Govilon railway station
former railway station in Govilon, Wales, UK
Govilon railway station was a station on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line serving the village of Govilon in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.
History
The first section of the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway from Abergavenny to Brynmawr was opened on 29 September 1862. The line was leased and operated by the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR) which acquired the smaller railway company on 30 June 1866. The L&NWR was itself amalgamated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in the 1923 Grouping.
Govilon opened on 1 October 1862. The section of line had been ceremonially opened on 29 September 1862 with the first train running as far as Govilon, the only completed station at that time, under the control of the wife of Captain James Hill, the company's vice-chairman. Public services commenced on 1 October, the first day of the L&NWR's lease of the line. The station was situated on a steep 9-mile (14 km) climb from Abergavenny at gradients as severe as 1 in 34. A gradient post showing 1 in 80 / 1 in 34 was installed on one of the station platforms. It was the nearest station to Llanfoist House, the residence of Crawshay Bailey, director of the Merthyr company and moving force behind the line's construction.
The public source identifies “Govilon railway station” as former railway station in Govilon, Wales, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Govilon, railway and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Govilon railway station”, the useful work is to connect “former railway station in Govilon, Wales, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 20, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q18737071. Authority coordinates are 51.816, -3.067. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1862, 1866 and 1923.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Govilon railway station”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Govilon railway station primary sources, Govilon railway station archive and Govilon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Govilon railway station”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Govilon railway station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.