Ashcott | |
---|---|
Site of the station in 1995 | |
Location | Ashcott, Sedgemoor England |
Grid reference | ST449397 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Pre-grouping | Somerset Central Railway |
Post-grouping | SR and LMS Western Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
July 1856 | Station opened as Ashcott and Meare |
1876 | Renamed Ashcott |
7 March 1966 | Station closed |
Ashcott railway station was a station on the Highbridge branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Opened by the Somerset Central Railway in 1856 as Ashcott and Meare, the name changed to Ashcott in 1876. Consisting of a short wooden platform and station building, the station was next to a road level crossing. This was operated with a 10 lever ground frame.
The station was opened by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, a joint line run by a committee for the Midland Railway and the Southern Railway. The line became a joint operation of the Southern Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway after the grouping of 1923. It was placed in the Western Region when the railways were nationalised in 1948. The station closed when trains were withdrawn during the Beeching Axe, taking effect on 7 March 1966.
.5 miles (0.80 km) west of Ashcott existed Alexander Siding, which allowed exchange between the SD&JR and the Eclipse Peat Works 2 ft (610 mm) industrial tramway system, and hence distribution of cut peat products across the United Kingdom. [1] The Eclipse also had a level crossing on the SD&JR branch further towards Glastonbury.
On 19 August 1949, [2] a British Railways passenger train from Highbridge collided with an Eclipse narrow gauge diesel locomotive crossing on the level and left the track, ending up in the Glastonbury Canal. [3]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Glastonbury and Street Line and station closed | Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways | Shapwick Line and station closed |
Ashcott is a small village and civil parish located in the Sedgemoor area of Somerset in the south-west of England. The village has a population of 1,186. The parish includes the hamlets of Ashcott Corner, Berhill, Buscott, Nythe and Pedwell.
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Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels, in South West England has occurred since the area was first drained by the Romans, and continues today on an area of less than 0.5% of the total geography. The modern system in recycling land back to farm use and conservation has resulted in the creation of numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest.