Hendford Station & Halt, Yeovil, Somerset

Hendford Station was the first to be built in Yeovil, Somerset. It was opened, when the line from Durston to Yeovil was opened in Oct 1853. It was only used as a passenger station for less than 4 years (when Yeovil Town opened) and was converted to a goods yard.

With growth in the town, Hendford Halt was opened in 1932, just west of where the original station was. Both sadly are now closed, but this video looks at the stations and what little remains today.

Thank you to the South Somerset Heritage Collection for their help. And to everyone who helped me out.

This is the first video I have made fully on my own, without my dad’s help. If I have made any mistakes, please correct me. I have done the best I can with the information, but we all make mistakes.

I am on the look out for more information about the stations on the Durston to Yeovil Railway, please feel free to reach out to me if you have anything.

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Nine Springs is just on the edge of YoVille in Somerset it’s a peaceful picturesque Park that offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life it’s a wonderful spot for picnic to reconnect with nature or stroll along the Old Railway track that ran from Pen Mill

Station to YoVille town in henford the railway is long gone but there is still some of the history of the line to remember YoVille has two main stations that are still very popular and well used YoVille Pen Mill is on the Waymouth and Gloucester via Bristol Temple Ms

Line and YoVille Junction is on the extor to waterl line before the days of Dr beaching YoVille had four stations serving the town pel and Junction are still there but there was also YoVille town and henford and then later henford Halt henford was the original Terminus for the YoVille to darston and Taunton Railway it was the first station to be built and completed in YoVille construction on the station started in 1847 and was completed when the line was opened in October of 1853 by the Bristol and xter

Railway as the durston to YoVille Railway was being built the wilts Somerset and wouth Railway was constructing a line from FR to wouth that would also pass through YoVille because of this the Bristol and exitor extended the line to the newly built Pen Mill in 1857 the FR to yovo line was

Opened as Wass the extension from henford to Pen Mill less than 4 years after henford opened it was relegated to a Goods Depot in 1861 when another station was built on the short extension YoVille Town henford station was a simple construction as seen in this photo when

The station was closed to passengers the building was converted to four-legged animals and was used for stabling horses later it was listed as a transport Workshop until the line was closed and the building was sadly demolished in the 1960s the site today is a retail store and car park you can still see the wall leading up to the Iron Bridge which is no longer in use behind that is the road for henford Hill only vague memories of the line remain on the walkway which leads into nin Springs looking at an Ordinance survey map from 1892 you can see the placement of the station on the railway line here is Lysander Road and henford Hill which is still very well known in the area today the goods Depot ran along where liander road is now as far up as where

Horsey lay Met henford Hill on this map you can clearly see there were two Timber yards storehouses cattle pens a storage area and cranes a Goods Depot and two weighing machines the further side of the depot is now a building Merchant it’s nice to see that the timber yard is still being

Used as a Timber yard also one of the storage buildings is in the same situ as the previous buildings they must have been updated over the years but a good location is a good location henford state is a good yard and the surrounding area started to turn

Into an industrial suburb of the town so much so a new passenger stop was added in May of 1932 enford HT that was just a little west of where the main station used to be again the halt was very simple with a signal box on one side and a platform on the opposite Side going over the line was Horse Lane Bridge which led to Rusty well just south of the station this photo taken on the 28th of August 1948 shows the 950 a.m. YoVille Pen Mill to Taunton train heading west towards the next station which was mute on the left hand side in the siding

Is one of the Taunton to YoVille freight trains waiting patiently just behind the steam you can see the siding for henford Stoneworks standing on the bridge but this time looking East towards Pen Mill this time in August of 1961 we can see the siding lines taking off to the left to the goods

Depot just in the background was where the old passenger station was the track is now the entrance to nin Springs and you can walk or cycle all the way to penil this photo was taken on the 13th of June 1964 it shows the number 4593 working the line at 12:37 p.m. from

Pen Mill this was the last day of Passenger traffic the once busy Depot handled almost every type of merchandise but the traffic dwindled and the yard was finally closed on the 9th of October 1967 you can just about make out where hempford station once stood but it’s very Overgrown the HT has been completely demolished as has Horse Lane Bridge fate it seems is not without a sense of irony where henford halt once stood now stands a petrol station for a local supermarket at one time possibly hundreds of passengers would have disembarked at this location ready for a

Day’s work only to catch the train home again now hundreds of people stop and fill their polluting traffic jam causing cars it is a shame to see how the railway lines like the one from YoVille to taon were taken away because of spreadsheets and accountants trying to save money even though YoVille is

Fortunate to still have two stations the thought of the ones that is lost is still sad we certainly thank the locals and other training enthusiasts who have taken the time to take photos to preserve their memories I’m currently working on a video of the yo durston and Taunton

Railway and I’m on the lookout for old movie footage photos or interesting stories that you might have about the line I would love to hear from you If you want to remember the Old Railway you can still head to nine Springs in YoVille and walk some of the line and reminisce about the Golden Age of Steam Archive films is constantly on the lookout for its next documentary celebrating the Golden Age of steam or trains of the past and we need your help if you have any old movie footage from the trains of yester Year please reach out to us preserve the magic of steam

Trains for generations to come please feel free to contact us via our website thank You