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Wells (Priory Road) railway station
Encyclopedia
Wells was a railway station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
at Wells
in the county of Somerset
in England
. Opening on 15 March 1859 as Wells, on the Somerset Central Railway, at that time a broad-gauge line operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
, it was the terminus of the branch from Glastonbury
.
The East Somerset Railway
, an offshoot of the Great Western Railway
-owned Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
, extended its line to Wells in 1862 with its own station to the east of Priory Road. Then in 1870, the Bristol and Exeter Railway
's Cheddar Valley Railway from Yatton
reached Wells with a third terminus station at Tucker Street
to the north west of Priory Road. Finally, in 1878, with all three lines by this time converted to standard gauge, the GWR linked the Cheddar Valley line to the East Somerset line by running over a stretch of the Somerset and Dorset line, including through Priory Road station. The East Somerset station closed on the commencement of through-running, but the through trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934 and for 56 years passengers from, say, Glastonbury to Cheddar would need to change stations in Wells.
Priory Road adopted the full name in October 1883, and the Cheddar Valley line station was renamed as Tucker Street in 1920.
Priory Road station consisted of one platform with a station building and an overall roof. The adjacent goods yard and junction with the GWR were controlled from a signal box
. The station closed to passengers on 29 October 1951 and the train shed
roof was taken down soon after, although passenger traffic on the former GWR line through the station continued until 1963, with goods traffic until 1969.
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
at Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
in the county of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Opening on 15 March 1859 as Wells, on the Somerset Central Railway, at that time a broad-gauge line operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
, it was the terminus of the branch from Glastonbury
Glastonbury and Street railway station
Glastonbury and Street railway station was the biggest station on the original Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway main line from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction until closed in 1966 under the Beeching axe...
.
The East Somerset Railway
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...
, an offshoot of 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...
-owned Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
, extended its line to Wells in 1862 with its own station to the east of Priory Road. Then in 1870, the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
's Cheddar Valley Railway from Yatton
Yatton railway station
Yatton railway station serves the village of Yatton in North Somerset, England. It is west of Bristol Temple Meads railway station on the Bristol to Taunton Line.-History:...
reached Wells with a third terminus station at Tucker Street
Wells (Tucker Street) railway station
Wells railway station was the second terminus station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset after the extension from the first terminus at Cheddar was opened...
to the north west of Priory Road. Finally, in 1878, with all three lines by this time converted to standard gauge, the GWR linked the Cheddar Valley line to the East Somerset line by running over a stretch of the Somerset and Dorset line, including through Priory Road station. The East Somerset station closed on the commencement of through-running, but the through trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934 and for 56 years passengers from, say, Glastonbury to Cheddar would need to change stations in Wells.
Priory Road adopted the full name in October 1883, and the Cheddar Valley line station was renamed as Tucker Street in 1920.
Priory Road station consisted of one platform with a station building and an overall roof. The adjacent goods yard and junction with the GWR were controlled from a signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
. The station closed to passengers on 29 October 1951 and the train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
roof was taken down soon after, although passenger traffic on the former GWR line through the station continued until 1963, with goods traffic until 1969.