Kelmscott and Langford railway station

Kelmscott and Langford railway station was a railway station south of the village of Langford on the Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway, between Oxford and Fairford.[1]

Kelmscott and Langford
Road bridge at the eastern end of the station site.
LocationLangford, West Oxfordshire
England
Coordinates51.71387°N 1.63689°W / 51.71387; -1.63689
Grid referenceSP253018
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
4 November 1907Station opens
18 June 1962Station closes

History

The station was opened on 4 November 1907 by the Great Western Railway,[2][3][4] the only one to be opened on the line during peacetime by the Great Western.[5] It was shown in early timetables as "Kelmscott and Langford Platform", which also appeared in the Official Handbook of Stations until 1949.[3] It was supposed to serve the villages of Langford and Kelmscott but in reality was a considerable distance from both.[6][7] Langford is ½-mile to the north, while Kelmscott is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south.[8]

It was essentially a staffed railway halt with minimal passenger facilities.[9] Situated in rural countryside next to the Langford to Kelmscott road, the station comprised a 300-foot (91 m) long concrete platform and an unusual station building made from two standard corrugated iron Pagoda huts which were bolted together.[10] This was probably the longest building of its type in the country.[5] A single siding operated from the nearby ground frame was brought into use behind the platform for the purpose of loading and unloading cattle traffic and farm machinery on 9 July 1928.[9][8][11][12] No signals, goods shed or crane were provided and the small goods yard was only able to handle cattle and coal class traffic in full wagonloads.[13][14][12]

Perhaps owing to its inconvenient location, the station was the least used on the line.[6] Just 3,038 tickets were issued in 1913 and 3,654 in 1923, by some distance the lowest.[15] The station was closed along with the East Gloucestershire Railway on 18 June 1962.[2][3][16][17][18]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Lechlade
Line and station closed		   Great Western Railway
East Gloucestershire Railway
   Alvescot
Line and station closed

Present day

Although traces of the station's platform, lampposts and nameboard posts remained in September 1987,[14] the site has now been entirely cleared by the local farmer except for a pole which once held the station's lighting.[19][7] Large stretches of the trackbed towards Alvescot do however remain intact.[19] The station's access road remains in use by the farmer.[7]

References

Notes
  1. Conolly (1976), p. 9, section E5.
  2. Butt (1995), p. 129.
  3. Quick (2009), p. 229.
  4. Simpson (1997), p. 182.
  5. Mitchell, Smith & Lingard (1988), fig. 81.
  6. Jenkins (1985), p. 99.
  7. Stretton (2006), p. 92.
  8. Mitchell, Smith & Lingard (1988), fig. 80.
  9. Jenkins (1985), p. 60.
  10. Jenkins (1985), pp. 60, 99.
  11. Simpson (1997), p. 181.
  12. Clark (1976), Kelmscott & Langford.
  13. Jenkins (1985), p. 100.
  14. Mitchell, Smith & Lingard (1988), fig. 82.
  15. Jenkins (1985), p. 52.
  16. Jenkins (1985), p. 112.
  17. Clinker (1988), p. 68.
  18. Waters (1986), p. 28.
  19. Jenkins (1985), p. 147.

Sources
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Clinker, C.R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 978-0-905466-91-0. OCLC 655703233.
  • Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.
  • Clark, R.H. (1976). An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations: Layouts and Illustrations. 1. Headington: Oxford Publishing. ISBN 0-902888-29-3.
  • Jenkins, Stanley C. (1985) [1975]. The Fairford Branch. Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-853613-16-8. LP86.
  • Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith; Lingard, Richard (April 1988). Branch Line to Fairford. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-52-5.
  • Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
  • Simpson, Bill (1997). A History of the Railways of Oxfordshire; Part 1: The North. Witney: Lamplight Publications. ISBN 978-1-89924-602-1.
  • Stretton, John (2006). British Railways Past and Present: Oxfordshire; A Second Selection. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85895-203-1. No. 55.
  • Waters, Laurence (1986). Rail Centres: Oxford. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1590-6.
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