Former Transit Shed, Exeter St Davids Station

SX 9193 EXETER Former Transit Shed, Exeter St. 871/11/10013 David's Station

II

Goods trans-shipment shed for mixed gauge trains. c1860. Brick with engineering brick dressings to openings and limestone cornice, and corrugated sheet roof Rectangular plan originally with a central island platform. Single storey; 13-bay sides. EXTERIOR: A long, symmetrical shed with entablature and cornice all the way round under the eaves and across the coped gable ends; the sides are a round-arched arcade with stone keys and alternately blind and with metal-paned round-arched windows. The gables contain 2 wide semi-circular arches, that for the former broad gauge line slightly wider than that for the standard gauge line; above the cornice is a keyed gable oculus vent. INTERIOR: The arcades are repeated on the inner walls; the roof has timber principals, wrought-iron ties and king rods, and decorated cast-iron braces. One side of the two lines has been filled in. HISTORY: The shed was used for the trans-shipment of goods between the GWR's broad gauge wagons and the standard gauge wagons of the LSWR. It clearly manifests this use by the absence of doorways in the sides, as ordinary unloading sheds would have, and the different sizes of the end archways, for the different-sized trains. One other is known of, a timber shed that has been moved to Didcot. Trans-shipment would have ceased in 1892 when the broad gauge was converted. As such this building is of considerable historic interest, coming at the break of gauge between the two systems, and providing evidence of an important episode in British transport history . Corrugated iron extension not of special interest. Maggs, C, 'Rail Centres: Exeter', Ian Allen, 1985, 103.

Listing NGR: SX9112293687