Welcome to Bridgnorth Station - the 'spiritual home' of the Severn Valley Railway, and where it all started in 1965...

on twitter.

Opened by the original Severn Valley Railway in 1862 (150th anniversary next year!), Bridgnorth was not the northern terminus of the line as it is today, but the main intermediate station between Hartlebury Junction and Shrewsbury.

The original SVR Company was absorbed by the Great Western Railway and, in 1948, by British Railways. Closure between Shrewsbury and Bewdley came in 1963. In 1965 the Severn Valley Railway Society was formed and in 1967 it purchased the stations and track southwards from Bridgnorth to Alveley Colliery, for the princely sum of £25,000. The first public trains between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade ran in 1970.

The listed station building is the only one on the line in the restrained neo-Jacobean style. Only the original signal box was demolished when the line closed, but the refreshment room - now the Railwayman's Arms, and a regular in the Good Beer Guide - stayed open throughout.

You can see from the water tower where platform 1 was extended in 1981, using materials from the ex-GWR Cradley goods shed. From platform 2 you can see the locomotives in the yard. From the viewing area alongside the headshunt, you can watch trains arriving and departing. This is at the foot of the Roman Panpudding Hill, an ancient monument, used by the attacking forces to lob missiles at the castle in the Civil War.

The station is run predominantly by volunteers from all walks of life - and some are not even train enthusiasts but enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Newcomers are welcome!

Where else to find news about Bridgnorth Station? We're on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger.

NEWS! Your constructive comments invited: download the plans for Bridgnorth 150 here or here