Bristol & Exeter Railway - Surviving Buildings ?

[Hobbler]

Does anyone know what buildings originally built for the Bristol & Exeter Railway Company still exist ?

The only ones I can think of are the Headquarters Office Block next to Bristol Temple Meads incline and three signal boxes - Williton , Stoke Canon and Locking Road at WSM.

Anyone know of anything else ?

[AndyK]

Does the Cheddar Valley line count as B&E?

I know the goods sheds at Wells and Wookey still exist as I pass them quite often.

[Hobbler]

Does the Cheddar Valley line count as B&E?

I know the goods sheds at Wells and Wookey still exist as I pass them quite often.

Certainly the Yatton to Wells Tucker Street section was built by the Bristol & Exeter , whilst the small section through Wells Priory Road was built by the Somerset Central Railway Company and the remainder of the Wells to Witham section by the East Somerset Railway Company.

So it rather depends which goods shed in Wells is still there as each company had their own and I have not been there for may years to know whats left . I believe the S & D one was demolished and rebuilt at Cranmore with the goods office going to Washford.

Are the Axbridge station buildings still alongside the bypass as they would be B & E I would think ?

[James]

Hmm you'd have to check the ages of these, but:

Flax Bourton station house
Hewish crossing keeper's house (?)
Puxton & Worle station building
Uphill station house
Taunton down side buildings and up side water tower base
Wellington goods shed
Hele & Bradninch station building, goods shed, and smaller buildings in the goods yard that display the characteristic decorative barge boards

[AndyK]

Does the Cheddar Valley line count as B&E?

I know the goods sheds at Wells and Wookey still exist as I pass them quite often.

Certainly the Yatton to Wells Tucker Street section was built by the Bristol & Exeter , whilst the small section through Wells Priory Road was built by the Somerset Central Railway Company and the remainder of the Wells to Witham section by the East Somerset Railway Company.

So it rather depends which goods shed in Wells is still there as each company had their own

It is the Tucker Street one that I was referring to.

[Dorlan]

<snip>Are the Axbridge station buildings still alongside the bypass as they would be B & E I would think ?

They were still there last Friday!

[jolly47roger]

There's a little building in the old goods yard at Weston called 'Bristol and Exeter House'. Someone suggested it was a signal box from the horsedrawn branch days.

[StrawberryLine]

I can confirm that the Goods Sheds concerned at Wookey and Wells Tucker Street are both there and are in fact Bristol and Exeter Buildings. The goods shed is the only thing left in Wells that is any indication that a railway ever existed. Also the goods shed at Lodge Hill between Draycott and Wookey was still standing a little while ago. I am not sure what is at Cheddar but the railway station is used by the Wells Cathedral Stonemasons so if it is still there it should be in safe hands. The Station building at Axbridge survives and is right on the by-pass (because the road was built on the course of the railway line). The station building at Sandford and Banwell also survives and enjoys listed building status. Some of the station buildings at Yatton I believe are also still in existence and being used for what they were intended, I haven't been there for years, are they listed? please lets hope it never becomes a Bus Shelter type station in the future.

[Hobbler]

The last time I visited the Cheddar Valley line was many many many years ago , in fact the track was still in situ and even an occasional train was to be seen on the branch so it has come as quite a surprise to learn from this thread just how many buildings have survived the intervening decades. Even more so when you think how quickly buildings on other branch lines in the area seemed to disapear.

Its a shame the overall trainshed roof at Cheddar seems to have gone but at least the rest of the station would appear to be in the right hands.

Back in the 1960's I never heard of any preservation attempts for the branch which was surprising as of all the lines in the area that the preservationists were interested in I would have thought that the tourist potential of at least a section from say Cheddar through Wookey to Wells would have been an attractive proposition.

[jules]

The goods shed at Williton is also a Brunel original (probably from B&E days) and is a listed building. I expect the main station building is too?

I know - I'm Treasurer of the D&EPG and we lease the goods shed from the WSR and it needs rather expensive roof and other repairs!

[Hobbler]

The question as to whether Williton station buildings and goods shed are Bristol & Exeter Company buildings is probably one for the academic historians to establish.

My understanding was that the buildings were erected by the original West Somerset Railway Company ( their design no doubt having been heavily influenced by the B & E) and then leased to the Bristol & Exeter Company who were the lines operators when it opened . The signal box was a B & E design built in 1875 some thirteen years after the line opened and could therefore be said to be wholly B & E.

[AndyK]

I have just retrieved my copy of Steaming Through the Cheddar Valley by Derek Phillips (published 2001).

Of Sandford & Banwell it says "Following the lifting of the branch, the station buildings, remarkably, were not demolished, and stand today being impeccably restored by Sandord Stone and are now listed and protected buildings..... Visitors to the showground can... wander along the platform to the station building which still has its original interior right down to the booking office window. The highly decorative B&E bargeboards are still in place as is the varied tile pattern on the roof...... It is well worth having a look around, including having a cup of tea in the cafe and perhaps nostalgically listening for the sound of a whistle as a GWR pannier tank trailing a 'B' Set runs in from Congresbury...."

It doesn't say whether the lamp hut survives, but if it does what you would see is a replica of the original constructed c.1960.

"Aproximately three years before the closure of the Cheddar Valley Line, three loaded wagons of ballast ran through the good shed and smashed the lamp hut on the platform. Under the original deeds of the line with the Bishopric of Bath & Wells, the lamp hut was completely rebuilt to the original 1860's plans, including the intricate bargeboards, roof ends and finials."

Of the other stations it says:

Lodge Hill - goods shed survives. Station demolished 1989 and stone used to construct a cafe at Cranmore.

Draycott - station building in use as a holiday home.

Cheddar - station in use by a firm of stonemasons.

Axbridge - station and goods shed survive.

Winscombe - station demolished 1973 (But wasn't B&E design).

Congresbury - all demolished 1968.

[jolly47roger]

I see Sandford Station has a new lease of life : http://www.sandford.stmonicatrust.org.uk/

[James]

I see Sandford Station has a new lease of life : http://www.sandford.stmonicatrust.org.uk/

From the gates on Google Streetview

How long before some of us end up living there?

Nice to see a new development that doesn't involve keeping the name but flattening all historic buildings *coughblagdonlodgetaunton*.