Nature citation sheet for the site Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 7 August 2006)
- ^ National Rail Timetable (May 2016), Table 123
- ^ "South Western Railway West of England Main Line Timetable December 2023-June 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
External links edit
- Bruton - Least Used Station in Somerset, 2018 YouTube film about the station and its status as the station with lowest passenger numbers in Somerset
Media related to Bruton railway station at Wikimedia Commons