| Eastbury |
| Eastbury
Halt was similar in size to the others stations on the line, originally
built with the 9 inch high platform, but without the standard
wooden office favoured by the LVR. Neither was it provided with
the usual pagoda shelter after the Great Western took over in
1905. |
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| Shelter
for Eastbury passengers took the form of a simple wooden shed
the twin of which could be found at Stockcross and Bagnor station
during the line's early period. A local carpenter had been commisioned
by the LVR to construct various fixtures and fittings for the
company, seating and numerous other structures being part of his
brief. Both shelters may well have been part of his original work
requisite.In 1901, the population of Eastbury stood at just 254,
that fact, coupled with the station's close proximity to Lambourn
and East Garston, meant that goods traffic handled here would
be minimal. 'Barnards' the Eastbury based coal merchants did actually
receive their coal deliveries by rail but it was in fact collected
by them from East Garston station, two miles up the line. |
| By far the largest proportion of what
traffic there was came from the Baylis Family. Milk from their
sizable dairy herd was transported in churns to the station
and left on the platform for collection. The guard of the Sunday
milk train regularly arriving to find anything up to two or
three dozen milk churns awaiting onward transmission. Being
Sunday, he was required to load these unaided, a task that must
have taken some considerable time to complete. Occasionally
the odd horse would be loaded from here but with purpose built
loading facilities at East Garston and Great Shefford, most
preffered to go the extra mile or two and do the job safely.
As a consequence, tail traffic was indeed very rare at Eastbury. (
pictured right ) |
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| The station was reached by way of a narrow lane from the village which continued on over the crossing and onto Eastbury Downs. As the name suggests, this part of the line travelled through some very exposed countryside. In the Summer it offered the passenger superb views of the rolling Downs. But in the Winter it was extremely vulnerable to drifting snow, the worst of which was the infamous winter of 1947 when services were badly disrupted. |
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1959 and a solitary passenger waits in the sunshine for a Newbury bound train. Passenger receipts from here remained small throughout the working life of the line. One little anecdote suggests that locals prefered to tell the time by the trains rather than travel on them. Local folklore also claims that Eastbury church congregation, would listen for the Sunday evening train leaving the station, the sound of the departing engine would leave them content in the knowledge that the service they were attending was nearing completion. |
| At the outset, three passenger trains per day operated in both directions on Mondays,Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There were 4 on Thursdays, 5 on Saturdays but none at all on Sundays. In 1912, under the GWR however, a Sunday passenger service was finally introduced. The Sunday milk train was introduced at a later point in time. 2nd class fare from Eastbury to Newbury was just One Shilling (5p) and the five minute journey to Lambourn cost the princely sum of tuppence (approx 1p) . |
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