79-551: Download coordinates as: West Somerset was a local government district in the English county of Somerset from 1974 to 2019. The council covered a largely rural area, with a population of 34,900 in an area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi); it was the least populous non- unitary district in England. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009,
158-461: A mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have
237-558: A connecting Minehead and Central Devon Junction Railway would provide a line to Exeter . An alternative link to South Devon was proposed by the Exeter, Tiverton and Minehead Direct Railway through Dunster and offered an extension to Ilfracombe . None of these schemes were pursued and it was to be more than ten years before schemes for railways in the area were to be again proposed. On 9 July 1856, local land owner Sir Peregrine Fuller Palmer Acland of Fairfield House , Stogursey arranged
316-504: A couple of days each week. Known as the Minehead Express , it was aimed at holidaymakers travelling to Butlins at Minehead . It left Minehead at 11:10 and Bristol at 14:06 with Victa Westlink 's Class 31s 31452 and 31454 powering the five coaches. 31128 was available as a spare locomotive but was not used on the service trains. The first of these trains ran on 20 July and operated on a total of 18 days, finishing on 27 August. Whilst
395-458: A cutting through a headland but soon swings round to a south-easterly direction along the cliff above Helwell Bay . Passing under the Watchet to West Quantoxhead road, the line turns southwards and passes the concrete platform at Doniford Halt , which is on the left of the train 9 miles (14 km) from Minehead. The agricultural landscape is then soon supplanted on the right by the sidings around
474-500: A full list of schools see: List of schools in Somerset Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint
553-559: A line designed to attract tourists to Exmoor . Shortly afterwards, a Bristol and English Channels Connection Railway was suggested from Stolford to Bridport which would have passed through the Quantock Hills near Crowcombe . Alternatively, the Bridgwater and Minehead Junction Railway would link with the B&;ER at Bridgwater and run through Williton to Minehead with a branch to Watchet and
632-405: A long-distance footpath. Following the eastern side of a steep valley, it continues to rise with sections at 1 in 100 and 1 in 92 (1.1%) as it approaches the small station at Stogumber , 13 miles (21 km) from Minehead. This station unusually has its platform on the right of the train but the station offices are on the left. The space alongside the offices is now a well-maintained garden but
711-424: A loss so was eventually closed. The last train left Minehead on 2 January 1971; this was a Saturday and the following Monday 4 an enhanced bus service came into operation. Over the following five-year period, the line was kept in "possible to return to operations" status, but lineside shrubbery quickly took over the infrastructure. In 1975, after Butlins Minehead holiday camp decided to modernise and refurbish, it
790-746: A meeting at the Egremont Hotel in Williton. The advertised purpose was to discuss a "Railway from the West Somerset iron-fields and coast, to the Bristol & Exeter Railway," proposed to connect Watchet – then a major port on the River Severn, as well as one of the largest industrial towns in Somerset, although in decline in importance thanks to the railways – to join the B&ER at either the county town of Taunton or
869-417: A new triangle at Norton Fitzwarren which included a part of the old Devon and Somerset line, and a ballast reclamation depot opened there in 2006. In 2008, a new turntable was brought into use at Minehead. A new station opened on 1 August 2009 at Norton Fitzwarren on a new site a short distance north of the main line. During 2007 a regular service ran from Minehead to Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads on
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#1732852498450948-432: A number of different and competitive railway schemes in west Somerset. A Bristol and English Channels Direct Junction Railway was proposed as a link from Watchet through Stogumber and Bishops Lydeard to Bridport on the south coast, which would be an alternative to ships taking a long and dangerous passage around Land's End . This prompted the promotion of a connecting line from Williton to Minehead and Porlock ,
1027-439: A privately owned railway. In May, a new West Somerset Railway Company was formed to acquire the line and operate a year-round commuter service from Minehead to Taunton alongside which a limited summer steam service could also run. A deal was agreed with British Rail to purchase the line with the support of Somerset County Council , however the council was wary of the lucrative Minehead station site falling into private hands should
1106-463: A renewed Minehead Railway Act 1871 ( 34 & 35 Vict. c. xcvi) of 29 June 1871 finally saw the construction begin the following year. The new railway was opened on 16 July 1874. In 1871, the WSR had agreed a new perpetual lease to the B&ER for a fixed sum each year which rose annually to a maximum of £6,600. The new Minehead Railway too was leased to the B&ER which then operated the two railways as
