Barnstaple railway station
Encyclopedia
Barnstaple railway station is the terminus of a long branch line, known as the Tarka Line
, 39 miles (63 km) north west of Exeter St Davids
, in Devon
.
It was known as Barnstaple Junction from 1874 to 1970 as it was the junction between lines to , , and Exeter
A railway for goods traffic was operated from Fremington
Quay, opening in August 1848. On 1 August 1854 the North Devon Railway
opened from Barnstaple to Crediton
. Trains were extended via Fremington to Bideford
on 2 November 1855. This route was eventually extended to loop back to Okehampton
via Torrington
and Halwill Junction
.
The station became known as Barnstaple Junction on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened the Ilfracombe branch line
. The line crossed the river on a large bridge to a station at Barnstaple Quay
which in turn was replaced by Barnstaple Town
on an adjacent site in 1892 when the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
was opened. This station is now a smart school.
On 1 June 1887 a loop line was laid to connect the station with the Devon and Somerset Railway
, later taken over by the Great Western Railway
, which had opened its own Barnstaple station at Victoria Road
as the terminus of the line from Taunton
on 1 November 1873.
The North Devon Railway was amalgamated into the London and South Western Railway
on 1 January 1865, this railway passing to the Southern Railway
in 1923 which was in turn nationalised into British Railways in 1948.
The Junction station was extended in 1874 for the Ilfracombe
services and again in 1924.
The first services to be withdrawn were the passenger trains to Bideford on 2 October 1965. Passenger services had been transferred from Victoria Road in January 1960 and the line to Taunton closed on 3 October 1966. Victoria Road remained open for goods traffic, accessed via the loop line from Barnstaple Junction, until 5 March 1970, when it closed entirely. The line to Ilfracombe was closed later that year, on 5 October, and so the station became plain Barnstaple once more.
On 21 May 1971 the track was simplified and the line to Umberleigh
was reduced to just one track. A new booking office was opened on 10 November 1981 but goods trains beyond on the Fremington line were withdrawn on 31 August 1982 leaving the station as a terminus.
In 2006 the bridge that carried Sticklepath Hill (the A3125) across the former Bideford and Ilfracombe lines was demolished to make way for a road junction for the Barnstaple Western Bypass
, which opened in May 2007. The roundabout here has been built on a raised platform in order to allow for the reopening of the line to Bideford should this be proved viable in the future. Work from the bypass has also included a larger station car park and better bus access – a large number of Barnstaple town services, as well as services to Bideford
, Ilfracombe
and South Molton
now call at the station.
During the year ended March 2009, passengers using Barnstaple station exceeded ¼ million for the first time.
In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies
included the Barnstaple to Bideford route in its Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network
. This recommended some closed lines ought to be rebuilt to restore a railway service to large communities. This same line was rebuilt for one day that same year using OO gauge
track in a television
project orchestrated by presenter James May
, in attempt to build the longest ever model railway. Although the track was restored between the two towns the model railway trains were only able to reach the site of Instow
signalbox before failing. May stated that he chose the location for the attempt due to his desire to see the line restored.
May repeated this experiment in 2011, using Hornby
R603 rails laid as double track by a mechanical track layer. A competition saw a British team, led by May, racing three trains from Barnstaple to Bideford, against a German team running the route in the opposite direction. All six trains completed the 10-mile run, with the British team claiming a 2:1 victory.
at the station in 1854. A larger building was erected alongside in 1864 by the London and South Western Railway. This building was re-roofed by the Southern Railway in the 1940s, but closed by British Railways in 1964 and demolished.
just one year later.
The single platform is on the east (right) of trains arriving from Exeter
. There is level access to the station car park. The centre of Barnstaple
is reached by crossing the Long Bridge over the River Taw
330 yards (301.8 m) from the station.
A footpath from the station leads onto the cycleway along the abandoned railway line to Bideford
which forms part of the South West Coast Path
.
, passing through Exeter St Davids railway station
where connections with main line services are available.
. The line is promoted under the "Tarka Line
" name.
Three pubs at Barnstaple are included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail
.
