Place Sidmouth Post-grouping Southern Railway Platforms in use 2 | Area East Devon 6 July 1874 Station opens | |
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6 March 1967 Station closes to passengers 8 May 1967 station closes for freight Original company London and South Western Railway Similar Tipton St Johns railway st, Feniton railway station, Tipton St John, Exmouth railway station, Coronation Chair | ||
Sidmouth railway station was a fully operational station located in Sidmouth, Devon, England until its closure in 1967. The station is now a privately owned property at the top of Alexandria Road, Sidmouth. The line was part of the Southern Railway, a branch off the Salisbury to Exeter route (West of England Main Line) at Sidmouth Junction.
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History
The station opened on 6 July 1874, built and operated by the Sidmouth Railway Company to satisfy the needs of visitors to the resort.
The railway station was located a mile and a half away from the seafront and town centre.
Initially there were seven trains per day, but this increased to 24 in the 1930s. Passenger numbers remained viable well into the 1950s, but rail service rationalisation in the 1960s significantly reduced the frequency of train services. The consequent reduction in passenger numbers led inevitably to closure of the branch line; passenger services ceased on 6 March 1967 and freight services continued up to the line closure on 8 May 1967. The railway track was lifted shortly after this.
There were two platforms: one could hold five coaches, and the other seven. Occasionally a longer train would arrive, and would need to be split between the platforms.
The goods yard was located directly next to the passenger station, goods traffic was always light and consisted mainly of agricultural goods and coal for the nearby gasworks.
The station today
The buildings railway heritage is still clear, as can be seen from the photograph of the front of the building which was the original entrance to the ticket office and waiting rooms. Round the back there is still some platform and canopy, in use by a builders' merchant. The site has been completely redeveloped with the builders merchant built on the goods yard and an industrial estate on the passenger lines, a housing development (Bulverton Park, Bulverton) has been built on the trackbed to the north of the station.
Since the closure of this station, Sidmouth's nearest rail hub is Honiton railway station, 9 miles away.