Pewsey Railway Station - History

History

The station was opened by the Berks and Hants Extension Railway on 11 November 1862 when the railway opened, connecting the earlier Berks and Hants Railway with the Devizes branch of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, thereby creating a shorter route from London Paddington station to Weymouth. On 2 July 1906 the line became part of the Reading to Taunton line following the opening of the Castle Cary Cut-Off.

The railway was operated from the start by the Great Western Railway and had been built using its 7 ft 0 1⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) broad gauge, but in 1874 it was converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. Initially it was just a single track with a platform on the south side. A passing loop and second platform was installed at Pewsey after a couple of years, and the line was converted to double track in 1899 in preparation for the opening of the Stert Valley Cut-Off at Patney and Chirton. A signal box was situated on the west end of the eastbound platform; it was replaced by a larger signal box in 1933 but this was closed in 1966.

The footbridge was replaced in 1969 with a secondhand one brought from Cookham. In 1984 the old wooden waiting room on the eastbound platform was demolished and replaced by a brick-built shelter. This was built to match the distinctive Berks and Hants style of the original station buildings which still stand on the opposite platform. The following year the station was awarded a First Class award in the Best Preserved Station competition of the Association of Railway Preservation Societies.

The station celebrated its 145th birthday on 9 November 2007. A cake was cut by Pewsey Parish Council chairman, Alex Carder, with First Great Western service delivery manager Alison Stone.