The History of Williton Station

1862
West Somerset Railway 1857 Logo
West Somerset Railway 1857 Logo
Williton Station opened by West Somerset Railway on 31 March
1871West Somerset Railway sold to Bristol and Exeter Railway
1873Opening of new road bridge
1874Wooden footbridge, complete with roof built across tracks
1874Opening of second track and platform to provide a passing loop
1875
Williton Signal Box on 8 October 2005. ©(cc) Andy Spencer.
Williton Signal Box on 8 October 2005. ©(cc) Andy Spencer.
Signal Box opened
1877
Williton Station Flooding November 1877 ©The John Alsop Collection
Williton Station Flooding November 1877 ©The John Alsop Collection
Flooding at Williton Station
1882 Conversion from 7ft 1/4in Broad gauge to 4ft 8 1/2in Standard gauge
1883A large brick built water tank was erected between the level crossing and the road bridge. Originally kept filled by means of a steam pump, the water was later extracted from the adjoining well by an electric pump.
1907
Williton Station c1900 ©The John Alsop Collection
Williton Station c1900 ©The John Alsop Collection

Passing loop extended and both platforms extended to 400ft
1913Wooden footbridge removed and replaced with iron girder footbridge
1922
GWR Logo 1878 - 1927
GWR Logo 1878 - 1927
Amalgamation of West Somerset Railway and Great Western Railway
1929
Williton Station 1929 Flood. ©Edward Martin
Williton Station 1929 Flood. ©Edward Martin
Flooding at Williton Station
1937Passing loop extended
1939
Evacuees 1939 © Somerset County Council Library Services
Evacuees 1939 © Somerset County Council Library Services
Evacuee trains arrive from London on 2 and 4 September
1948
Original 1948 British Railways Logo
Original 1948 British Railways Logo
Nationalisation of railways. Williton Station now part of British Railways Western Region
1952Main road (A39) bridge replaced
1960Flooding at Williton Station on 26 October
1964Withdrawal of freight traffic on 6 July1964.
1965Goods shed siding points disconnected
1965Goods shed siding reconnected for engineering traffic use
1968
1968 - Williton Station footbridge just prior to removal. ©RCTS - The Courtney Haydon Collection
1968 - Williton Station footbridge just prior to removal. ©RCTS - The Courtney Haydon Collection
Footbridge demolished
1968
1968 - The culvert over the stream which passes under the line at Williton was rebuilt as single track. ©Pat Bowker
1968 - The culvert over the stream which passes under the line at Williton was rebuilt as single track. ©Pat Bowker
Passing loop shortened due to narrowing to single track of culvert crossing in March 1968. The Taunton steam crane is seen lifting the new concrete girders out of the low-sided wagons in which they were delivered for positioning.
1971Closure of station on 4 January
1976
2884 Vulcan and ex GWR 6412 at Williton 1977 ©(cc) Copyright MEJ Deane, courtesy Ian Bennett
2884 Vulcan and ex GWR 6412 at Williton 1977 ©(cc) Copyright MEJ Deane, courtesy Ian Bennett.
Reopening of station on 28 August by West Somerset Railway
1995
Swindon Shed 2005 ©Mike Dan
Swindon Shed 2005 ©Mike Dan
\"Swindon Shed\" opened for restoration work
1997Diesel and Electric Presevation Group erected steel maintenance shed
2003
©(cc) Jon Tooke
©(cc) Jon Tooke
Williton Station masquerades as Lessborough during BBC filming of Anthony Trollope\'s \"He Knew He Was Right\" on 30 August. The Station Master Chris van den Arden appears briefly in the background of the finished production.
2005
This was the first lift carried out at Williton by the four Matteson jacks rescued from Bristol Bath Road. ©(cc) Keith Speller
This was the first lift carried out at Williton by the four Matteson jacks rescued from Bristol Bath Road. ©(cc) Keith Speller
No 6412 up in the air. This was the first lift carried out at Williton by the four Matteson jacks rescued from Bristol Bath Road. The driving wheelset has been removed for attention to the axle boxes and valve eccentrics. Pictured on 25 January 2005.
2006
Removing concrete Station Lamposts 10/02/2006 ©Beverley Zehetmeier
New station lighting installed on 24 February
2010
Williton Footbridge at Tema Engineering, Cardiff - September 2010 © Martin Hope
Williton Footbridge at Tema Engineering, Cardiff - September 2010 © Martin Hope
Ex Trowbridge footbridge taken to Cardiff for refurbishment and painting
2010
2005 - Williton Station Master Chris van den Arden on 18 August. ©(cc) Fotophile69.
Williton Station Master Chris van den Arend on 18 August. ©(cc) Fotophile69.
Sadly on 5 December Chris van den Arend, Williton Station Master passed away. Chris was a volunteer with the West Somerset Railway from the early days and held many different positions on the railway. He was active also in the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust. His dream was for the ex-Trowbridge footbridge to be erected at Williton Station. Unfortunately he will miss this when it takes place in 2011.
2011
Footbridge Footings 19/01/11 © Martin Hope
Footbridge Footings 19/01/11 © Martin Hope
Reinforced concrete footings for footbridge completed
2011
2011 - Replacement of Williton Station canopy. Seen here in early February. © (cc) Edward Martin
2011 - Replacement of Williton Station canopy. Seen here in early February. © (cc) Edward Martin
The rare sight of Williton Station without a full canopy. Recent discussions suggest it was last replaced in 1938. Seen here in early February 2011.
2011
2011 - The southward view at Williton with the footbridge now in place on 16 March This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. © Paul Orrells
2011 - The southward view at Williton with the footbridge now in place on 16 March This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. © Paul Orrells
The new look of Williton Station with ex-Trowbridge footbridge installed on 16/17 March
2011
2011 - Gerald Creed Officially opens the Williton Footbridge on 16 July. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. ©Matthew Axeford
2011 - Gerald Creed Officially opens the Williton Footbridge on 16 July. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. ©Matthew Axeford
Williton Footbridge is Officially Opened on 16 July to the public by Gerald Creed who rescued the footbridge from Trowbridge station in 1982.
2012
2012 - Williton Station Mural to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Station in 1862 seen on 31 March. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. ©Martin Hope
2012 - Williton Station Mural to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Station in 1862 seen on 31 March. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. ©Martin Hope
The Williton Station Mural to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the station. The mural was painted by Tad and Brenda Mandziej assisted by several local artists.