St Mary Church Road railway station was a railway station in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol C ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

Description

The station was one of the three original stations opened on the Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway. It served the village of St Mary Church, which was about a mile to the west, and also served a number of other smaller settlements, none of which were particularly close to the railway. The station consisted of a single platform with a building of red and yellow bricks. It was of a similar design to the one at

Cowbridge Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for e ...

, but smaller. It had a goods-loop opposite the platform. The station was fully signalled and the signal box was located on the platform beside the passenger building. St Mary Church Road was the only station on the Cowbridge-Aberthaw line to be signaled. The remainder of the line was worked on the 'one engine in steam' principle.

History

Like the rest of the stations between Cowbridge and Aberthaw Low Level, St Mary Church Road was underused from the outset. The signal box was closed in 1900 and the station was without signals from then on. The loop was retained as a siding and new ground-frames were added to control it.

Closure

The passenger service ended in 1930. Goods facilities lasted for another two years but they themselves were very meagre. Goods came mostly from private sidings, but by the 1930s, the limeworking facilities at Aberthaw and Greldaw were closed. The

Aberthaw Cement Works Aberthaw Cement Works are cement works in the Vale of Glamorgan near the village of East Aberthaw in Wales. History The Blue Lias limestone of Aberthaw was a source of hydraulic lime from early times, and it was made famous when it was selected ...

sent most of its traffic by the

Vale of Glamorgan Line The Vale of Glamorgan Line ( cy, Llinell Bro Morgannwg) is a commuter railway line in Wales, running through the Vale of Glamorgan from Barry to Bridgend, via Rhoose and Llantwit Major. Route The Barry branch starts at Cardiff West and ru ...

and the limeworks at St Athan sent only small amounts of traffic by rail. By 1932, the station handled just a small amount of agricultural traffic. The

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

duly closed the station on 1 November 1932. After closure, the

stationmaster The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...

, Mr Billy Lewis, was transferred to

Ystradowen Ystradowen is a small village twelve miles west of Cardiff, located in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales; its nearest town is Cowbridge which is about three miles to the south. The village was served by Ystradowen railway station between 18 ...

The site today

Although most traces of the station are gone, the red and yellow station building and signal box are still in situ. The site is now used for agricultural purposes.

Notes

References

* * Hall, M. (2009). ''Lost Railways of South Wales''. Countryside Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Church Road railway station Disused railway stations in the Vale of Glamorgan Former Taff Vale Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1892 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1930