Steventon railway station

Steventon
General information
LocationSteventon, District of Vale of White Horse
England
Grid referenceSU472916
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Pre-groupingGWR
Post-groupingGWR
Western Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 June 1840Opened
7 December 1964Closed

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 no evidence remaining, except for a house used briefly as the company headquarters of the Great Western Railway which still stands on the "up" (north) side of the line (see next section).

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]). A building for this purpose was erected: Brook House (now Grade II listed),[5] reputedly designed by the Engineer of the GWR, Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the Jacobean style, but modified by the Resident Engineer for the Reading/Swindon section of the line, J.H. Gandell (and subsequently built by him as contractor, after he resigned his post as Resident Engineer),[6] this building still survives on the north side of the line, set back slightly from the site of the station platforms. 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.[7]

In 1966, a Brunel-designed building at Steventon station, described as "An imposing stone-built residence ... comprising 3 Reception, 4 Bedrooms, etc.", was placed on sale, and "offers in the region of £4,750" were invited.[8]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 21 January 1962, 68xx locomotive 6800 Arlington Grange was hauling a freight train that overran signals and was derailed.[9]

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

  1. ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 102.
  2. ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 103.
  3. ^ a b Gardner 1996, p. 43.
  4. ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 857.
  5. ^ Historic England & 1284735.
  6. ^ Vaughan 1991, pp. 131–132.
  7. ^ MacDermot 1927, pp. 160–1.
  8. ^ Cooke 1966, p. iii.
  9. ^ Vaughan 1983, pp. 100–105.

References

  • Cooke, B.W.C, ed. (March 1966). "Near Didcot". Classified Advertisements - For Sale. Railway Magazine. Vol. 112, no. 779.
  • 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, vol. I: 1833-1863 (1st ed.). Paddington: Great Western Railway.
  • Historic England. "BROOK HOUSE, STATION YARD (Grade II) (1284735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  • Vaughan, Adrian (1983). Signalman's Twilight. London: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-3973-0.
  • Vaughan, Adrian (1991). Isambard Kingdom Brunel Engineering Knight Errant. London: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-5282-6.

51°37′17″N 1°19′08″W / 51.6215°N 1.3188°W / 51.6215; -1.3188