Long Ashton railway station
{{Short description|Railway station in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Long Ashton
| status = Disused
| image = Long Ashton railway station MMB 01.jpg
| caption = The site of Long Ashton railway station.
| borough = Long Ashton, North Somerset
| country = England
| platforms = 2
| original = Bristol and Exeter Railway
| pregroup = Great Western Railway
| years = 14 June 1841 or June 1852
| events = Opened as Ashton
| years2 = January 1856
| events2 = Closed
| years3 = 12 July 1926
| events3 = Reopened as Long Ashton Platform
| years4 = 6 October 1941
| events4 = Closed
}}
Long Ashton railway station was a railway station on the Bristol to Exeter line, {{convert|3.5|mi|km}} southwest of {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}}, serving the village of Long Ashton in North Somerset, England. There were two stations on the site, the first, called "Ashton", opened in either 1841 or 1852 and closed in 1856. The second station, originally known as "Long Ashton Platform" before being renamed as "Long Ashton" in 1929, was operational from 1926 to 1941. The site is now partly under the A370 Long Ashton Bypass, and there are no visible remains of the station. There is local support for the station to be reopened, possibly sited further to the west, and possibly as part of the University of Bristol's proposed Fenswood Farm development.
First station
The Bristol and Exeter Railway was opened between {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} and {{rws|Bridgwater}} on 14 June 1841, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and build originally as {{RailGauge|7ft}} broad-gauge. A station named "Ashton", serving the nearby village of Long Ashton, was located on an embankment {{convert|3|mi|52|chain|km|2}} from {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} and {{convert|122|mi|3|chain|km|2}} from the Great Western Railway terminus at London Paddington.{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/ELRs/_mileages/M/MLN1.txt|title=Engineers' Line References: MLN1 Paddington to North Road Junction|access-date=11 April 2012|author=Deaves, Phil}}{{cite book|last=Cobb|first= M.H.|title=Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas|isbn=9780711032361|publisher=Ian Allan}}Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to the mile. Quite when the station opened is uncertain – Butt's Directory of Railway Stations states that the station opened with the line in June 1841,{{Butt-Stations |page=20 }} but Quick's Railway Passenger Stations states it only opened in June 1852. Both sources agree that the station closed in January 1856,{{Quick-Stations|page=64}} however other sources such as Oakley's Somerset Railway Stations contain no reference to Ashton at all.{{cite book |last= Oakley |first= Mike |title = Somerset Railway Stations |publisher=Redcliffe |year =2002 |location= Bristol |isbn = 1-90453-754-5}} If the earlier date is correct, services would have originally been provided by the Great Western Railway on behalf of the Bristol & Exeter. The Bristol & Exeter took over passenger operations on 1 May 1849.
The line through Ashton remained open after the station closed. In 1871, the Bristol & Exeter opened another station called Ashton, closer to Bristol, this station was later renamed {{rws|Bedminster}}. The line had been reconstructed as mixed-gauge by 1 June 1875 to accommodate local traffic. A year later in 1876, the Bristol & Exeter was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway, which took over services. Broad-gauge trains ceased operation on 20 May 1892.{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863–1921 |year=1931 |publisher=Great Western Railway |location=Paddington |oclc=55853736 |pages=133–4, 617 }}
{{Historical Rail Start}}
{{rail line|previous = {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}}|next={{rws|Nailsea and Backwell}}|route=Bristol and Exeter Railway
(1841 or 1852 – 1856)|col={{GWR colour}}}}
{{end}}
Second station
The station was reopened by the Great Western Railway in 1926, now called Long Ashton Platform; Ashton by then was the name of a station on the Teign Valley Line in Devon. Again, the exact date of opening is disputed: most sources state 12 July 1926,{{Butt-Stations |page=148 }}{{cite book|first=C.R.|last=Clinker|title=Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales, 1830-1977|year=1978|publisher=Avon-Anglia Publications and Services|isbn=0905466195}} but some say 20 September the same year.{{cite book |last=Nock |first=O.S. |author-link=O. S. Nock |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. 3: 1923-1947 |year=1967 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Shepperton |isbn=0-7110-0304-1 |page=248 }} It was located on the same site as the first station.
The station was a basic halt, and had two {{convert|400|xx|10|ft|m}} platforms. A corrugated iron shelter and lamp hut were provided on the westbound platform, and a small booking office was present on the road to the platform. The estimated cost of construction was £1,930.