Tarka Line
The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route...
, 39 miles (63 km) north west of Exeter St Davids
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
It was known as Barnstaple Junction from 1874 to 1970 as it was the junction between lines to , , and Exeter
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
History
Fremington, Devon
Fremington is a village and civil parish in North Devon three miles west of Barnstaple. It was formerly a borough that sent members to Parliament in the reign of Edward III. The parish includes the neighbouring villages of Bickington and Yelland, the latter only asserting its identity as separate...
Quay, opening in August 1848. On 1 August 1854 the North Devon Railway
North Devon Railway
The North Devon Railway was a British railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system...
opened from Barnstaple to Crediton
Crediton railway station
Crediton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crediton in Devon, England.It is the current junction of the Tarka and Dartmoor lines, though the two lines run parallel until Coleford Junction at Penstone near Coleford .-History:The station, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel,...
. Trains were extended via Fremington to Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
on 2 November 1855. This route was eventually extended to loop back to Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
via Torrington
Torrington
-People:* Jeff Torrington, Scottish writer* George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, British naval officer and statesman-Places:In Australia:* Torrington, New South WalesIn Canada:* Torrington, AlbertaIn the United Kingdom:...
and Halwill Junction
Halwill Junction railway station
Halwill Junction Railway Station was a railway station near the villages of Halwill and Beaworthy in Devon. It opened in 1879 and formed an important junction between the now-closed Bude Branch and North Cornwall line...
.
The station became known as Barnstaple Junction on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened the Ilfracombe branch line
Ilfracombe Branch Line
The Ilfracombe Branch of the London & South Western Railway , ran between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon. The branch opened as a single-track line in 1874, but was sufficiently popular that it needed to be upgraded to double-track in 1889....
. The line crossed the river on a large bridge to a station at Barnstaple Quay
Barnstaple Quay railway station
Barnstaple Quay was an intermediate station on the L&SWR line to Ilfracombe in Devon, England. The station opened in 1854, and located on the north bank of the River Taw close to the centre of Barnstaple, was renamed Barnstaple Town in 1886...
which in turn was replaced by Barnstaple Town
Barnstaple Town railway station
Barnstaple Town was an intermediate station on the L&SWR line to Ilfracombe. The station replaced Barnstaple Quay – opened in 1854, and renamed Barnstaple Town in 1886 – which had been located on the Junction side of the Commercial Road crossing, a short distance up-line...
on an adjacent site in 1892 when the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track narrow gauge railway slightly over long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the 1896 Light Railways Act came into force,...
was opened. This station is now a smart school.
On 1 June 1887 a loop line was laid to connect the station with the Devon and Somerset Railway
Devon and Somerset Railway
The Devon and Somerset Railway was a branch line from near in Somerset to in North Devon. It was operated from the outset by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which became part of the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.-History:...
, later taken over by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, which had opened its own Barnstaple station at Victoria Road
Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station
Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station was the terminus of the Devon and Somerset Railway line from Taunton railway station. It served the town of Barnstaple in Devon, England and was opened when the Devon and Somerset line was extended from Wiveliscombe to Barnstaple on 1 November...
as the terminus of the line from Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
on 1 November 1873.
The North Devon Railway was amalgamated into the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
on 1 January 1865, this railway passing to the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1923 which was in turn nationalised into British Railways in 1948.
The Junction station was extended in 1874 for the Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.The parish stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 4 miles along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west...
services and again in 1924.
The first services to be withdrawn were the passenger trains to Bideford on 2 October 1965. Passenger services had been transferred from Victoria Road in January 1960 and the line to Taunton closed on 3 October 1966. Victoria Road remained open for goods traffic, accessed via the loop line from Barnstaple Junction, until 5 March 1970, when it closed entirely. The line to Ilfracombe was closed later that year, on 5 October, and so the station became plain Barnstaple once more.
On 21 May 1971 the track was simplified and the line to Umberleigh
Umberleigh railway station
Umberleigh railway station serves the village of Umberleigh in Devon, England. It is on the Tarka Line north west of Exeter St David's station on the way to Barnstaple.-Services:...
was reduced to just one track. A new booking office was opened on 10 November 1981 but goods trains beyond on the Fremington line were withdrawn on 31 August 1982 leaving the station as a terminus.
