Devizes branch line
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The Devizes Branch Line was a railway line from the Holt, Wiltshire to Pewsey, Wiltshire, and named after Devizes, the largest town on the line. The line from Holt to Devizes was built by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway in 1857, connecting with the line from Chippenham to Trowbridge (now on the Wessex Main Line). The Great Western Railway extended their Reading - Hungerford line to Devizes via Pewsey in 1862, providing a direct line from London to the West Country through Devizes. (The line from Pewsey was extended to Taunton in 1906).
History
The idea of having a train line going through Devizes was first conceived in 1830 before Great Western Railways had begun to construct their main lines. Devizes was regularly considered by GWR as a main stop on its London to Bristol Line but lost out to Swindon due to lack of potential traffic from Devizes.
Although included in several plans for railway lines including the Thingley Junction to Westbury line and the Starvarton and Bathhampton line, the financial backing required wasn't available and the fact that Devizes is so high above sea level made it impossible and so as a result Devizes was left without a station. In 1846 it was decided the Devizes line would run from Holt Junction to Devizes. In 1854 work finally commenced on the Devizes Branch. It was built in 1857 by Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railways, an independent company, though they were heavily backed by Great Western Railways. The Devizes Branch Line opened in 1857, 21 years after its initial conception.
GWR later extended their Reading-Hungerford line via Pewsey in 1862 to meet at Devizes creating a direct link from London to Bristol which was quicker than any other line. This was the busiest period for the Devizes line but it returned to being a branch line in 1900 when the Chirton-Westbury was built to reduce journeytime by avoiding the steep inclines in Devizes.
Closure
The Devizes Branch line and all of its stations closed in 1966 under British Rail's Beeching Act]]. The closure of the line can be accounted for by the awkward geography of the Devizes line and the falling amount of traffic since the rival railway line opened and the increasing popularity of modern transport.
Apart from a few remaining bridges and tunnels there is little evidence of the railway on the landscape, and after the closure all stations and halts were destroyed in 1970.
See Also
Devizes Station Pans Lane Halt station Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth railway Great Western Railways