Cirencester Watermoor railway station
Encyclopedia
Cirencester Watermoor railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
at Cirencester
in Gloucestershire
. The station opened on 18 December 1883 as the terminus of the Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway line from Swindon Town
. That line then amalgamated with the Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway
to form the M&SWJR. Cirencester became a through-station in 1891 with the opening of the northern extension of the line between Cirencester and the junction at Andoversford
with the Great Western Railway
's Cheltenham Lansdown
to Banbury
line, which had opened in 1881.
Cirencester was the biggest station on this section of the line, and was home to the M&SWJR's locomotive and wagon workshops. It had a large goods yard and there was also a huge water tank topping a stone building on the up platform that supplied water that was loaded into rail-mounted tankers and taken to the stone crushing plant at Foss Cross
, the next station to the north.
Despite the size of the station, Cirencester Watermoor never achieved the passenger or goods traffic that the Great Western station in the town, Cirencester Town
, attracted, and its status was further diminished when after the Grouping
of 1923 the M&SWJR line was allocated to the GWR, which promptly closed the workshops. The station was named "Cirencester Watermoor" from 1924 to distinguish it from the other station.
Passenger and goods traffic on the M&SWJR fell steeply after the Second World War and the line closed to passengers in 1961, with goods facilities being withdrawn in March 1964. No trace of the station now remains.
Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
at Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. The station opened on 18 December 1883 as the terminus of the Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway line from Swindon Town
Swindon Town railway station
Swindon Town railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway at Swindon in Wiltshire. The station was sited in the Old Town area about one-and-a-half miles from the Great Western Railway's Swindon Junction.- History :...
. That line then amalgamated with the Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway
Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway
The Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway was one of the constituents of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway. It received Parliamentary approval on 21 July 1873 and construction began in 1875 ....
to form the M&SWJR. Cirencester became a through-station in 1891 with the opening of the northern extension of the line between Cirencester and the junction at Andoversford
Andoversford
Andoversford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about six miles east of Cheltenham. The parish had a population of 668 according to the 2001 census....
with 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...
's Cheltenham Lansdown
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...
to Banbury
Banbury railway station
Banbury railway station serves the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The station is currently operated by Chiltern Railways, on the Chiltern Main Line, and has four platforms in use.-History:...
line, which had opened in 1881.
Cirencester was the biggest station on this section of the line, and was home to the M&SWJR's locomotive and wagon workshops. It had a large goods yard and there was also a huge water tank topping a stone building on the up platform that supplied water that was loaded into rail-mounted tankers and taken to the stone crushing plant at Foss Cross
Foss Cross railway station
Foss Cross railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway in Gloucestershire. The station opened on 1 August 1891 with the section of the line between Cirencester Watermoor and the junction at Andoversford with the Great Western Railway's Cheltenham Lansdown to Banbury line,...
, the next station to the north.
Despite the size of the station, Cirencester Watermoor never achieved the passenger or goods traffic that the Great Western station in the town, Cirencester Town
Cirencester Town railway station
Cirencester Town railway station was one of three railway stations which formerly served the town of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England; the others were and .-History:...
, attracted, and its status was further diminished when after the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923 the M&SWJR line was allocated to the GWR, which promptly closed the workshops. The station was named "Cirencester Watermoor" from 1924 to distinguish it from the other station.
Passenger and goods traffic on the M&SWJR fell steeply after the Second World War and the line closed to passengers in 1961, with goods facilities being withdrawn in March 1964. No trace of the station now remains.