Bere Ferrers railway station
Bere Ferrers  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Former station building and signal box | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Bere Ferrers, Devon England | ||||
| Coordinates | 50°27′00″N 4°10′52″W / 50.450°N 4.181°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SX452635 | ||||
| Manager | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BFE | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  4,410 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  10,786 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 11,258 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 13,026 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 14,614 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Bere Ferrers station on the Tamar Valley Line is situated near the village of Bere Ferrers in Devon, England. The station is on the former Southern main line between Exeter and Plymouth via Okehampton. It is currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR).
History
[edit]
The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway opened the station on 2 June 1890 with its main line from Lydford to Devonport, which gave the London and South Western Railway a route into Plymouth that was independent of the Great Western Railway.[1][2]
The station was originally called 'Beer Ferris' after the local Beer family who owned several nearby villages. However, in 1897, the railway company decided that this name promoted an unrefined image of the village due to the association with beer, and therefore changed the name to 'Bere Ferrers' from 18 November 1897. The original spelling can be seen today on the sign on the signal box in the heritage centre.[1]
The station was host to a Southern Railway camping coach from 1936 to 1939.[3] A camping coach was also positioned here by the Southern Region from 1954 to 1959, and two coaches from 1960 to 1964.[4]
Goods traffic was withdrawn from 8 October 1962. Through services beyond Bere Alston towards Tavistock and Exeter were withdrawn on 6 May 1968[5] and Bere Ferrers was reduced to a single platform on 27 October 1968 which is sufficient for the remaining services to and from Gunnislake.[1]
Accidents and incidents
[edit]The station was the scene of a fatal railway accident on 24 September 1917. Ten soldiers from New Zealand were being transported from Plymouth to Salisbury following their arrival in Britain. At Bere Ferrers station they alighted from their troop train for a brief rest (on the wrong side of the train, between the tracks) and, being unaccustomed to British railways, were struck and killed by an oncoming express. The men are buried in a Plymouth war cemetery, and a plaque was unveiled in 2001 in their memory in the village centre.[6][7][1]
Description
[edit]The main building was on the down platform and incorporated a house for the station master and remains as a private house. There was also a small goods shed on this side at the Plymouth end of the station which has also been converted into a house. The goods yard is now a railway heritage centre and includes the signal box that was formerly at Pinhoe.[1]
Services
[edit]Bere Ferrers is served by GWR trains on the Tamar Valley Line from Gunnislake to Plymouth. Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth.[8] There are nine services each way calling on weekdays, eight on Saturdays and either five or six on a Sunday (depending on the time of year).
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bere Alston towards Gunnislake |
Great Western Railway | St Budeaux Victoria Road towards Plymouth | ||
Heritage Centre
[edit]The sidings alongside the station form the Tamar Belle Heritage Centre. This includes some old carriages which are used as a restaurant and as camping coaches.[9] The LSWR signal box was erected here in 1989/90 but was formerly at Pinhoe railway station on the outskirts of Exeter.
Community railway
[edit]The railway from Plymouth to Gunnislake is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Tamar Valley Line" name.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Dovecote Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-904-34955-6.
- ↑ Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Troubador Publishing. p. 450. ISBN 978-1-78803-768-6.
- ↑ McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Foxline. p. 33. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
- ↑ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Foxline. p. 59. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
- ↑ Oakley 2007, p. 184.
- ↑ "Memorial Unveiled for Kiwi Soldiers". BBC Devon News. 2001. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
- ↑ "Bere Ferrers Station Accident-1917". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ↑ Table 137 National Rail timetable, May 2023
- ↑ "Welcome to the Tamar Belle". Tamar Belle. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Cheesman, AJ (1967). The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway. Blandford Forum: Oakwood Press.
- Clinker, CR (1963). The Railways of Cornwall 1809 - 1963. Dawlish: David and Charles.
- Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (2006), Tamar Valley Line Rail Ale Trail
External links
[edit]- The Tamar Belle, a visitor centre based in the old station building.