Kelmscott & Langford

The GWR were being optimistic when in 1907 they christened their new station Kelmscott & Langford, for although Langford was only mile north of the station, Kelmscott was 2 miles away! With the exception of Yarnton (Which I doubt would have been built except for its junction status), Kelmscott & Langford was the least used station on the line. Situated in the sparsely populated flat countryside 16 miles 3 chains from Yarnton, even now it has a distinct feeling of remoteness. Probably because of this isolation, the site (SP253018) retains more relics than most Fairford Branch stations. As well as the road overbridge, the platform, one of the tall lamp posts & the cattle dock all still exist. Although an attempt was made to clear the site of vegetation a few years ago, nature has reclaimed the site and at the present time (August 2004) the area in front of the platform is an impenetrable mass of brambles.

The last rays of the setting sun illuminate the road overbridge at Kelmscott & Langford on 12 January 1985. This telephoto view flattens the perspective, clearly showing Calcroft Lane bridge in the background. The trackbed between the two bridges is now a public bridleway, although the dip under the bridge is usually flooded, sometimes to such a depth as to make access very difficult. The embankments for all the EGR bridges were built as cheaply as possible, this became evident a couple of years ago when a large void appeared in the road on the Langford side of this bridge! The station platform can be seen on the right of the picture.
Martin Loader

The village of Langford is chiefly noted for its church, which has a fine late Saxon tower and equally rare Saxon carving on the wall of the porch. Although a small farming community now, the relatively large size of the church implies that a thousand years ago it was considerably more important. If Langford is for the most part tourist free, the same cannot be said of Kelmscott, which thanks to its connection to William Morris, the late Victorian poet, Socialist & designer, receives a steady stream of visitors. It also has the added attraction of being situated next to the River Thames.

This fine Edwardian photograph depicts the building of Kelmscott & Langford station during the summer of 1907. Footings have been excavated for the platform, and bricks have been unloaded from the train in the picture and can be seen scattered in piles on the left of the picture. Meanwhile, the coping stones for the new platform are stacked against the hedge. An open cabbed loco can just be seen at the far end of the train. As can be seen, the track layout was not altered, and it was not until 1928 that a single siding was added for freight traffic.
P. Cooper

Langford station under construction in 1907

57xx Class 0-6-0PT 3653 waits to leave Kelmscott & Langford with a train for Oxford in June 1962. This was one of the regular branch engines during the final years. It survived as an Oxford (81F) allocated engine until withdrawal in October 1963. It was broken up in Swindon Works in February of the following year. Unfortunately an afternoon up train means the photographer is shooting straight into the sun, resulting in a loss of detail on the front of the loco (tweaked up as much as possible in Photoshop!)
John Strange

Kelmscott & Langford Station on 29 September 1956. The photographer on the bridge is joined by another by the fence on the right, surely unaccustomed photographic activity for such a small station in the 1950s! Presumably the typical 1950s station wagon (as they were called then) on the left is theirs and does not belong to one of the few passengers to use this station, who virtually all came on foot or by bicycle. The station is still neat and tidy on this date, with all fences and gates intact, and even some traffic in the single siding. Note how the siding is built up to platform level, with the vans on the end of the rake of wagons dipping down towards the point with the running line. This view also highlights how isolated the station was, with no buildings in view.
Martin Loader Collection

Kelmscott & Langford Station 29 September 1956

Kelmscott & Langford station is pictured (left) in the early 1960s, looking towards Lechlade. Very similar to the 1950s view, but now beginning to look a little less tidy. On the original Kodachrome slide a man can be seen standing next to the ground frame hut in the background. As this is near the PW hut (which can just be seen in front of the large tree), he is probably a lengthman. Otherwise this is not a single person in view. Other signs of neglect include the fact that the Tilley Lamp is still hoisted up its post and despite the fact that it obviously near midday, still lit!
Colour Rail

Kelmscott & Langford Station 12 May 1962

A close up view of Kelmscott & Langford station building on 12 May 1962, with at least one, if not two passengers! Note the non-standard Kelmscott & Langford nameboard fixed to the fence in the foreground. Signs for the Station Master's room and the Booking Office can be seen on the two nearest doors. The ivy which became such a feature of the bridge in the background has already started to take hold. Compare the amount of growth with the two pictures below.
Martin Loader Collection

Kelmscott & Langford Station 29 September 1956

A fine view of Kelmscott & Langford station taken on 29 September 1956. As well as being a good general view of the small station, a couple of interesting points are evident. The dip in the track under the bridge can clearly be seen, and although the preceding month had been one of the wettest on record, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of the usual floods. However, the main point of interest in this photo is the inclusion of a line of wagons in the siding, with wooden 12 ton wagon P302990 leading a rake of four 16 ton steel bodied opens, the furthest two of which contain what appears to be sugar beet. The most unusual feature of the siding is that the rail level appears to be virtually at platform surface level.
Martin Loader Collection

Kelmscott & Langford Station in 1972

A remarkable survivor, milepost 83¾ is pictured on 15 June 2003, almost 41 years to the day since the line closed. This is one of the last surviving posts complete with its head and remains of the cast metal numbering. These standard GWR design posts replaced the earlier circular cast iron posts, an example of which can be seen in the Witney & District Museum. At about this point the lines starts its gentle right hand curve that brings it onto an east - west alignment by the time it reaches Lechlade. To the south of the line at this point was the site of RAF Kelmscott - a wartime relief landing ground attached to RAF Brize Norton. It was principally used for parachute drops and pioneering experiments in blind approach landing. This section of the trackbed is now a public right of way, with another footpath crossing the route ½ mile west of the station site (SP247013). A further ½ mile brings you to the bridge spanning the Langford Brook (SP243009). This has a 5 ft 10 in span between stone & brick abutments.
Martin Loader