Nailsea location

[James]

Has Nailsea station always been in its current position? Just west of the station there is a level open area used for some sort of storage (vans, portakabins or something...I've forgotten now), with a road sloping up towards it on the north side. I thought that maybe the original site had been cleared and rented/sold, and then later on (when demand proved how wrong they were to close it) a new station built in the current location? It's definitely the case at Worle, a couple of stops down the line, where the station building (private house), goods shed (now derelict), and signal box (decaying) still remain, with a new concrete platform a short distance away.

[madhattie]

Has Nailsea station always been in its current position? Just west of the station there is a level open area used for some sort of storage (vans, portakabins or something...I've forgotten now), with a road sloping up towards it on the north side. I thought that maybe the original site had been cleared and rented/sold, and then later on (when demand proved how wrong they were to close it) a new station built in the current location?

Nailsea has always been at the same location. One of the reasons it's 40 foot up on an embankment is because they built it next to the Nailsea - Backwell road.

There were sidings at both ends of the station at one time. The Station building, goods shed and signalbox were all on the spot of the platform shelters on platform 2. The signalbox controlled the sidings and a crossover.

None of my local history books have very much information on Nailsea, but I do know there was at least one colliery at the west end of the station, the pit head still stands in the middle of a park. Perhaps it was rail served and met the mainline at the spot you've mentioned! I shall have to do some more digging next time I'm down there.

[TheLastMinute]

There was indeed a siding that ran to a collieries, but it was only a few 100 yards long to a coal pit and then another few 100 yards as a tramway. It can't have been there for long the 1889 map I'm using has both collieries marked as disused.

There were indeed sidings both sides of the station, with the down sides being far more extensive - enough to warrent two signalboxes. If you want more info, I can recommend the book from edited by RH Clerk "An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations" I belive its called published by OPC. I can check before anyone spends moneys etc.

Mike.