1185-461: A route from Watchet via Williton to Taunton, stating it to be both cheaper and offering more development options to increase passenger loading. The first meeting had been dominated by people from Minehead, Wiveliscombe and Bridgwater but, on 1 August 1856, a second meeting was held in Taunton. Brunel explained to those present the advantages of the different routes and gave some weight to the argument for
1264-536: A route to Bridgwater with a long tunnel under the Quantocks. He also suggested that the line should be continued to Minehead or Porlock but the meeting resolved to construct a railway only from Taunton to Watchet. Brunel was engaged to undertake a more detailed survey and the B&ER agreed to operate the line for ten years in return for 45% of the receipts. Plans were produced as required by British law in November 1856 and
1343-511: A single branch from Taunton. To break up the 22.75 miles (36.6 km) of single track, a passing loop and second platform were installed at Williton, 13 miles (21 km) from the junction. On 1 January 1876, the B&ER was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway (GWR). To increase the capacity of the West Somerset line, another loop was opened in 1879 at Crowcombe Heathfield . The 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge
1422-461: A two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with a borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them
1501-484: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). West Somerset Railway The West Somerset Railway ( WSR ) is a 22.75-mile (36.6 km) heritage railway line in Somerset , England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset Council . The railway
1580-426: A £1 million reduction over three years, lead to plans to outsource most of the services provided to the population and make most of the staff redundant. It was proposed that some services may be shared with Taunton Deane council. In December 2012 the grant received from central government was increased by 0.9% meaning the council had £3.8million to spend on the provision of services. West Somerset benefits from one of
1659-570: Is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc), which is supported and minority-owned by the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) charitable trust and the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust (WSRHT). WSR operates services using both heritage steam and diesel trains. It originally opened in 1862 between Taunton and Watchet . In 1874 it was extended from Watchet to Minehead by
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#17328524984501738-496: Is the concrete platform erected in 2009 at Norton Fitzwarren . The West Somerset Railway's line terminates here and trains running through to Taunton run onto Network Rail's tracks. The remains of the station hotel are seen on the left but the track joins the Bristol to Exeter line on the right. Passing the engineers' depot at Fairwater Yard on the right, one soon arrives at Taunton , the traditional junction station for trains running
1817-399: Is the terminus of regular operations, 19.75 miles (31.78 km) from Minehead. Locomotives are kept in a secure compound on the left at the Taunton end of the station. Both platforms are signalled for running in either direction and most trains run from the one on the left, although the original buildings are all on the right. These include the goods shed which now houses a railway museum and
1896-566: Is unusually set back from the line and faces Taunton, a hangover from its construction as the terminus of the original West Somerset Railway. The old goods shed is opposite the platform and now houses the Watchet Boat Museum . A footbridge crosses the line at the Minehead end of the station and a foot crossing leads across the track at the other end of the platform which gives access to the harbour for train passengers. The line climbs away into
1975-425: Is where the goods shed used to stand. The line continues to climb 1 in 92 up the valley until, 15.75 miles (25.3 km) from Minehead, it reaches the summit of the line at Crowcombe Heathfield . This is another passing loop but the down platform (on the right) is signalled to allow trains to run in either direction; the original platform was on the left of the line and so the main buildings are all on this side of
2054-562: The Brendon Hills with the harbour at Watchet. In 1856, before it was even opened, it was suggested that the WSMR should be extended to Minehead instead of the WSR and an act of Parliament for this work was passed on 27 July 1857 but it was never constructed. Instead, a Minehead Railway Act ( 28 & 29 Vict. c. cccxvii) was passed on 5 July 1865 for a new company to build a line from the WSR at Watchet to Minehead. This again failed to be built but
2133-517: The Bronze Age , although others date them from around 1400. Dunster has the greatest concentration of Grade I listed buildings including Dunster Castle , the Yarn Market , Gallox Bridge and Priory Church of St George . Other sites include manor houses such as Nettlecombe Court and Orchard Wyndham . The most recent buildings included in the list are Crowcombe Court which was completed in 1739 and