The station was renamed Long Ashton on 23 September 1929, and closed on 6 October 1941. There is now no trace of it left, and the site is now partly under the A370 Long Ashton Bypass causeway.{{cite book |title=OS Landranger Map 172 – Bristol & Bath |year=2008 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |location=Southampton |isbn=978-0-319-22914-9}}
{{Historical Rail Start}}
{{rail line two to one|previous1 = {{rws|Bedminster}}|previous2 = {{rws|Parson Street}}|next={{rws|Flax Bourton}}
Line open, station closed.|route1=Great Western Railway
Bristol to Exeter line
(1926-27)|route2=Great Western Railway
Bristol to Exeter line
(1927-41)|col={{GWR colour}}}}
{{end}}
Future
Plans were submitted in 2010 to reopen the station as part of the University of Bristol's Fenswood Farm development, which, if granted planning permission, will comprise some 1,200 houses, businesses and a school spread over {{convert|35|ha|acres}}.{{cite web|url=http://anthonybutcher.com/fenswood-farm/ |title=Fenswood Farm |author=Butcher, Anthony |access-date=10 April 2012 |date=7 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311214353/http://anthonybutcher.com/fenswood-farm/ |archive-date=11 March 2012 }} The new station would be up to {{convert|1|mi|km}} west of the original location. The University notes that there is positive support for the station, but that it alone cannot guarantee its construction.{{cite web|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/estates/long-ashton/questions.html|title=The future of University-owned land at Long Ashton - questions and answers |publisher=University of Bristol|access-date=10 April 2012}} Long Ashton parish councillor Anthony Butcher opposes the development, but supports the reopening of the station.{{cite web|url=http://anthonybutcher.com/2011/01/train-station-for-long-ashton/|title=Train station for Long Ashton|author=Butcher, Anthony|access-date=10 April 2012|date=7 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426075725/http://anthonybutcher.com/2011/01/train-station-for-long-ashton/|archive-date=26 April 2011|df=dmy-all}} The station could be reopened as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme,{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bristol-s-metro-far-track-think/story-12854178-detail/story.html|title=Bristol's metro is not as far off track as you might think|publisher=Bristol Evening Post|date=30 June 2011|access-date=10 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510142223/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bristol-s-metro-far-track-think/story-12854178-detail/story.html|archive-date=10 May 2012|df=dmy-all}} a rail transport plan approved in July 2012 which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area.{{cite news|author=Ribbeck, Michael |publisher=Northcliffe Media |work=The Post, Bristol |date=6 July 2012 |access-date=6 July 2012 |title=£100 million Bristol Metro train network by 2016 |url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/100-million-Bristol-Metro-train-network-2016/story-16492523-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708233227/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/100-million-Bristol-Metro-train-network-2016/story-16492523-detail/story.html |archive-date= 8 July 2012 }}
The Bristol to Exeter line through Long Ashton is not currently electrified. The 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line will see the line from London to Bristol electrified, but electrification will not extend beyond Bristol to {{rws|Weston-super-Mare}}.{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bristol-London-line-electrified/story-11312089-detail/story.html |title=Bristol to London line to be electrified |work=This is Bristol |publisher=Northcliffe Media |date=23 July 2009 |access-date=5 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923070847/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bristol-London-line-electrified/story-11312089-detail/story.html |archive-date=23 September 2013 }}{{cite press release|url=http://www.johnpenrose.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=258:westons-rail-commuter-services-could-be-cut-warns-towns-mp&catid=48:communities-not-dormitories&Itemid=108 |title=Weston's rail commuter services could be cut, warns town's MP |date=17 July 2009 |access-date=5 April 2012 |publisher=John Penrose MP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103135443/http://www.johnpenrose.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=258%3Awestons-rail-commuter-services-could-be-cut-warns-towns-mp&catid=48%3Acommunities-not-dormitories&Itemid=108 |archive-date=3 January 2013 }} The group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways supports the electrification continuing to Weston,{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Rail-benefits-just-mainline/story-11304651-detail/story.html |title=Benefits of Bristol to London high-speed rail link 'must go beyond just mainline' |date=3 March 2011 |access-date=5 April 2012 |work=This is Bristol |publisher=Northcliffe Media |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705034621/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Rail-benefits-just-mainline/story-11304651-detail/story.html |archive-date=5 July 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://fosbr.org.uk/files/newsletter/11autumn.pdf|title=FoSBR Newsletter|issue=78|publisher=Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways|date=Autumn 2011|access-date=9 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204095719/http://www.fosbr.org.uk/files/newsletter/11autumn.pdf|archive-date=4 February 2012|url-status=dead}} as does Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare, John Penrose.{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/MP-takes-drive-better-rail-services/story-13697379-detail/story.html |title=MP takes drive for better rail services to top |date=29 October 2011 |access-date=5 April 2012 |work=This is Bristol |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016121452/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/MP-takes-drive-better-rail-services/story-13697379-detail/story.html |archive-date=16 October 2013 }}
Notes
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References
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{{coord|51.42716|N|2.64961|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=title}}
{{Proposed rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom}}
Category:Disused railway stations in North Somerset
Category:Former Great Western Railway stations
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1841
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1852
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1856
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1926