Carrying on the line from Yeovil to Taunton, we have left Pen Mill, through Town, and now on to Hendford and Hendford Halt.
Hendford was the first station to open in Yeovil on the 26th Oct 1853. The line extended to Pen Mill in Feb 1857.
The blue line on this map is Lysander Road. Hendford was originally ‘on the outskirts of town’, being over 500m from the main high street. Obviously, over time, the area built up around the station. After Pen Mill, and Town, were opened, Hendford was converted into a goods yard.
Hendford
A view of what the station would have looked like after it’s initial construction. Building started in 1847 by the Bristol & Exeter Company, and the line ran to Durston, and then later, Taunton. The track was Brunnel’s seven feet and one quart inch gauge. Image from South Somerset Heritage Collection.
Hendford closed to passengers in 1861 when they opened the Town station. A photographer took this image in 1953 and it shows the remains of the original buildings. Today, shops and a building yard stand further down from this viewpoint. Image from South Somerset Heritage Collection.
It’s now 1956 and this is now known as Hendford Goods Yard, which was to the left and behind the main station and used as a store. The wall and bridge remain today, which support the old trackbed, which is a cycle/walk way today. Image from South Somerset Heritage Collection.
No 4593 is working the 12:37pm from Pen Mill on 13th June 1964, the last day of passenger services. The once busy yard handled ever type of merchandise but traffic dwindled until closure took place on teh 9th Oct 1967. The yard crane had a 10 tone capacity in 1938. Image by John Day.
Looking back towards Hendford, access to Nine Springs, was over a footpath across the line, and remains to this day. BR Standard 3 2-6-2T 82040 is hauling the 12:56 train from Taunton to Yeovil Pen in April 1964. Image by John Day.
Hendford Halt
When Hendford became a goods yard, it became apparent that they needed a halt. Hendford Halt was opened, as a single platform halt on 2nd May 1932 and closed on 15 June 1964. The station has since been demolished.
After shunting the goods yard all afternoon, ex-GWR 45xx 2-6-2T 4593 stands alongside the signal box at Hendford. It was quietly waiting to leave for the evening with transfer freight to Yeovil Junction. Image by John Day.
Taken from the bridge between West Hendford and Rusty Well (which is no longer there), a Collett 22xx 0-6-0 tender engine stands with a freight train on the end of the the long siding, waiting for a path to Pen Mill. Meanwhile, a pannier tank arrives on the branch with steam shut off, as the board is at danger ahead. The signal can be seen in the distance beyond the freight train on the left. Image by R. Lumber.
Turn around, on the same bridge, and his is looking over towards Hendford, Town, and Pen Mill. It’s the 13th August 1961, and we see the commencement of the fan of goods sidings as a permanent way trains rattles under our feet. In the distance is the 1853 passenger station building. Image by John Day.
Passengers wait to join the train had Hendford Halt on the 15th June 1963. A class 3MT 2-6-2T 82042 arrives with the 9:56am train from Yeovil Pen Mill to Taunton. The branch line closed to passengers exactly one year later on 15th June 1964. Image by S. P. J. A Derek.
Hendford Halt, and the bridge, served the industrial district until the closure of the halt in 1965. Image by C. L. Caddy.
The Signal Box
The signal box at Hendford was situated on the opposite side of the halt platform, and was opened in 1881. It was almost certainly the only one that existed there. Damaged by fire on 25th June 1926, and the roof was replaced by a new GWR standard design timber top. The box had a 24 lever frame, and double twist locking, converted to VT 3-Bar locking. The box closed on 12th September 1965.
After the closure
After the closure of the line, Hendford changed to a point where it was almost unrecognisable.
This is what Lysander Road looked like, at the start of its construction. Taken circa 1971-72. Image by John Penny.
This is the bridge between Hendford West and Rusty Well, stood where the fast food restaurant is on Lysander Road now. You can see the remains of the halt on the right, and the signal box would have been on the left. The bridge is no longer there. Taken circa 1971-72. Image by John Penny.
Standing on the bridge, this is looking east towards Town and Pen Mill. You can just about make out the old station building for Hendford and the bridge for Hendford Hill. Taken circa 1971-72. Image by John Penny.
Hendford Today
Even though the railway has good, and the stations are missing, some of the line is now a walkway and in a beautiful area called Nine Springs.
This map shows how difficult it is to see where Hendford Halt was. The two red outlined areas are the petrol station (on the left) and the fast food restaurant (on the right). The green line is where the railway ran and the bridge, over the line, completely gone.
I love that all the railway tracks were nice and level, it makes for a nice walkway today. Yes, it is sad the iron road has gone, but nice that some of it is remembered and not completely forgotten.
Today, this is where Hendford Station was. The wall on the right is all that remains of the old station, and the wall leads up to where the goods yard was, which is now a building merchants today.
Looking over the wall, you can’t really see where Lysander Road is, but the old goods yard ran all the way to road.
Standing on Lysander Road and looking east towards Pen Mill. This is where the north side of the goods yard was, down to the roundabout. A huge area, once full of tracks, a crane and sheds, now a building merchants.
This is the view of Hendford Halt. As with most of these photos, it is hard to tell exactly where everything was, but the main forecourt of the petrol station is where the signal box was. Also notice the lack of the bridge that went over the line.
Then and Now
I’m going to say it again, but trying to recreate the Then & Now photos, was very difficult, but here we go.
The wall on the right is still there, but the original station, built in 1853, gone. There now stands a shop, with nothing left of the platform left.
This is looking in the other direction, again, the wall is there, as is a now disused bridge. The trackbed is now a walkway.
Hendford Halt has nothing left to it at all. It was impossible to stand where the bridge was, but I was able to get this shot from the car park of the fast food restaurant and using a very long selfie stick. Thank you to Sarah for giving me permission to take this shot.
Turning around, looking east towards Hendford Goods Yards, again, nothing is left. You can see the entrance to Nine Springs in the middle of the ‘now’ image, but all of the iron road has been pulled up and replaced with roads.
Next Up
So there is what is left of Hendford Goods Yard and Halt. Next on the line to Taunton was Monacute Station, which sadly, doesn’t have much left either. The trackbed heading out to Martock is now the main A3088. You pass under some impressive bridges, but there’s no chance of putting the railway back.
Thank you to Derek Philips for the use of him images from his book Working Yeovil to Taunton Steam. Also thank you to Middleton Press for the use of the images from their books about the railways in Yeovil.
Remember to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss any of these posts.
