Semley railway station

Semley
Location
Place	Semley
Area	Wiltshire
Coordinates
Grid reference	ST873267
Operations
Original company	Salisbury and Yeovil Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway Western Region of British Railways
Platforms	2
History
2 May 1859	Station opens
7 March 1966	Station closes
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

Semley was a railway station in Wiltshire, England. It was served by trains on the West of England Main Line and was the railhead for the town of Shaftesbury, Dorset, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the south.

Although several plans were made to give Shaftesbury its own station, the town's position on a hill prevented this. The nearest station to Shaftesbury is now Gillingham.

History

The station was opened on 2 May 1859 by the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway, which became part of the London and South Western Railway in 1878. In the 1923 grouping the L&SWR became part of the Southern Railway, but in the 1948 nationalisation it was transferred to the new Western Region of British Railways. BR withdrew local passenger trains and closed the station on 7 March 1966.

The site today

An industrial and commercial estate occupies the site just off the A350 road between Shaftesbury and Warminster. The former station building and goods shed survive. Trains on the West of England Main Line still use the line through the site.

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Gillingham		London and South Western Railway West of England Main Line		Tisbury

Further reading

• (Largely details of abandoned plans for a railway to Shaftesbury.)

External links

• Semley station on navigable 1946 O. S. map