Tiverton Parkway

This is a comparatively recent station, having come into use to serve Junction 27 of the M5 in Devon. It exists as a useful park-and-ride station for those who do not want to take their cars into Exeter and Taunton in order to catch a train. Tiverton Parkway was formally opened on 12th May 1986 by the then Minister for Transport, David Mitchell MP. It sits upon the site of the former Sampford Peverell Halt. The latter itself had been a latecomer to the line, having opened as a two-platform timber affair on 9th July 1928. By the time it closed on 5th October 1964, two loop lines and a goods yard had been added, although these had disappeared by 1970.

The opening of Tiverton Parkway, approximately 5¾-miles from its namesake, also saw the closure of Tiverton Junction station on the previous day. This resided 1¾-miles to the south of the new station, and comprised two platforms separated by four tracks. From the outset, Tiverton Parkway was host to a pair of 810-foot-long platforms situated either side of a double-track. On the "up" side was situated the main station building, a single-storey structure measuring 100-foot-long by 35-foot-wide with a hipped slated roof. The structure comprised a spacious off-centre square waiting room, measuring 45-foot on all sides, and all car parking was to be found behind the "up" platform.

January 1986

A southward view shows the brand new station before opening. The car park is behind the station building on the right, and the footbridge provided step-free access between both platforms. © David Glasspool Collection

January 1988

A northward view reveals the pleasing modern architecture employed by British Rail at that time, a world away from the dreary CLASP structures of the late 1960s and 1970s. Out of view, to the right of the road bridge in the background, is Junction 27 of the M5. © David Glasspool Collection

Return to Miscellaneous