Halwill Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
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
. It closed in 1966 along with the lines which it served, a casualty of the Beeching Report.
The station was opened in January 1879 by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) following the extension of its line from Meldon Junction on the Okehampton to Plymouth line
to Holsworthy
on the new Bude Branch. Five years later, it became a junction station with the construction by the North Cornwall Railway
of a line south to Launceston
which gave the latter company a direct through route over LSWR metals to London Waterloo. The opening of the route south led to the renaming of the station - to Halwill Junction - in March 1887. By the close of the century both lines had been extended - the Bude Branch reaching Bude
by 10 August 1898 and the North Cornwall Line to Padstow
by 23 March 1899.
A third route stretching out to the north towards Torrington
was opened on 27 July 1925 by the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway. This was served by a separate uncovered platform outside the main station building, situated to the north. The station now became officially known as Halwill, although its running-in board provided a fuller description of the routes available, proudly announcing Halwill for Beaworthy, junction for the Bude, North Cornwall & Torrington Lines.
Always a slightly odd station in the sense that it served no particular large urban conurbation and acted largely as a useful interchange between three different lines, Halwill was at its busiest in the period up to the Second World War when eight sidings were laid to deal with the military traffic in the lead-up to D-Day
. It also relied, as did the lines which it served, to a large extent on summer holiday traffic and when this began to dry-up in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the increased use of the motorcar, it became unprofitable and a candidate for closure in the Beeching Report. First proposed for closure in April 1964, Halwill saw its connecting lines close one by one over the next few years - the line north to Torrington closed to passengers on 1 March 1965 and those to Bude and Padstow on 3 October 1966, heralding the end for the formerly important railway junction. The line north did, however, remain open between Torrington and Barnstaple
for freight until 1982.
The area around the former Halwill station site has undergone residential development and is named "Halwill Junction" after its former station. A housing estate stands near the site of the station, on a road somewhat ironically named "Beeching Close" after the British Transport Commission
Chairman, Richard Beeching
, who recommended the station's closure.
In 1990 the Devon Wildlife Trust
purchased from British Rail and a private landowner a section of trackbed around Halwill to create a nature reserve covering an area of 2¾ hectares divided into five compartments. In 1998 Devon County Council began works to enable a cycleway to cross the site; this was realised in April 2005 when a 2½ mile (4 kilometres) cycleway, forming part of the National Cycle Network
, was opened which runs from the village centre via Beeching Close through the nature reserve and the woods on an elevated boardbank to the Forest Centre at Cookworthy where the South West Forest and the Ruby Country Initiative are based. The section was opened as part of a plan by the County Council to extend the Tarka Trail
to Hatherleigh
, from where the Ruby Way will continue to Halwill Junction and then on to Holsworthy and Bude.
There are plans to further increase the cycle network by reopening the section east towards Meldon Junction. In 2005 Devon County Council agreed in principle to the creation of a bridleway on an intact disused section of the Bude Branch from Thorndon Cross (near the former Meldon Junction) and Halwill, a distance of approximately 7 miles (13 kilometres). The proposal has made slow progress in the face of objections from local residents and the prohibitive prices demanded for the sale of their land by trackbed owners. In 2007 the Council again reiterated its intention to convert the disused railway to public amenity, reaffirming its intention to create cycleways on the sections from Bude to Halwill and Torrington to Halwill.
50°46′46"N 4°12′32"W
Halwill
Halwill is a village in Devon, England just off the A3079 Okehampton to Holsworthy road. About a mile away on the main road is another settlement called Halwill Junction....
and Beaworthy
Beaworthy
Beaworthy is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 236....
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 opened in 1879 and formed an important junction between the now-closed Bude Branch and North Cornwall line
North Cornwall Railway
The North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of 49 miles 67 chains. Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the London and South Western Railway to...
. It closed in 1966 along with the lines which it served, a casualty of the Beeching Report.
History
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...
