At Patney and Chirton, the railway line for Devizes used to branch off the main London to Taunton line, leading for Pans Lane Halt, Devizes, Rowde and Bromham Halt, Seend, Semington Halt and Holt Junction on the Chippenham to Trowbridge via Melksham line.

The Devizes line, and also Patney and Chirton Station, closed in the Beeching Era, with the last Devizes Branch train running in 1966. These pictures were taken in April 2009

Map locator - Patney_and_Chirton_Station


Patney and Chirton - old footbridge

The old station site is crossed by a public right of way, and the old footbridge remains in place.


Footbridge Finial, Patney and Chirton

There's a certain 1950s decoration to this day on the old footbridge.


Through the bolt hole

Steps down to the platforms have been removed, and blanking plates added on the footbridge so that it's now a long crossing over just two tracks.


Platform Remains, Patney and Chirton

Look carefully at the base of the intermediate bridge supports and you can see a little remaining evidence of an old platform.


Freight Train

Although the station is gone, the line remains in fine fettle and busy, with quite frequent trains passing.


Footbridge, Patney and Chirton

This view gives a full length impression of the footbridge - Patney and Chirton must have been a substantial operational centre in days gone by.


Field Margin

Lawful access to the site is via a public footpath that heads north from Patney village, cutting a corner off the road toward All Cannings. There's not a house, not a road to where the station buildings used to be - you share the place with wildlife and passing trains.


Road Bridge (East)

To the East of the site, the old road doglegs over what was just two lines headed up towards London. Formerly a grand looking brick arch appears to have been repaired with cheapness and safety in mind, rather than to maintain any beauty - with the parapets removed and slabs of concrete put up in their place to keep people off the tracks. And there is an incredible array of crash barriers on the road - fit for a formula 1 circuit!


125 at Patney and Chirton

The London train passes the site. There used to be at least four platform faces, and now there are none. And I'm surprised just how few other pictures I've found of the place.


Remote

The path rejoins the All Cannings Road a couple of hunderd yards north of the station ... and this shows you the remoteness of the area.

Historic note - the original line ran from Devizes via Patney and Chirton, then via Pewsey and Newbury to Reading - the Berks and Hants line. Only in 1900 was the Lavington cutoff to Westbury - now the main line - opened. Another interesing spot is Savernake where the Marlborough branch left the main line, and the Midland and South West Junction railway - from Andover via Ludgershall, Marlborough, Swindon, and Cirencester crossed on its way to Andoversford Junction for Cheltenham and the Midlands.