St Budeaux Station

Driving along Wolseley Road today, it's hard to tell that there's a railway stop at St Budeaux. There are still two platforms but the lines are nowadays very run down and the area is very much of a no-go zone at night times.

It wasn't always like this though. St Budeaux once had a very busy and bustling station. It was used regularly by dockyard workers who even had their own shelters to keep them dry when it rained. The access down the station platform was from where the traffic lights, and the crossing leading to the Co-op, are now towards St Budeaux Square.

The station suffered severe damage during the bombing raids of the Second World War but still continued to be used.

The first photo of the station shows Fred Cole with one of Ware and Co's prized Shire horses. The shops of St Budeaux Square (Yeoman Terrace) can be seen in the background and the railway building can be seen behind Fred. His little dog is looking on as his photo is being taken.

The second photo shows a wartime shot where people are queued up for the Queen's Messenger's van which provided hot food and drinks for people affected by the bombing. There are also many defence workers in the picture. On the station hoarding is a poster advertising the latest film, 'Strike Up the Band' which starred Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. There is also a poster advertising 'Light Up and Smile' which was a show that was put on at the New Palace Theatre in April 1941.

The third photo, taken in the 1950s, shows the Baptist's Lifeboys standing in the same position but taken in the direction of the houses over the bridge, towards the section of Wolseley Road leading down towards Saltash Passage. What a happy bunch they all look! There are adverts for Goodbody's bread and Weekend chocolates behind them.

All this has been cleared away now. The buildings have long gone as has the access to the platform. In its place is a brick wall and a very busy road. It's possible to see, even today, where the wall has been bricked up and where the entrance once was.

St Budeaux must have seemed like a very different area back then with narrower roads, a lot less traffic but a far more busier railway station.