(LSWR) following the extension of its line from Meldon Junction on the Okehampton to Plymouth line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
to Holsworthy
Holsworthy railway station
Holsworthy was a railway station on the now closed railway line from Okehampton to Bude. It opened in 1879 to serve the market town of Holsworthy in Devon and closed in 1966, a victim of the Beeching Axe.- History :...
on the new Bude Branch. Five years later, it became a junction station with the construction by the North Cornwall Railway
North Cornwall Railway
The North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of 49 miles 67 chains. Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the London and South Western Railway to...
of a line south to Launceston
Launceston railway station
Launceston railway station was situated in Launceston, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was served by both the Great Western Railway and London and South Western Railway ....
which gave the latter company a direct through route over LSWR metals to London Waterloo. The opening of the route south led to the renaming of the station - to Halwill Junction - in March 1887. By the close of the century both lines had been extended - the Bude Branch reaching Bude
Bude railway station
Bude railway station was the western terminus of the Bude Branch. It was opened in 1898 by the London and South Western Railway to serve the coastal town of Bude and closed in 1966 after having been proposed for closure in the Beeching Report....
by 10 August 1898 and the North Cornwall Line to Padstow
Padstow railway station
Padstow railway station was the western terminus of the North Cornwall Railway. It was opened in 1899 by the London and South Western Railway to serve the port of Padstow...
by 23 March 1899.
A third route stretching out to the north towards Torrington
Torrington railway station
Torrington station was a west country railway station that dispatched trains to Bideford and Barnstaple, as well as being a terminus for the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway line to Halwill in North Devon. The station was closed for regular passenger services in 1965 but special...
was opened on 27 July 1925 by the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway. This was served by a separate uncovered platform outside the main station building, situated to the north. The station now became officially known as Halwill, although its running-in board provided a fuller description of the routes available, proudly announcing Halwill for Beaworthy, junction for the Bude, North Cornwall & Torrington Lines.
Always a slightly odd station in the sense that it served no particular large urban conurbation and acted largely as a useful interchange between three different lines, Halwill was at its busiest in the period up to the Second World War when eight sidings were laid to deal with the military traffic in the lead-up to D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. It also relied, as did the lines which it served, to a large extent on summer holiday traffic and when this began to dry-up in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the increased use of the motorcar, it became unprofitable and a candidate for closure in the Beeching Report. First proposed for closure in April 1964, Halwill saw its connecting lines close one by one over the next few years - the line north to Torrington closed to passengers on 1 March 1965 and those to Bude and Padstow on 3 October 1966, heralding the end for the formerly important railway junction. The line north did, however, remain open between Torrington and Barnstaple
Barnstaple railway station
Barnstaple railway station is the terminus of a long branch line, known as the Tarka Line, 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-History:...
for freight until 1982.
The station today
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
Chairman, Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
, who recommended the station's closure.
In 1990 the Devon Wildlife Trust
Devon Wildlife Trust
The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's urban, rural and marine wildlife and its...
purchased from British Rail and a private landowner a section of trackbed around Halwill to create a nature reserve covering an area of 2¾ hectares divided into five compartments. In 1998 Devon County Council began works to enable a cycleway to cross the site; this was realised in April 2005 when a 2½ mile (4 kilometres) cycleway, forming part of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
, was opened which runs from the village centre via Beeching Close through the nature reserve and the woods on an elevated boardbank to the Forest Centre at Cookworthy where the South West Forest and the Ruby Country Initiative are based. The section was opened as part of a plan by the County Council to extend the Tarka Trail
Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It is a figure-of-eight route, based on Barnstaple, and covers some of path....
to Hatherleigh
Hatherleigh railway station
Hatherleigh Railway Station was a station on the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway between Torrington and Halwill Junction, serving the town of Hatherleigh. Hatherleigh was the largest place with a station on the line, though the town was almost two miles away...
, from where the Ruby Way will continue to Halwill Junction and then on to Holsworthy and Bude.
External links
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