Ayot St Peter had a railway station on the Hatfield to Dunstable line, which was located on the Ayot St Peter Road. The station opened on 2 July 1877 and was known simply as “Ayot”.
A fire broke out at the station in July 1948, and most of the buildings were destroyed. The station closed for passengers on 26 September 1949, although passenger trains used the line until 1965. The last passenger service was 24 April that year.
The old station car park and goods yards are now the car park for the Ayot Greenway, a popular walking route that follows the disused railway line from Ayot to Wheathampstead.
The station master’s house still exists and is now a private house.
Ayot station, looking south east, around 1905
Ayot station, looking north west around 1910. The station master’s house (which still exists) can be seen on the far left hand side of this picture.
Ayot station platform
An article from the Hertford Mercury and Reformer of 26 April 1913 describing the retirement of Mr George Young, the Ayot stationmaster, after over forty nine years of service.
Long serving station-master George Young arrived at Ayot Station in 1880 with his wife Emily (née Dorman) and their three children – Jesse, Catherine and Adelaide. George had previosuly worked in Peterborough where he met Emily – a chambermaid at the railway hotel. Three more children were born in Ayot St Peter – Marion, Matilda and George. Whether the couple moved to Knebworth (as it says in this article) is unknown. By 1916 their home was Gable House, Wheathampstead where they lived with their schoolteacher daughter Adelaide. George died at Hill End Asylum in 1916 and Emily died in 1923.
Ayot station staff in the 1940s. Their names were possibly Mr Clark and Mr CarpenterThe signal box, probably also 1940s, when the area outside had been made into a garden
The station in 1948, after the fire that destroyed itAnother view of the station after the fire in 1948The Sphere 7 August 1948The signal box in 1954The signal box in 1960. Picture courtesy of Michael Goodridge, who holds the copyrightThe approach to Ayot station from the Wheathampstead direction. You can see the signal box in the distance, but the station appears to be missing, so this was presumably taken after 1948. The bridge over Ayot St Peter Road has since been removed.The Stephenson Locomotive Society SLS1247 on the special Tour of 7 Branch Lines at Ayot station on 14 April 1962The signal box in 1963The signal box, early 1960sKings Cross to Ayot, via HatfieldA season ticket from 1944
A special offer ticket promotion from 1927. This flyer lists the stations along the route from Dunstable to HatfieldOne of the old platform signs
A really interesting history of the station, details of the line and many photos can be found at the website Disused stations
