Fritwell & Somerton railway station
Former railway station in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fritwell & Somerton railway station was on the Oxford to Banbury line of the Great Western Railway,[1] and was opened four years after the line, in September 1854.[2] It was in the village of Somerton, Oxfordshire.
Fritwell & Somerton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Site of the station in 1992 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Somerton, Oxfordshire England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51.956°N 1.279°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SP496289 | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 2 September 1850 | Line opened from Oxford to Banbury | ||||
| 1855 | Station opened as Somerton | ||||
| 2 July 1906 | renamed Somerton Oxon | ||||
| 1 October 1907 | renamed Fritwell & Somerton | ||||
| 2 November 1964 | Station closed | ||||
| |||||
History
The line had been authorised as the Oxford and Rugby Railway, but had been absorbed by the GWR prior to its opening on 2 September 1850. No station was originally planned at Somerton — the nearest station to the village was Heyford, three miles (4.8 km) to the south.[3] The station at Aynho for Deddington was closer by rail, being about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) to the north, but the road journey was about 5 miles (8 km).
It was soon decided that Somerton needed a station. It was built south of the railway bridge in the village, and opened in 1855, being originally named Somerton.[3][4]
A station at Somerton (Somerset) was opened on 2 July 1906,[5][4] and to avoid confusion, the Oxfordshire station was renamed twice: first to Somerton Oxon also on 2 July 1906,[4] then to Fritwell & Somerton on 1 October 1907,[6][7] although the village of Fritwell is 2 miles (3 km) away.
The goods service was withdrawn on 4 May 1964,[8] and the passenger service ceased on 2 November 1964.[9][10][2]
Route
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aynho for Deddington Line open, station closed |
Great Western Railway Oxford and Rugby Railway |
Heyford Line and station open | ||