2212-571: The Church of St John the Baptist in Carhampton which was rebuilt in 1863. There are numerous religious structures in Somerset, with the largest number being Anglican parish churches, dating from Norman or medieval eras. Some of the churches are included in the Somerset towers , a collection of distinctive, mostly spireless Gothic church towers. In 2012 financial difficulties at the council, including
2291-529: The Conservative Party won a majority at the 2003 election , but independents took a majority back at the 2007 election . Following the election in 2011 the Conservatives regained a majority, which they then held until the council's abolition in 2019. County schools (those which are not independent ) in the five non-metropolitan districts of the county were operated by Somerset County Council . For
2370-584: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
2449-543: The Minehead Railway . Although just a single line, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the significant number of tourists that wished to travel to the Somerset coast. The line was closed by British Rail in 1971 and reopened in 1976 as a heritage line. It is the longest standard gauge independent heritage railway in the United Kingdom. Services normally operate over just
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2528-472: The Office of Rail and Road in 2018, it was announced that the railway would close from 2 January 2019, and would reopen on 1 April. The inspection found that several safety improvements needed to be made. The line was suggested in 2019 by Campaign for a Better Transport as a 'priority 2' candidate for reopening as part of the national network. Download coordinates as: The route is described from Minehead towards Taunton. Features are described as being on
2607-400: The 20.5 miles (33.0 km) between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard . During special events some trains continue a further two miles (3.2 km) to Norton Fitzwarren where a connection to Network Rail allows occasional through trains to operate onto the national network. In 1845, when the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) had recently completed its main line, there were proposals for
2686-526: The 24.75 miles (39.83 km) to Minehead. On 24 March 2004, the WSRA announced the purchase of 33 acres (13 ha) of land at Norton Fitzwarren. The triangular piece of land is located between: the existing WSR line from Norton Bridge (B3227) south to the junction with Network Rail; the westward running residual trackbed of the Barnstaple branch from Network Rail junction to the first bridge (Allerford Bridge) over
2765-508: The West Somerset Railway Association's (WSRA) workshops, which are housed in a corrugated iron building known as the Swindon Shed as it was originally built there more than 100 years ago. Watchet is being used as the terminus of trains from Bishops Lydeard in March and April 2019 due to engineering works at Minehead. Williton railway station , at 9.75 miles (15.7 km), is near the midpoint of
2844-838: The West Somerset Railway Company was incorporated on 17 August 1857 by the West Somerset Railway Act 1857 to build a railway from Taunton to Watchet. A prospectus was issued to raise the required £120,000 and these were all subscribed by the end of the year. The railway's engineer, George Furness of London, started construction on 7 April 1859 at Crowcombe and construction lasted for nearly three years. The railway opened for passengers from Watchet Junction (2 miles or 3.2 kilometres west of Taunton) to Watchet on 31 March 1862; goods traffic commenced in August. Trains were operated through to Taunton railway station as no station
2923-449: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
3002-422: The bigger company. Under Great Western influence, there were steady improvements in the line as it carried an increasing level of holiday traffic to the Somerset coast and Exmoor. The platform at Stogumber was extended in 1900, a new passing loop was opened in 1904 at Blue Anchor and, the following year, a second platform was opened at Minehead. A third loop was installed in 1906, this time at Bishops Lydeard and
3081-434: The district, from Bishop's Lydeard in the south east to Minehead in the north west. Operated mainly as a tourist attraction, the railway runs mostly steam and some diesel locomotives . West Somerset District Council was elected every four years, with 28 councillors being elected at each election. From the first election to the council in 1973 to the 1995 election the council had a majority of independents . Since then
3160-528: The districts into one (with one council) subject to consultation. The new district would not be a unitary authority: it would still be part of the Somerset County Council area. In March 2018 both councils voted in favour of the merger and it came into effect on 1 April 2019, with the first elections to the new council in May 2019. The new authority was known as Somerset West and Taunton Council. The district
3239-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
