Pewsey railway station

Pewsey
National Rail
The station building
General information
LocationPewsey, Wiltshire
England
Coordinates51°20′31″N 1°46′16″W / 51.342°N 1.771°W / 51.342; -1.771
Grid referenceSU160603
ManagerGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePEW[1]
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original company
Berks and Hants Extension Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
11 November 1862Opened
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 47,702
2021/22Increase 0.159 million
2022/23Increase 0.181 million
2023/24Increase 0.187 million
2024/25Increase 0.209 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Pewsey railway station serves the large village of Pewsey in the county of Wiltshire, England. The station is on the Berks and Hants line, 75 miles 26 chains (75.33 mi; 121.2 km) measured from the zero point at London Paddington,[2] and served by intercity trains operated by Great Western Railway between London and the West Country.

History

The station was opened by the Berks and Hants Extension Railway on 11 November 1862 when the railway opened,[3] 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.[4] 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.[4]

In 1969, the footbridge was replaced with a secondhand one brought from Cookham.[5] By 2015 this bridge was in poor condition and was itself replaced in 2016 by Network Rail with a new, taller, structure incorporating a rainwater drainage system and costing £465,000.[5]

In 1985, the station was awarded a First Class award in the Best Preserved Station competition of the Association of Railway Preservation Societies.[4] Trevor Beaven, a long-serving stationmaster who retired in December 2019,[6] was awarded an MBE for his services in 1999.[7]

The station drew attention after two separate incidents where trains due to stop at the station continued past to Westbury.[8]

Facilities

The station has a ticket office and a ticket machine, a car park and cycle storage, accessible toilets, waiting rooms, departure screens and help points.[9] Both platforms have step-free access, although the footbridge connecting them does not have lifts.[10]

Passenger volume

Passenger volume at Pewsey[11]
2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Entries and exits 142,084 147,390 150,911 169,733 178,992 181,872 202,962 210,844 203,686 204,388 218,616 233,196 238,904 247,352 221,712 269,352 47,702 158,872 181,100 187,072 209,098

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

A Great Western Railway service calls at Pewsey in March 2023

All services at Pewsey are operated by Great Western Railway. Off-peak there is generally a train every 2 hours between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids of which some continue to Paignton, Plymouth or Penzance. Additional services call at Pewsey during the peak periods.[12]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Bedwyn   Great Western Railway
Reading-Taunton line		   Westbury
Newbury    
  Historical railways  
Wootton Rivers Halt
Line open, station closed		   Great Western Railway
Berks and Hants Extension Railway		   Manningford Halt
Line open, station closed

Cultural references

The station was featured in Episode 29 of All the Stations, on 22 June 2017. Presenters Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe highlighted in particular the irregular service pattern.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 12B. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
  3. ↑ Quick 2023, p. 365.
  4. 1 2 3 Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 1-904349-33-1.
  5. 1 2 "Pewsey gets new footbridge and promise of faster trains". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held at the Oare Village Hall on Thursday 14th November 2019 at 7:30 pm" (PDF). wilcotandhuish-pc.gov.uk. WILCOT and HUISH (with OARE) PARISH COUNCIL. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "MBE civil (A - C)". BBC News. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "GWR train fails to stop again at Pewsey station". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Pewsey train station | Departures, arrivals and tickets | GWR". www.gwr.com. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pewsey Station | National Rail". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  12. ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 122 (Network Rail)
  13. ↑ All The Stations (30 June 2017). What Did We Just Stumble Upon? - Episode 29, Day 47 - Bristol to Trowbridge. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via YouTube.

Bibliography

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