Oldfield Park railway station

Oldfield Park
Location
Place	Bath
Local authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Coordinates	51°22′45″N 2°22′51″W / 51.3792°N 2.3807°W / 51.3792; -2.3807Coordinates: 51°22′45″N 2°22′51″W / 51.3792°N 2.3807°W / 51.3792; -2.3807
Operations
Station code	OLF
Managed by	First Great Western
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 *	0.143 million
2004/05 *	0.150 million
2005/06 *	0.157 million
2006/07 *	0.177 million
2007/08 *	0.192 million
2008/09 *	0.217 million
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
1929	Opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Oldfield Park from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Oldfield Park railway station is a suburban railway station in the city of Bath in Bath and North East Somerset, England. Situated at the junction of Brook Road and Moorland Road, it serves the mainly residential areas in southern Bath. The Brook Road bridge links the two platforms.

It is located on the London-Bristol and Bristol-Southampton trunk routes and is 10 miles (16 km) east of Bristol Temple Meads. The station opened on 18 February 1929,^[1] though the line through the site had opened in 1840.

History

Oldfield Park was the third station to be constructed in Bath on the G.W.R. line. It is the only station whose platforms are below the surrounding road levels, all the rest of Baths G.W.R. stations are elevated.^[2] The Railway line divides Baths road systems into two distinct areas.

Brougham Hayes bridge, looking east to Westmoreland goods yard and Bath

Many new road bridges were necessary to overcome the difficulty posed to local goods traffic by this new railway. The Station is located between two such road bridges, one to the east is called Brougham Hayes bridge. It was originally built on the Tudor arch style of local stone. It was later demolished and replaced with a widened steel and stone structure. This occurred in the early 20th century when an extra line to a goods yard was laid to the end of the westbound platform. Brook Road bridge adjoins the station a short distance to the west.

The majority of Brunel's design for Bath was raised up on a system of earth embankments and stone arches. His objective in all his designs were to maintain his "billiard table" design philosophy.^[3] The main obstacle being a skew bridge crossing of the River Avon to link with the main Bath Spa station in the centre of the City. At the approach to the Oldfield park section a cutting was necessary to maintain the desired level. It was into these cutting embankments that the two platforms were later accommodated.

To some extent it replaced an earlier station at Twerton,^[1] three-quarters of a mile to the west, which had closed, ostensibly temporarily, in the First World War and which had been badly affected by competing bus and tram services. The Twerton station never reopened.^[4]

Site of Westmoreland Street goods station

The platforms were designed solely to enable passenger access to the carriages. The limited road and platform access made the handling of bulky goods very difficult. To the east of the westbound platform a single section of line was added from the Westmoreland goods yard in Lower Oldfield park.^[5][6] This area of ground on the same level as Brunels railway line was used as a stone yard and marshalling yard for goods wagons. It formed the only G.W.R. terminal in Bath with the necessary access to be able to handle heavy goods.

There was originally a full time station master and ticket office. The 1929 ticket office was constructed of timber on tall wooden piles attached to both the bridge and the ground below. It was located at the Moorland Road side of Brook Road bridge at road level. This has now been replaced by a portacabin styled ticket office on the westbound platform and a ticket dispensing machine. The ticket office is manned on weekdays during the morning peak times.^[7] The station is also part of the Penalty Fares area.

Oldfield Park station, with access ramp to platform 1 (westbound) in centre

Oldfield Park station, showing access ramp to platform 2 (eastbound)

Legislation was passed that ensured disabled users had easy access to public areas, the current long access ramp evolved to replace the earlier wooden steps. This new much extended ramp now leads passengers down to the replacement ticket office. Access to the Eastbound platform is via a sloping path leading from from the top of Brook Road, and further eastwards a set of steps lead down from Stuart Place.

Local support

Since 2006 there have been a number of local schemes to improve the appearance and the environment surrounding the Station.^[8] These have included some landscaping and the planting of shrubs and flowers.^[9] In 2010 there were a team of 12 full-time volunteers, and local school children are involved with the project.^[10] The number of passengers using the station is now on the increase. This is due in part to the pressure from both the local people and their elected representatives in local government upon First Great Western to improve services.^[11]

Service

Station Masters house as seen from the end of Moorland Road.

[v · d · e]Railway stations in Bath
Legend  Great Western Main Line to London  Bathford Halt  Wessex Main Line to Westbury  Bathampton Hampton Row Halt Bath Spa (ex-GWR) Bath Green Park (MR and SDJR) Westmoreland Street (GWR, later goods only) Oldfield Park ( SDJR to Radstock ) Weston (Bath) Twerton-on-Avon ( MR to Bristol and Gloucester )  Great Western Main Line to Bristol

Passenger services are operated by First Great Western.

There is generally an hourly service to Gloucester via Bristol Temple Meads, extending to Great Malvern on certain journeys. There are also trains to Cardiff Central in the morning peak. In the other direction, trains run to a wide range of destinations.

These include Westbury, Salisbury, Southampton and Portsmouth Harbour as well as Castle Cary and stations to Weymouth; there is one service a day to Brighton. On Sundays the service is less frequent.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Keynsham		First Great Western Great Malvern/Gloucester - Westbury/Weymouth		Bath Spa

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Cole, Stuart (2007). West from Paddington. Etica Press Ltd. p. 40. ISBN 9781905633050. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X9gOXnKxdCoC&pg=PA40&dq=%22Oldfield+Park%22+1929&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=%22Oldfield%20Park%22%201929&f=false. 
2. ^ "Royal Hotel and bridge to Bath Spa station c.1903". Bath in Time. http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image.php?id=218293&idx=1&fromsearch=true. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
3. ^ "Great Western history, 1835 - 1892". The Great Western Archive. 18 January 2009. http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_gwr.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
4. ^ "Twerton Railway Station, Lower Bristol Road pre 1899". Bath in Time. http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image.php?id=197309&idx=14&fromsearch=true. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
5. ^ "BRUNEL TRAIL Part 3: Oldfield Park to Bath Station". Akeman Press. 2005-7. http://www.akemanpress.com/brunel.php?newsid=3. Retrieved 2010-12-24. 
6. ^ "The down goods train between Brougham Hayes and Brook Road in Oldfield Park c.1920s?". Bath in Time. http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image.php?id=412761&idx=6&fromsearch=true. Retrieved 2010-12-23. 
7. ^ "Station Facilities: Oldfield Park (OLF)". National Rail Enquiries. 2009-07-15. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/OLF.html. Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
8. ^ "OLDFIELD PARK". The Heart of Wessex Line 2010. http://www.heartofwessex.org.uk/oldfieldpark.html. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
9. ^ Fcrump (7 July 2009). "Britain in Bloom judges prepare to tour Bath". The Bath Chronicle (Northcliffe Media Ltd). http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Britain-Bloom-judges-prepare-tour-Bath/article-1145169-detail/article.html. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
10. ^ "Students volunteer for Oldfield Park Station clear-up". Bath & N.E. Somerset Council. 7 June 2010. http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/news/latestnews/2010/June/Pages/Students%20volunteer%20for%20Oldfield%20Park%20Station%20clear%20up.aspx. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 
11. ^ "Oldfield Park Railway Station". Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors. http://oldfield.mycouncillor.org.uk/categories/Oldfield%20Park%20Railway%20Station/. Retrieved 2010-12-28. 

External links

• Panoramic view from Brook Road Bridge - HouseStreetViews.com