52 ghost railway stations across Wiltshire

[whole diary]

[Marlburian]

I know there are countless websites relating to railway history, but I'm being self-indulgent in linking to this one. I've visited or peered towards many of the sites, so I found it particularly interesting. And the site is relatively new.

(It's just a little irritating that so many station descriptions start with "Understood to have opened in ..." when most opening dates are definite.)

[Phil]

I didn't delve too far as there were too many adverts, but assuming this online article hasn't been updated from a year or so ago when it first did the rounds then it's missing a large number of former stations - Lacock Halt was one which sprang to mind immediately. The author would have done well to have referenced Mike Oakley's excellent "Wiltshire Railway Stations". Justin Bailey's paperback "Lost Railways of Wiltshire" is good to have as well, although not quite as comprehensive.

[grahame]

Of 88 (or 87) stations that were or are in Wilthshire, 14 (or 13) are still in use on the National Network and 4 are on a heritage line, leaving 70 disused.  Which have "ghosts" is open to discussion.

The questionable number relates to Dean, with the access to the platforms in Wiltshire but the train stopping across the border in Hampshire.

Disused
A
Amesbury railway station
B
Beanacre Halt railway station
Black Dog Halt railway station
Box (Mill Lane) Halt railway station
Box railway station
Brinkworth railway station
Bromham and Rowde Halt railway station
Broughton Gifford Halt railway station
Bulford Camp railway station
Bulford railway station
C
Calne railway station
Chiseldon Camp railway station
Chiseldon railway station
Christian Malford Halt railway station
Codford railway station
Collingbourne Kingston Halt railway station
Collingbourne railway station
Corsham railway station
Cricklade railway station
D
Dauntsey railway station
Devizes railway station
Dinton railway station
Downton railway station
E
Edington and Bratton railway station
G
Grafton and Burbage railway station
Great Somerford Halt railway station
H
Hannington railway station
Heytesbury railway station
Highworth railway station
Holt Junction railway station
Hullavington railway station
I
Idmiston Halt railway station
L
Lacock Halt railway station
Langford railway station (Wiltshire)
Lavington railway station
Limpley Stoke railway station
Little Somerford railway station
Ludgershall railway station, Wiltshire
M
Malmesbury railway station
Manningford Halt railway station
Marlborough railway stations
Midford Halt railway station
Minety and Ashton Keynes railway station
Moredon Halt railway station
N
Newton Tony railway station
O
Oaksey Halt railway station
Ogbourne railway station
P
Pans Lane Halt railway station
Patney and Chirton railway station
Porton railway station
Purton railway station
R
Rushey Platt railway station
S
Savernake Low Level railway station
Seend railway station
Semington Halt railway station
Semley railway station
Stanley Bridge Halt railway station
Stanton railway station
Staverton Halt railway station
Stratton Park Halt railway station
Stratton railway station
Swindon Town railway station
W
Wilton North railway station
Wilton South railway station
Wishford railway station
Woodborough railway station
Wootton Bassett Junction railway station
Wootton Bassett Road railway station
Wootton Rivers Halt railway station
Wylye railway station

Heritage
B
Blunsdon railway station
H
Hayes Knoll railway station
M
Mouldon Hill railway station
T
Taw Valley Halt railway station

National Network
A
Avoncliff railway station
B
Bedwyn railway station
Bradford-on-Avon railway station
C
Chippenham railway station
D
Dean railway station
Dilton Marsh railway station
M
Melksham railway station
P
Pewsey railway station
S
Salisbury railway station
Swindon railway station
T
Tisbury railway station
Trowbridge railway station
W
Warminster railway station
Westbury railway station

[Marlburian]

A week ago I visited Chiseldon, a village that I've cycled through many times since 1960 - and I've also walked through the southern part on half-a-dozen occasions. But this was the first time I explored the "old" village - and was delighted with some of the olde-worlde thatched cottages. On the site of the station there's a useful information board that aimed to help one position oneself; I was looking at my OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) Explorer map, metaphorically scratching my head, because on all sides the gradients seemed too steep for a train. A friendly villager explained that after closure the cutting to the south had been filled in, and houses built - leading to concern about their stability.

I walked along the Sustrans trail past the site of Chiseldon Camp and the short-lived spur erected in the Great War to serve it. (I've yet to see an image of this spur). The wide "terminus" platform survives on private land near South Farm.

I've since learned that there was a level crossing at the end of what is now Sambre Road with, a few yards away, a railway bridge crossing a tributary of the River Og.

Yesterday I visited Wiltshire History Centre in Chippenham, sited very close to where the Calne branch left the main line. There's an overgrown footpath, with fly-tipping, that goes through a narrow uninviting tunnel under the branch route before joining the track bed on the edge of a new estate of flats.  A few years ago I'd walked the route from Calne and was puzzled by signs warning that it was closed at certain times; this apparently is to allow game-shooting.

[JohnM]

The link in the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter, or Off Peak, depending on context) is to a story on the Wiltshire News website, rather than a railway history website. But the story does include a link to the Disused Stations website, which looks to be pretty good? I was going to say comprehensive, but it doesn't have a page for the aforementioned Lacock Halt. This is the Black Dog Halt page:
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/black_dog_halt/index.shtml

[grahame]

2266 stations listed on the "Disused Stations" website

Beeching proposed closing 2363 stations - of course some extras have been closed and some of his proposals did not go ahead.   But there were lots closed before Dr Beeching came along.  I couldn't come up with a number ... but take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_closed_railway_stations_in_Great_Britain:_A for just those starting with "A".   So the Disused Stations website probable has pages for around 50% of them ... +- 25% - I'm guessing!