175 years of the railway in Frome

Frome railway station is marking 175 years of serving the town, having first opened in 1850 under the Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth Railway. 

The building is Grade II listed and was designed by an assistant of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is thought to be the last through train shed in the Western Region. A blue plaque on display at the station commemorates this, noting that the timber construction is largely unaltered and describing it as ‘a rare example of a Brunellian through train shed still used for its original purpose.’

The line between Westbury and Frome was officially opened on 7th October 1850 and the day was deemed a public holiday, with the opening marked by a special excursion train to Oxford carrying 100 residents, travelling on the train named ‘Wolf’.

Local authors David and Nigel Lassman, in an article titled ‘How the Railway came to Frome’, share that various other lines then opened at Frome Railway Station including four regular trains to Chippenham, which became the daily service for the next six years. A section of line was completed from Frome to Yeovil, then a line from Frome to Radstock in 1854 and a line from Frome direct to Weymouth was officially opened in 1857.

In 1933, a bypass line was constructed leaving Frome as its own branch. In 1970, it then became a single-track station, where trains traveling in both directions use the same track.

Friends of Frome Railway Station

To preserve the station and its Grade II listed architecture, a Friends of Frome Railway Station group now maintains the flower beds and meets with Great Western Railway and Network Rail to discuss issues affecting the station.

Friend of the station John Henderson said, “Some of the issues are pigeons fouling the platform and graffiti. We do try to keep the station in good shape because it is a listed building. We think the architecture is unique for a station.”

As a growing town, the railway station is more important than ever for connecting residents to surrounding areas. John added, “A lot of students and schoolchildren use the station, and many people commute to Bath and Bristol. Train services are infrequent, but there is a lot of potential for improvements in the long term.”