Exeter St David's

The B&ER’s lease of the E&CR expired in 1855, and no arrangement was made for its renewal, but the company continued to work the line so as not to inconvenience the public. At the same time, the LSWR gained a controlling interest in the E&CR by purchasing three fifths of the shares, the remainder being held by the B&ER. Within five short years, the LSWR was in Exeter: traffic between Salisbury and Sherborne had commenced on 7th May 1860; extension of services onwards to Yeovil took place on 1st June, and finally, to Queen Street, Exeter, on 19th July 1860. Previously, on 3rd of the same month, the LSWR had been authorised to extend its Exeter line down a short, steep gradient to connect with the B&ER. The same Act also permitted alterations to be made to St David’s station, and the laying of narrow gauge track from Exeter through to Bideford. The LSWR secured running powers over B&ER metals from St David’s to Cowley Bridge Junction.

We must now return to the subject of St David’s station itself. Throughout the 1850s, the site had been extended in piecemeal fashion to accommodate traffic generated by then recent openings, namely the South Devon and Exeter & Crediton Railways. Indeed, from May 1859, trains were running as far west as Truro, Cornwall. By this time, extensive alterations had already taken place at St David’s. To the north of the station, a level crossing existed over the main lines. Known as ‘’Red Cow’’, the crossing formed part of a private road which the B&ER had the powers to close whenever the company saw fit. The level crossing extended across a space of approximately 80-yards, and by summer 1860 was intercepted by thirteen separate tracks. From east to west: three tracks led to a carriage shed south of the crossing (this of which was a through affair); four tracks led to the station platforms; two tracks led to a goods shed (this, too, was a lengthy through affair south of the crossing); finally, four goods sidings, which ran beside cattle pens. With reference to the platforms, there were five faces, constituted of two islands and one side platform; thus, the two islands were separated by just a single track. Gates existed across the road on the east side of the crossing, but they were absent on the western side, although a policeman attended the road here. Having the goods yard west of the main line was found to be inconvenient, because it meant that the level crossing was constantly kept busy. Much freight traffic for the railway came straight from the city centre, requiring all goods to first be conveyed across the tracks.

On the western side of the crossing, the road had been built over the private land of Mr Buller, the then Chairman of the B&ER. To the west, over the River Exe, the ultimate destination of the road was Exwick, a village with a population of between 500 and 700 souls. Buller owned a large amount of property in Exwick, from which he received rent payments. To cross the Exe, the road had to be carried upon a series of wooden bridges; the cost of the bridge spans was met partly by Buller, and partly by the subscriptions from a number of his tenants. A gatekeeper was employed to collect tolls from anyone who wanted to cross the river at Exwick with horses, carts, or vehicles of any description. Mr Buller stated that the tolls were only sufficient to keep the road in a good state of repair, and were not enough to maintain the wooden bridges over the River Exe.

That section of the SDR between St David’s and St Thomas stations was doubled in September 1861. Thus, immediately south of St David’s a second bridge, of iron construction, was erected over the River Exe, alongside the existing timber span. Double-track working had already been in effect along the route between St Thomas and Exminster since June of the same year, and between the latter and Starcross in September 1860. Concurrent with these works, the task of bringing the LSWR line down from Queen Street station was underway. This was produced on a 50-chain curve dropping at a rate of 1 in 37, part of which passed through a 184-yard-long tunnel. At the foot of the incline, a carriage shed was built for the SDR: comprising stone walls, a timber pitched roof, and accommodating five Broad Gauge tracks, this southward-facing building required a head shunt manoeuvre to access. At the end of this headshunt existed a small wagon turntable, one of eight on site. The carriage shed took the approximate site of a single-track SDR engine shed, which was demolished as part of the rebuilding works. On the western side of the running lines, the extensive sidings had earlier been laid and formed into loops during the late 1850s, but a new shed for B&ER Broad Gauge engines emerged alongside these tracks as part of the upheaval. The shed was flanked on either side by a locomotive turntable. Sandwiched in-between the platform lines and goods sidings emerged a goods shed: this was 375-feet-long, of tongue-and-grove timber construction, and can still be seen in evidence today, albeit partially flattened (more of later). Opposite the goods shed, on the eastern side of the running lines, the triple-track Broad Gauge shed was retained.

The LSWR started a narrow gauge Crediton service on 1st February 1862. The company was finally over the tracks of the B&ER, mixed gauge having been laid through St David’s. Rebuilding of St David’s station had formally begun on 2nd October 1861, but was far from complete when LSWR services commenced through the platforms. In 1862, the B&ER issued tenders for the erection of a new train shed roof at the station. The drawings were to be found at the engineer’s office at the Bristol Terminus until 5th May 1862, and sealed tenders had to be received by the company’s secretary, A. Moore Esq, on or before 6th of the same month. Progress on the station’s rebuilding was recounted in ‘’The Builder’’, an illustrated weekly magazine for the architect, engineer, archaeologist, constructor, and art-lover, on 5th September 1863:

"The new station of the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company is being rapidly completed, at a cost, it is estimated, including the removal of the old St David’s station and the making of additional roads, of about £30,000. The new building is a large structure of the Doric order. The side walls are up, the roof partly covered in, and the offices are being fitted up. The station is 360-feet in length by 136-feet outside width, while the platforms have a run of 500-feet. There are two large and two small platforms, and seven lines of rails, broad and narrow gauge. All the offices (including those of the Telegraph Company) waiting-rooms, &c, are on the platform nearest the road. The height of the square portion of the building is 39 feet, and the trussed roof rises 22-feet more. The building is of Westleigh stone, with dressings and ornamental work of Bath stone. In the construction of the roof about 300 tons of iron and 30 tons of glass will be used. These quantities include low roofs in the front of the station for the accommodation of cabs, &c. The approaches will be much more convenient than heretofore. The mason’s work, glazing of the windows, carpentering and decoration, have been contracted for by Mr G. Spiller, of Taunton. Mr Kerslake, of Exeter, is erecting the roof, and putting up the rest of the ironwork, with the exception of the foot-bridge leading to and from the various platforms: this is the work of Messrs. Hennet, Spink, & Else, of Bridgwater. On each of the two main platforms is a hydraulic lift for raising goods to the level of the foot-bridge for the purpose of their being conveyed from the up to the down side, or vice versa: these have been put up by Messrs. Easton & Amos, of London. The whole of the work is being done under the direction of Mr F. Fox, engineer of the Bristol and Exeter Company, Mr Simmons being the resident inspector. It is expected that the station will be sufficiently advanced for use soon after next Christmas; but the decorations are not expected to be completed until about three months later."

Exeter St David's

May 1981

May 1981

27th March 1982