Moulsford railway station
Encyclopedia
Moulsford railway station was on the original route of the Great Western Railway
, being one of three intermediate stations provided when the line was extended from to in 1840.
was built and opened in stages. It had opened as far as Reading on 30 March 1840; on 1 June 1840 it was opened to Steventon, with three intermediate stations, the northernmost of which was Wallingford Road; it was possibly named Moulsford originally, being renamed by December 1840.
Wallingford Road station was located on the eastern side of the Reading–Wallingford main road (the present-day A329 road
), about a mile to the north of Moulsford
village, and slightly further from the village of Cholsey
, which lies to the north. Being on the western side of the River Thames
it was then in Berkshire
; the boundaries were redrawn in 1974 placing the station site two miles inside present-day Oxfordshire
.
On 2 July 1866, a branch line to was opened by the Wallingford & Watlington Railway, and on the same day Wallingford Road station was renamed Moulsford. Whilst the junction for the branch was at Moulsford station, the branch line track ran parallel to the main line for three-quarters of a mile before curving away. The Wallingford & Watlington Railway never reached the second-named town, and it was absorbed by the GWR in 1872.
In 1892, during quadrupling of the main line, the junction for Wallingford was resited down the line to the north-west, closer to the point of divergence, and a new station built there. Moulsford station closed on 29 February 1892, being replaced the same day by the new station which was known as Cholsey and Moulsford
, being significantly closer to Cholsey than to Moulsford. Some of the original station buildings can still be seen at the site of Moulsford railway station.
To the south-east of the former station site is Moulsford Railway Bridge
, a stone-faced brick bridge which crosses the River Thames
, having four 62 feet (18.9 m) skew arch
es.
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...
, being one of three intermediate stations provided when the line was extended from to in 1840.
History
The Great Western RailwayGreat 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...
was built and opened in stages. It had opened as far as Reading on 30 March 1840; on 1 June 1840 it was opened to Steventon, with three intermediate stations, the northernmost of which was Wallingford Road; it was possibly named Moulsford originally, being renamed by December 1840.
Wallingford Road station was located on the eastern side of the Reading–Wallingford main road (the present-day A329 road
A329 road
The A329 is an east-west road in Southern England that runs from Wentworth in Surrey to Thame in Oxfordshire. The A329 starts at the A30 in Surrey and passes through the towns of Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Earley, Reading, the village of Pangbourne, and Wallingford in Oxfordshire...
), about a mile to the north of Moulsford
Moulsford
Moulsford is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire to the county of Oxfordshire, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire....
village, and slightly further from the village of Cholsey
Cholsey
Cholsey is a village and civil parish south of Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire to the county of Oxfordshire, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire....
, which lies to the north. Being on the western side of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
it was then in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
; the boundaries were redrawn in 1974 placing the station site two miles inside present-day Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
On 2 July 1866, a branch line to was opened by the Wallingford & Watlington Railway, and on the same day Wallingford Road station was renamed Moulsford. Whilst the junction for the branch was at Moulsford station, the branch line track ran parallel to the main line for three-quarters of a mile before curving away. The Wallingford & Watlington Railway never reached the second-named town, and it was absorbed by the GWR in 1872.
In 1892, during quadrupling of the main line, the junction for Wallingford was resited down the line to the north-west, closer to the point of divergence, and a new station built there. Moulsford station closed on 29 February 1892, being replaced the same day by the new station which was known as Cholsey and Moulsford
Cholsey railway station
Cholsey railway station, previously known as Cholsey and Moulsford railway station, is a railway station located in the village of Cholsey in Oxfordshire in England...
, being significantly closer to Cholsey than to Moulsford. Some of the original station buildings can still be seen at the site of Moulsford railway station.
To the south-east of the former station site is Moulsford Railway Bridge
Moulsford Railway Bridge
Moulsford Railway Bridge, known locally as "Four Arches" bridge is actually a pair of parallel bridges located a little to the north of Moulsford and South Stoke in Oxfordshire, UK. It carries the Great Western Main Line from Paddington, London to Wales and the West across the River Thames...
, a stone-faced brick bridge which crosses the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, having four 62 feet (18.9 m) skew arch
Skew arch
A skew arch is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its plan view being a parallelogram, rather than the rectangle that is the plan view of...
es.