In 2006 the bridge that carried Sticklepath Hill (the A3125) across the former Bideford and Ilfracombe lines was demolished to make way for a road junction for the Barnstaple Western Bypass
Barnstaple Western Bypass
The Barnstaple Western Bypass is a congestion-relief scheme designed to take road traffic away from the town centre of Barnstaple, a market town in Devon, South West England...
, which opened in May 2007. The roundabout here has been built on a raised platform in order to allow for the reopening of the line to Bideford should this be proved viable in the future. Work from the bypass has also included a larger station car park and better bus access – a large number of Barnstaple town services, as well as services to Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.The parish stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 4 miles along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west...
and South Molton
South Molton
"Molton" redirects here. Or see Molten or Moulton.South Molton is a small town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093.The town was one of...
now call at the station.
During the year ended March 2009, passengers using Barnstaple station exceeded ¼ million for the first time.
In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
included the Barnstaple to Bideford route in its Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network
Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network
Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network is a 2009 report by the Association of Train Operating Companies identifying potential expansion of the National Rail passenger railway network in England, primarily through the construction or re-opening of railway lines for passenger...
. This recommended some closed lines ought to be rebuilt to restore a railway service to large communities. This same line was rebuilt for one day that same year using OO gauge
OO gauge
OO gauge or OO scale model railways are the most popular standard-gauge model railway tracks in the U.K. This track gauge is one of several 4mm-scale standards used, but it is the only one to be served by the major manufacturers...
track in a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
project orchestrated by presenter James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
, in attempt to build the longest ever model railway. Although the track was restored between the two towns the model railway trains were only able to reach the site of Instow
Instow
Instow is a village in north Devon, England. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank of Appledore....
signalbox before failing. May stated that he chose the location for the attempt due to his desire to see the line restored.
May repeated this experiment in 2011, using Hornby
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
R603 rails laid as double track by a mechanical track layer. A competition saw a British team, led by May, racing three trains from Barnstaple to Bideford, against a German team running the route in the opposite direction. All six trains completed the 10-mile run, with the British team claiming a 2:1 victory.
Motive power depot
The North Devon Railway opened a motive power depotMotive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
at the station in 1854. A larger building was erected alongside in 1864 by the London and South Western Railway. This building was re-roofed by the Southern Railway in the 1940s, but closed by British Railways in 1964 and demolished.
Station Cafe
The cafe at Barnstaple station was opened in 2008 by Mike Day in one of the 'closed' areas of the station building, and it appeared in a list of the ten best station cafes published in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
just one year later.
Description
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. There is level access to the station car park. The centre of Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
is reached by crossing the Long Bridge over the River Taw
River Taw
The River Taw rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor. It reaches the Bristol Channel away on the north coast of Devon at a joint estuary mouth which it shares with the River Torridge.-Watercourse:...
330 yards (301.8 m) from the station.
A footpath from the station leads onto the cycleway along the abandoned railway line to Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
which forms part of the South West Coast Path
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
.
Services
Barnstaple is served by fourteen trains each weekday and six on Sundays. Most services run to ExmouthExmouth railway station
Exmouth station serves the town of Exmouth in Devon, England and is south east of -History:The railway to Exmouth was opened on 1 May 1861. New docks designed by Eugenius Birch were opened in 1868 and a short branch was laid to connect them to the goods yard.A branch line with a junction...
, passing through Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
where connections with main line services are available.
Community railway
The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail PartnershipDevon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places served in order to improve the local economy.The...
. The line is promoted under the "Tarka Line
Tarka Line
The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route...
" name.
Three pubs at Barnstaple are included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail
Rail ale trail
A rail ale trail is a marketing exercise in the United Kingdom that is designed to promote tourism to a rural area, by encouraging people to visit a series of pubs that are close to railway stations along a railway line. Participants are rewarded for visiting the pubs by train. In doing this they...
.