Great Shefford Railway Station, former site of., Lambourn Valley Railway Line, West Berks (Great Shefford)

 dismantled, historical layer / disappeared object

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Formerly called 'West Shefford', it under went a name change in November 1900.

The original wooden LVR office at the far end of the platform, had been extended to effectively double its size. This new building was constructed by the GWR between 1908 and 1911. The post and wire platform fencng remained intact until closure in 1960. At rest in the loading dock, a privately owned horse-box, most likely one of three belonging to R.C.Dawson of Whatcombe Stables.

Built on marshy ground the station handled a considerable amount of traffic, far more than the other intermediate stations.

In view of this, The original configuration of a single loop siding was enhanced by the GWR in 1910 as part of the line's general upgrading process. An 80 ft horse loading dock was constructed with rail access from the Lambourn end by means of a scissors crossover. An additional dead end siding was installed to serve this newly built Loading dock.
The scissors crossover was controlled from a ground frame (south) with 3 levers incorporating point discs. Access to the opposite end of the yard was gained via a 2 lever frame (north).

The total cost of this upgrade to the line was listed as being £1,284, this included the raising of the platform and the erection of the now mandatory, GWR pagoda waiting shelter.

Traffic at Great Shefford gained rapid momentum from the early 1900s. Its location being ideally suited to the many local farmers. The transference of milk from the surrounding area was a major factor, one farm alone being responsible for the despatch, in large churns, of more than 200 gallons of milk daily. Hay and corn were also dealt with in large quantities. Bales of straw would be dispatched to Swanwick during the strawberry season, Swanwick of course being the main strawberry growing area of Hampshire. Tail traffic was well supported both in and out or the station. The transportation of Cattle and Sheep along with the occasional race meeting contender made up the bulk of the content for this form of traffic.

Coal was stored in the yard under the business control of W Sayers. Messrs. Gear also traded from the here. Business was increasing to such an extent that as early as 1914 the GWR found it neccessary to employ an additional porter to augment the duties with the existing man. The Two Porters operated shifts that had a considerable amount of overlap built in to them. The reason for this measure was to alleviate the need for the early shift porter to return to the station to deal with the early evening train to Lambourn.

Local man, Arthur Smith, was porter at Great Shefford for as long as I can remember. He was an extremely kind and patient man who always had time for people, regardless of their age or background. The trains were a draw to most of us village children and Arthur would always allow us to watch the comings and goings from an area he defined as safe. Two other long serving members of staff here were Reg Hatter and Sid Alexander. Bert Nimms was also a well known, much respected member of the railway staff.

In 1923, to facilitate the handling of larger, heavier loads, a 64 ton capacity crane was installed in the Station Yard at a cost of £179. It was mainly used for dealing with timber. Travis & Arnold were handling supplies here arround that period. The lorry parked at the rear of the crane belonged to Mr. Bates' a local carrier.