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3318-485: The far end of the station is the signal box and level crossing over Seaward Way, a link road from the A39 to the seafront that was built in the 1990s. Trains leave Minehead heading south-eastwards on the longest straight and level section of track along the whole line, passing behind Butlin's holiday camp which is on the left between the railway and the sea and then across flat fields. 1.75 miles (2.8 km) from Minehead
3397-465: The former junction to the Wansbrough Paper Mill on the right, the line passes under a small road bridge, before arriving at Watchet railway station , 8 miles (13 km) from Minehead. Communities served: Watchet – Williton – Stogumber and Kingswood – Crowcombe – Bishops Lydeard The platform at Watchet is on the right of the train but the station building
3476-477: The freehold of the line continues to be owned by Somerset County Council, during 2013 it was announced that both the WSRA and the WSR plc had approached the county council about the possibility of purchasing the freehold of the line. The council made the decision in late May 2014 not to sell the freehold after all. A May 2018 county transport strategy acknowledged that there were plans to reintroduce services between Taunton and Minehead. Following an inspection by
3555-452: The large port town of Bridgwater. The promoters had already approached Isambard Kingdom Brunel for his views as the former engineer of the B&ER, and by the time of the meeting he had already undertaken a preliminary survey of the alternative routes. There were three alternate options: In his contribution, Brunel described the valley of "a little brook called Donniford Brook " as being of prime importance to any route. He had concluded that
3634-523: The left of the train. A footpath leads from the east end of the platform down to Sea Lane to save a long walk round along the road. The line then continues across the concrete channel of the River Avill onto Ker Moor and along the edge of the beach to reach Blue Anchor , 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from Minehead and the first passing loop. Approaching the station, the old goods yard is on the right and three camp coaches are kept here where volunteers working on
3713-408: The left or right of the line for passengers facing this direction of travel, therefore the right side of the train is generally on the south or west of the line. On the railway this is known as the 'up' direction. Communities served: Minehead – Dunster – Carhampton and Blue Anchor – Washford – Watchet The station at Minehead is situated on the sea front close to
3792-477: The line crosses Dunster West level crossing and enters Dunster station. It is a mile from the village of that name which is on the hill to the right along with Dunster Castle . The platform at Dunster is on the right while the old goods yard on the left is now used by the WSR's civil engineering team who keep the tracks in good order. On leaving the station is another level crossing, this time over Sea Lane that leads down to Dunster Beach which can be glimpsed to
3871-480: The line. From the Minehead end, they include the old station master's house, some modern housing in sympathetic style and the station offices. After leaving Crowcombe Heathfield, it is downhill, with sections as steep as 1 in 81 (1.2%). At Combe Florey , the line crosses the A358 two more times in quick succession and this remains close on the left of the line to Bishops Lydeard . This station has another passing loop and
3950-535: The link between the West Somerset Railway and Network Rail , running through to Taunton and beyond. The line passes the Norton Manor Royal Marine camp on the left and then passes under Norton Bridge and the new Allerford Junction where a siding has been installed on the right to serve the West Somerset Railway Association's ballast reclamation depot. Just beyond the junction, on the right,
4029-583: The loop at Williton was lengthened in 1907. Under the Railways Act 1921 , the West Somerset Railway Company was finally amalgamated into the Great Western Railway but the Minehead branch, as the route was now known, continued to be operated by the newly enlarged GWR. In the 1930s, alterations were made to significantly increase the number and length of trains that could be handled. The mainline from Norton Fitzwarren through Taunton to Cogload Junction
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#17328524984504108-607: The most scenic landscapes in England. Nearly two-thirds of the western land area of the district forms part of Exmoor National Park , designated in 1954, while on the eastern edge of the district are the Quantock Hills , which in 1956 became the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty created in the UK. Large areas of Exmoor and the Quantock Hills are also designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of their value for wildlife. The West Somerset Railway runs through most of
4187-429: The north east, the line reaches the second highest point on the line at Washford . This is 6.75 miles (10.86 km) from Minehead and has a single platform on the right. On the opposite side of the line, the goods yard and shed is now used by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust for restoration of their heritage carriages, following the vacating of the site by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust, who had occupied
