150 Years from WT to MD: The Early Years

The coming of the railway brought a completely new lease of life to many parts of West Somerset. Now it was possible to get a train in the morning, be in Taunton by lunchtime and
back home that evening.

The new line was leased to the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company who ran the trains. The first timetable shows just four trains each way, taking 50 minutes from Taunton to Watchet. At first there were no Sunday trains but these were introduced from May, 1862.

The extension of the line to Minehead in 1874 brought advantages but it was not all good news for the locals. Soon after the line was opened to Minehead, an excursion train arrived from Bristol. Some 800 employees of the Bristol Wagon Works arrived in a 15-coach train. They were reported to be drunk and extremely obnoxious. The West Somerset Free Press wrote that “gardens were despoiled, people insulted, goods abstracted from shops without paying” and that the excursionists used “whips with heavy handles on Minehead lads without provocation”. The local residents must have
wondered what benefits the railway really was bringing!

The extensive beach at Minehead that runs to Dunster and Blue Anchor became a popular draw and it is the main reason Minehead now began to develop as a holiday destination.

In the late 19th century, the beach was used for horse races, a popular event for spectators and holiday chalets appeared at Dunster and later at Blue Anchor.

The whole way of life in West Somerset had been transformed by the coming of the railway.