Corsham railway station
Encyclopedia
Corsham railway station served the town of Corsham
in Wiltshire
, England. The station was on the main Great Western Railway
line
from London to Bristol and was opened when the Chippenham
to Bath
section opened in June 1841.
The station was situated in a cutting to the south of the town with the main station building at the top of the cutting on the town side. There were small shelters with canopies on each of the two platforms. Passengers accessed the up platform using a path and the down platform from the footbridge. The Station Hotel was situated alongside the main station building, this was demolished and used by a local coal merchant.
Corsham had extensive and much used sidings on both sides of the track to the west of the station, with a goods shed and a loading dock. The main goods traffic was stone from the quarries under Box Hill, which was brought to the lineside by a two-foot-six-inch tramway system. The sidings led right up to the mouth of Box Tunnel
, whose eastern portal is less than a mile from the station.
Passenger services were withdrawn from Corsham with the end of stopping services between Bristol and Swindon in January 1965. Goods traffic had ended in June 1963, though the siding with the loading dock remained in place until 1978. Of the station structures, only the goods shed now remains, though the footbridge is still in place as part of a footpath across the main line.
The recent growth of Corsham as a town has led to demand for a new station and as part of a consultation exercise to investigate the reopening of the station, the District Council conducted a survey, receiving over 3000 replies.
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England. The station was on the main 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...
line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
from London to Bristol and was opened when the Chippenham
Chippenham railway station
Chippenham railway station serves the market town of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. The station is on the Great Western Main Line, in between and , and is served by First Great Western main line services between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, and a smaller First Great Western local...
to Bath
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
section opened in June 1841.
The station was situated in a cutting to the south of the town with the main station building at the top of the cutting on the town side. There were small shelters with canopies on each of the two platforms. Passengers accessed the up platform using a path and the down platform from the footbridge. The Station Hotel was situated alongside the main station building, this was demolished and used by a local coal merchant.
Corsham had extensive and much used sidings on both sides of the track to the west of the station, with a goods shed and a loading dock. The main goods traffic was stone from the quarries under Box Hill, which was brought to the lineside by a two-foot-six-inch tramway system. The sidings led right up to the mouth of Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
, whose eastern portal is less than a mile from the station.
Passenger services were withdrawn from Corsham with the end of stopping services between Bristol and Swindon in January 1965. Goods traffic had ended in June 1963, though the siding with the loading dock remained in place until 1978. Of the station structures, only the goods shed now remains, though the footbridge is still in place as part of a footpath across the main line.
The recent growth of Corsham as a town has led to demand for a new station and as part of a consultation exercise to investigate the reopening of the station, the District Council conducted a survey, receiving over 3000 replies.