4266-440: The old station master's house. Communities served: Bishops Lydeard – Norton Fitzwarren – Taunton This section beyond Bishops Lydeard carries no regularly scheduled passenger trains nowadays but occasional special services operate. During special events, a shuttle service is often operated between Bishops Lydeard and the new platform that opened at Norton Fitzwarren in 2009. A few special trains also operate over
4345-487: The operational railway and the second passing loop. Behind the platform on the right, next to the WSRA workshops, are the old goods shed and the more modern workshop which is the home to the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group's fleet of diesel locomotives. The main station building is also on this platform, as is the oldest signal box on the line which stands above the level crossing. This sees little road traffic as most crosses
4424-437: The original single track doubled between Dunster and Minehead and the platform at the terminus was lengthened. The loop at Blue Anchor was also lengthened in 1934, the line was doubled from Norton Fitzwarren to Bishops Lydeard in 1936 and the Williton loop was lengthened for a second time in 1937. Camp coaches were placed at Blue Anchor from 1934 to 1939 and at Stogumber from 1935 to 1939, which encouraged holiday makers to use
4503-512: The platform alongside the train. The train originated at London Paddington and eventually arrived at Minehead where a large crowd of admirers gathered to see the Fab Four. Minehead signal box was closed on 27 March 1966 after which the two tracks between there and Dunster were operated as two bi-directional single lines, one to each platform. Dunster Signal Box was retained to control the level crossing and points there, and ground frames allowed
4582-480: The population of West Somerset had the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52. The largest centres of population were the coastal towns of Minehead (population 10,000) and Watchet (4,400). The council's administrative headquarters were located in the village of Williton , with an additional office in Minehead. In September 2016, West Somerset and Taunton Deane councils agreed in principle to merge
4661-412: The railway can stay overnight. At the western end of the platform, a signal box overlooks a level crossing on the road from Blue Anchor to Carhampton . The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust's museum is on the right-hand platform. The line now leaves the sea and swings inland in a south east direction, climbing at gradients up to 1 in 65 (1.5%), the steepest section of the line. After turning back towards
4740-401: The railway fail. Instead, it purchased the line itself in 1973 and leased back the operational land to the West Somerset Railway Company plc. The proposed commuter service never materialised, due to traffic restrictions between the newly installed Taunton Cider Company sidings at Norton Fitzwarren and Taunton, but the line was slowly reopened as a heritage railway . Minehead to Blue Anchor
4819-514: The railway on the A39 road bridge that stands just beyond the end of the passing loop. Next to the level crossing on the left of the line is a garden with a decorative box hedge that is over 100 years old. Leaving Williton, the railway crosses over the A358 road and climbs up onto the side of the Quantock Hills . Passing close to the village of Bicknoller , it crosses the Macmillan Way West ,
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#17328524984504898-565: The right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues a style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
4977-425: The run round loop of No.1 platform was removed from the upline at Minehead , to allow transporter Pickfords to make a suitable railhead connection to enable release of No.6229 Duchess of Hamilton . On 5 February 1971, a Minehead Railway Preservation Society organised a meeting in Taunton and a working party headed by Douglas Fear, a local businessman, was tasked with investigating how the line could be reopened as
5056-400: The site 1976–2023 and ran a museum there with a collection of rolling stock and a display of signalling equipment. The line now swings north-eastwards and starts to descend, initially at 1 in 74 (1.35%). A footpath on the right of the line at a slightly lower level is the route of the old West Somerset Mineral Railway , which passes beneath the line on the approach to Watchet. After passing
5135-484: The starting point should be either Watchet or Porlock, then direct to Williton to follow the Donniford Brook as far as Triscombe. Brunel then gave the initial calculations on the required tunnel to reach Bridgwater, which being 70 to 80 chains in length would require 50 shafts to be sunk, and as it also required approaches with a 1 in 50 gradient, would be very expensive. In his conclusion, Brunel stated his preference as
