What it Looks Like Today: Dulverton Station
Some people,including Wikipedia,will tell you that the Exe Valley Line starts at Bampton Station and runs to Brampford Speke,but I disagree with this.To me the line runs from Dulverton to Exeter St.David's,as this is how the line was seen and used by its passengers.If you look at any timetable for the Exe Valley Line you will see that they start their trains at Dulverton and they finish at Exeter or vice versa,thus confirming that the rail companies also saw it this way.
So as I see it,just like on the London Underground where a station for instance like Leicester Square is on both the Northern Line and the Piccadilly Line,so Dulverton Station,was on both the Devon and Somerset AND the Exe Valley lines.
So it was then,that me and Christine set off on a lovely Autumn day,to that strange and alien county known locally as,"Zumerset".
Dulverton Station opened in 1873 and was the only station on our line not in Devon.Despite being called,"Dulverton Station" it's not actually in Dulverton at all,but about two miles south of Dulverton in the village of Brushford.This has always amused me in a way and reminded me of today's budget airlines who happily describe Luton Airport as being in London.
I wonder how many people visiting the area,got off their trains thinking they had arrived at the small Exmoor town of Dulverton,only to find to their dismay,that actually they hadn't and still had to travel a further two miles down the road.I can also imagine the taxis lining up waiting for these bewildered passengers,to finally transport them to their destination,no doubt with a smile on their faces as they drove them.It must have been good business for them.
Click on the buttons to switch between how it used to look and how it looks today
After parking up in Brushford,we walked a short distance up the road to the bridge that looks over into the old station.Most people probably don't even know that they are driving over an old railway bridge,as the only real sign that it is a bridge,are the walls on either side of the road.
Looking over towards the station,you can clearly see that the Station Master's House is still there,as well as the Goods Shed.The Station Master's House from a first glance hasn't really changed too much,although obviously it is now a private residence and a sort of conservatory has been added.
The Goods Shed has also been converted into a private house.Christine and I got very excited at this point,as it appeared that there was still part of a platform remaining in the garden,but we discovered that all is not as it seems,as I will explain later.