Alvescot railway station

Alvescot
Station site in 1990.
Location
Place	Alvescot
Area	West Oxfordshire
Coordinates	51°44′08″N 1°36′01″W / 51.73561°N 1.60034°WCoordinates: 51°44′08″N 1°36′01″W / 51.73561°N 1.60034°W
Grid reference	SP277041
Operations
Original company	East Gloucestershire Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Platforms	1
History
15 January 1873	Station opens
18 June 1962	Station closes
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

Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
Legend OW&W ( Worcester • Oxford ) Yarnton A40 road Cassington Halt River Evenlode Cassington Canal Eynsham South Leigh River Windrush Witney Goods Junction River Windrush Witney goods Witney A4095 road Brize Norton and Bampton Carterton Alvescot Kelmscott and Langford Little Faringdon crossing River Leach Lechlade A361 road A417 road Fairford

Alvescot railway station was a railway station between the Oxfordshire villages of Alvescot and Black Bourton, in England. It was Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway between Oxford and Fairford.^[1]

History

The station was opened by the East Gloucestershire Railway on 15 January 1873^[2][3] as part of its 14-mile-10-chain (22.7 km) extension of the Witney Railway from Witney to Fairford.^[4] Situated on the Alvescot-Clanfield road, the station served the village of Alvescot, situated less than ½-mile to the north, and also the neighbouring village of Black Bourton.^[5][6][7]

A small single-platform station was provided without a passing loop or signal box.^[8] Ground frames controlled the access to the two goods sidings which trailed off the single track line at the western end of the platform to serve coal staithes, cattle pens and a goods shed.^[9][10][11] A single refuge siding on the Down side lay just beyond the western end of the station.^[12] Next to the station building was a Great Western Railway-type Pagoda shed and to the rear of the building, adjacent to the station forecourt, was a goods lock-up and a brick weigh house.^[9][13] Unlike the Cotswold stone stations at Lechlade, Bampton, Fairford and Witney, the station building at Alvescot was constructed of red brick.^[4][14]

In 1923, the station issued 9,046 tickets and handled 424 parcels and 9,616 tons of goods.^[15] In 1944, Carterton station was opened 56 chains (1,100 m) to the east of Alverscot.^[8] During the "Arctic" winter of 1946-7, the line was severed at Alvescot when a large snow drift blocked the line.^[16] An emergency service was maintained with services running from either end of the snow-filled cutting.^[16] During the final years before closure, a British Railways employee at Alvescot made a proposal for the line's operation using diesel railcars that, he claimed, would save at least £20,000.^[17] This was to no avail as the station was closed along with the East Gloucestershire Railway on 18 June 1962.^{[2][3][17][18][19]}

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Kelmscott and Langford Line and station closed		Great Western Railway East Gloucestershire Railway		Carterton Line and station closed

Present day

The goods yard remains occupied by G.F. Luckett, coal merchant, now supplied by road.^[10][13][7] All the station buildings have been demolished and the remainder of the site is a light industrial area.^[20][10] The station house still stands and is called "Station Bungalow".^[7] Large sections of trackbed between Alvescot and Kelmscott and Langford remain intact.^[20]

References

Notes

1. Conolly (1976), p. 10, section E5.
2. Butt (1995), p. 16.
3. Quick (2009), p. 59.
4. Jenkins (1985), p. 33.
5. Jenkins (1985), p. 100.
6. Mitchell, Smith & Lingard (1988), fig. 78.
7. Stretton (2006), p. 91.
8. Jenkins (1985), p. 97.
9. Jenkins (1985), pp. 96-97.
10. Mitchell, Smith & Lingard (1988), fig. 79.
11. Clark (1976), Alvescot.
12. Simpson (1997), p. 180.
13. Waters & Doyle (1992), p. 101.
14. Leigh (1982), p. 80.
15. Jenkins (1985), p. 52.
16. Jenkins (1985), p. 70.
17. Jenkins (1985), p. 112.
18. Clinker (1988), p. 3.
19. Waters (1986), p. 28.
20. Jenkins (1985), p. 147.

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (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 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
• Clinker, C.R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 0-905466-91-8. OCLC 655703233.

• Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.
• Clark, R.H. (1976). An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations: Layouts and Illustrations 1. Headington: Oxford Publishing. ISBN 0-902888-29-3.
• Jenkins, Stanley C. (1985) [1975]. The Fairford Branch. Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-853613-16-8. LP86.
• Leigh, Chris (1982) [1981]. GWR Country Stations. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1108-7.
• Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith; Lingard, Richard (April 1988). Branch Line to Fairford. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-52-5.
• Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978 0 901461 57 5. OCLC 612226077.
• Simpson, Bill (1997). A History of the Railways of Oxfordshire; Part 1: The North. Witney: Lamplight Publications. ISBN 978-1-89924-602-1.
• Stretton, John (2006). British Railways Past and Present: Oxfordshire; A Second Selection. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85895-203-1. No. 55.
• Waters, Laurence; Doyle, Tony (1992). British Railways Past and Present: Oxfordshire. Wadenhoe: Silver Link Publishing. ISBN 978-0-94797-187-8. No. 15.
• Waters, Laurence (1986). Rail Centres: Oxford. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1590-6.

External links

• Photos and details about the station
• Station on a navigable O.S. map
• Archived page with post-closure details of stations