Roger Orchard from Didcot Railway Centre takes a trip down memory lane – using a 19th century map of Didcot

WE have some newly printed Ordnance Survey maps from 1898 of the Didcot station area for sale in our shop at the railway centre and I thought it would be interesting to look at the changes in and around the railway station at that time compared to 2016.

One thing that is very apparent is the lack of houses: no large housing estate at Ladygrove – all that land is basically fields along with the sewerage works.

Obviously when the Ladygrove was built the move of the sewerage works to the land off Basil Hill road required a large sewer main to be laid underneath the railway centre.

For many of us who work at the centre we can vouch the position of this underground main as the smell gives its location away!

Interesting that in 1898 there are two hotels, the Prince of Wales and the Great Western Junction – try finding something like that in 2016! (Perhaps one day...)

In 1898 there is a still quite a distance from Didcot village to the station and a separate location for Newtown. How different that is today with the Orchard Centre, Broadway and various housing developments joining up these separate sections.

For those of you who remember Didcot up to the 1970s you might remember the large brick building that stood in what is now the Foxhall Car Park, namely the GWR Provender Store, which provided all the needs for the large number of the GWR horses that were used on the railway.

Mentioning Foxhall, the map shows the wording Vauxhall for this land (Vauxhall Farm) and Vauxhall Lane.

I gather that Vauxhall becomes Foxhall because of the Berkshire dialogue hence the naming now in 2016. Obviously, no mention of the ordnance depot, power station or Milton Park (all fields), so what a change.

What of the station itself? Quite different to today’s station but just as windy.

A different track layout, awkward platforms, cramped locomotive shed and carriage sidings; Rich’s siding had tracks and the start of the changes needed for the opening of that new line from Didcot to Southampton.

Oh what we would give for that line to still be open today, rather than the lorry-laden A34.

Many things have changed and what you see at the railway centre are the changes that occurred in the 1930s, but 2016 sees a much changed station environment, largely dictated by a still-cramped layout considering the passengers using it today, and the need for car parking, obviously unheard of in 1898.

What will the next 50 years bring? Electric trains, services to Heathrow, stopping trains for Cross Country, trains to Milton Keynes – we can only hope.