5214-617: The summer to cope with the influx of holidaymakers, but that most would be idle for much of the year when far fewer people travelled to Minehead and the surrounding district. In an attempt to make the loss-making line profitable, BR reduced the double track from Norton Fitzwarren to one track on 1 March 1970 and closed the signal boxes at Bishops Lydeard and Norton Fitzwarren. This left the branch with three sections (Silk Mills to Williton; Williton to Dunster; Dunster to Minehead) but still required seven staff per shift as there were three signal boxes and four level crossings . The line continued to make
5293-402: The town centre. The platform has a track on each side and the old goods shed , which is now used for locomotive maintenance, is situated on the north side between the platform and the beach. On the opposite side of the station is a turntable and the station cafe. Sidings on both sides of the station are used to hold stock, both operating vehicles and others awaiting repairs in the workshops. At
5372-542: The train crew to change the points at Minehead to allow locomotives to run round from one end of the train to the other. The original turntable was removed from Minehead in 1967 by which time all trains were operated by diesels. With the line still proposed for closure, the Transport Users Consultative Committee heard from the Western National bus company that it would require twenty buses in
5451-576: The train to reach these rural locations. In 1936, the GWR's chairman, Sir Robert Horne, opened the new £20,000 open-air swimming pool at Minehead. The GWR was nationalised , becoming the Western Region of British Railways on 1 January 1948. Camp coaches made a reappearance in 1952 and were available to the public at both Stogumber and Blue Anchor from 1952 to 1964; the latter were kept on for British Rail staff holidays until 1970. However, Washford signal box
5530-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
5609-673: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
5688-456: Was closed in 1952 and Minehead engine shed was closed in 1956. Norton Fitzwarren station closed on 30 October 1961, after which passengers once again had to travel through to Taunton to change onto trains travelling west. Despite the opening of a Butlins holiday camp at Minehead in 1962 which brought some 30,000 people to the town that year, the line was recommended for closure in the 1963 Reshaping of British Railways report. Goods traffic
5767-432: Was converted to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge in 1882. Trains ran as usual on Saturday 28 October but the track was lifted the following day and reopened for traffic on Monday afternoon. The Minehead Railway was amalgamated into the GWR in 1897 but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company for the time being although all its assets continued to be leased to
5846-474: Was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , by a merger of the previous urban districts of Minehead and Watchet , along with Dulverton Rural District and Williton Rural District . There were 33 Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset: the oldest are Culbone Church (one of the smallest churches in England, and pre- Norman in origin) and Tarr Steps , which some say originates in
5925-399: Was increased from two to four tracks on 2 December 1931 and the junction station was enlarged which meant that it was better able to cope with the trains on all three routes. In 1933, the platform at Stogumber was extended to accommodate longer trains and two further passing loops were opened. These were at Leigh Bridge south of Stogumber and at Kentford west of Watchet. The following year saw
6004-469: Was proposed to extract LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton , purchased by Billy Butlin in 1966 along with LB&SCR A1 class Knowle (transported out by road), under an offer made by British Railways. This required a full-time two-week incursion of a permanent way team to clear the line pathway, before BR Class 25 diesel No.25 059 and a BR brakevan could make a 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) traverse in March 1975. The trackwork of
6083-448: Was provided at the junction. On 8 June 1871 a second junction was brought into use where the WSR joined the B&ER main line for the Devon and Somerset Railway and a station was finally opened here, known as Norton Fitzwarren , on 8 June 1871 but branch line trains continued to operate through to Taunton. The West Somerset Mineral Railway (WSMR) was intended to link the iron-ore mines of
6162-399: Was the first section to see trains restored, opening on 28 March 1976 and services were extended to Williton on 28 August the same year. Trains returned to Stogumber on 7 May 1978 and they reached Bishops Lydeard on 9 June 1979. A new station at Doniford Halt was opened on the coast east of Watchet on 27 June 1987 to serve a holiday camp at Helwell Bay. In 2004, work started on constructing
6241-532: Was withdrawn from Stogumber on 17 August 1963 and from the other stations on 6 July 1964 after which British Rail transported any goods traffic by road from Taunton. By this time the passing loops at Leigh Bridge and Kentford had been taken out of use, in April and May 1964 respectively. The Beatles visited the branch on 2 March 1964 to film part of A Hard Day's Night . They shot a short scene at Crowcombe Heathfield in which Ringo Starr and George Harrison cycle on
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