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Historic Archive & photo gallery of
Saltford Station's past

The original railway station at Saltford served the local community for 130 years from its opening on 12th December 1840 until it was closed on 5th January 1970.

'Stations are not only key to passengers' experience of the railway,
they are an intrinsic part of many local communities across Britain'
Investment in stations - A guide for promoters and developers (Network Rail, May 2011)

Our oldest photograph of the station taken in 1880 (!)
Station can be seen (RH side of photo) behind Saltford Brassmill.
Click on photograph or here to open a larger version.
Photograph by Mr Stock, courtesy of Clevedon Civic Society & Woodspring Museum.

Links between Saltford Station and Saltford Golf Club
Estab. 1904

Outside the club house in 1905

Saltford Golf Club (established 1904) owes its existence to the fact that the Great Western Railway from Bristol to Bath stopped at Saltford. Read about the origins of the golf club and the important role of the station by clicking here: open document (pdf 310kb opens in new window).

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Westland Whirlwind fighter crashes into Saltford Station
9th October 1941

An article giving a graphic eyewitness account of the day in October 1941 when a Westland Whirlwind fighter crashed into the weighbridge at Saltford station and exploded. The article paints a picture of the important part Saltford station played in village life in the 1940s.

Click on image or here to open document (pdf opens in a new window).

If you are interested in the Westland Whirlwind, there is a Whirlwind Fighter Project to reproduce a single example of the Westland Whirlwind Mk 1 twin engined single seater WW2 fighter-bomber aircraft. The project's website is at: www.whirlwindfighterproject.org.

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Historic images
Circa 1900 - 1972

c.1900-1905

GWR Class 3232 steam locomotive (built 1892/3 in Swindon) from Bristol arriving at Saltford station c.1900-05.

c.1900

GWR 7 (Armstrong) Class steam locomotive approaching Saltford station c.1900. You can see Saltford Tunnel on LH side and the Brass Mill on the right.

Edwardian era.

You can see the smoke deflectors under the footbridge above each track. This was to prevent any unwary person crossing the bridge being smoked out(!) by steam locomotives passing beneath. They had been re-positioned when the line was converted from broad gauge to standard gauge over a single weekend in 1892.

1915

Postcard image of Saltford Village, 1915, with steam from two passing locomotives (one is at the station).

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c.1920.

Photograph published with kind permission of Akeman Press, Bath.

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Saltford Station c.1947.

Original photograph owned by Mr Fred Blampied featuring Miss Josephine Newton. Below is a ticket dated 21st March 1947!

Signalman Dave Boston working in Saltford signal box c.1957.
Photograph (© Robert Coles) kindly provided by Dave Boston.

Dave Boston previously looked after GWR's horses.
Dave (15/16) at Bristol Temple Meads, late 1940s.
Photograph kindly provided by Dave Boston.

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Saltford Station in 1958.
The car (an Opel) belonged to signalman Dave Boston.
Photograph kindly provided by Dave Boston. © Saltford Environment Group

Saltford Station, 1962, with British Railways Steam Locomotive 1024.
Photograph posted on Flickr by Paul Townsend, 4.1.2015.

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Saltford Signal box (located at the station) in 1958.
Photograph kindly provided by Stella Hurley. © Saltford Environment Group

Signalman Harry Hurley, Saltford signalbox (1958).
Photograph kindly provided by Stella Hurley. © Saltford Environment Group

Signalman Harry Hurley (on right), Saltford signalbox in 1958.
Photograph kindly provided by Stella Hurley. © Saltford Environment Group

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Saltford Tunnel

The Land Slip at Saltford, 1st March 1900

The text on this press article reads:-

A LANDSLIP, happily unattended by loss of life, took place by Saltford tunnel, on the Great Western line between Bath and Bristol, on the 1st inst. Several thousand tons of earth slipped from the side of a deep cutting and fell across the permanent way. The Salisbury train, due at Bristol at 6.50 p.m., dashed into the fallen earth, partly overturning the engine, and fortunately giving the passengers nothing worse than a rough shaking. It took 150 men all night long to get the coaches off the line and replace the broken telegraph wires. Our photograph shows the workmen clearing away the mass of earth next morning.

Aerial photograph of Saltford Tunnel 1972

Photograph taken in 1972 courtesy of Malcolm Guthrie (click on photograph for larger version).
© Saltford Environment Group

This aerial photograph was taken by Saltford resident Malcolm Guthrie flying a Cessna 144. Click on photograph or here to open a much larger version (in new window).

Saltford Tunnel 2014 (with Black Five 44932)

© Jon Godfrey 2014

Steam Locomotive Black Five 44932 is pictured here emerging from Saltford Tunnel westbound towards Bristol, March 2014. This is an important photograph, taken by Saltford resident Jon Godfrey, as it was taken prior to the electrification of the GWR line.

Saltford Tunnel 2015 (with Mayflower 61306)

© Jon Godfrey 2015

Steam Locomotive Mayflower 61306, Cathedrals Express is pictured here emerging from Saltford Tunnel eastbound towards Bath, June 2015. This is an important photograph, taken by Saltford resident Jon Godfrey from an aerial video he produced, as it was taken prior to the electrification of the GWR line.

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The local railway service

Saltford signalman Dave Boston at Bath Junction
(Somerset & Dorset Railway), 1962.
© Saltford Environment Group.

Saltford signalman Dave Boston working at Bath Junction
(Somerset & Dorset Railway), 1962.
© Saltford Environment Group.

Twerton Tunnel signal box, 1960.
Photograph kindly provided by Dave Boston.
© Saltford Environment Group.

Ernest Weeks, Twerton Tunnel signal box, 1911.
Ernest lived in Corston and walked across the fields to work at the signal box.
Photograph kindly provided by Mrs Priscilla Huggins (nee Weeks).