Railway Goods Shed At Yeovil Junction Station

This is a railway goods transfer shed built in 1864 by the Great Western Railway. It was constructed to a standard design as part of an interchange with the London and South Western Railway at Yeovil Junction Station, which opened in 1860. The shed is rectangular, built primarily of brick with gable walls that were originally clad in vertical boarding, now largely replaced with modern infill. Each of the long walls features three tall, rectangular windows with vertically glazed panes. The roof is likely slated and overhangs on projecting brackets that indicate the ends of the rafters, a feature likely original to the structure.

The east gable originally featured broad and narrow gauge arched doorways, with the broader doorway on the south side. This wall has now been partially infilled with concrete blocks and vertical metal sheeting, with a small door and window in the gable above. A transfer platform still projects from the outside of this gable. The west gable has a similar appearance, but includes a projecting, single-storey gabled office in the centre, with sheeted walls and a slate roof. This gable was originally open.

The shed’s original purpose was to facilitate the transfer of goods between the two railway companies. While physical transfers ceased after the removal of the broad gauge on the Great Western line in 1874, it remained in use as a traffic interchange until 1923. It continued in operation until the final closure of the Clifton Maybank GWR branch in 1937. The shed is believed to be one of only two broad/narrow gauge goods transfer sheds remaining in situ, and one of only three surviving nationally. The interior has not been inspected.