The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway has re-opened the station at Hayles Abbey Halt.

The ceremony was performed by Lord Wemyss from nearby Stanway House, who is a patron of the railway.

The Halt first opened in 1928 to coincide with the opening of a museum at the nearby Cistercian Hailes Abbey but was closed by British Railways in 1960 when local passenger train services were withdrawn.

It has now re-opened - to coincide with the opening of a new museum at the Abbey which today, is run by English Heritage and owned by the National Trust.

The project has been carried out thanks to a £12,000 grant from the charitable Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust, as well as a grant of £2,500 from the Cotswold conservation Board. The project was completed entirely by volunteers in in less than a year.

Glyn Cornish, chairman of the Trust who welcomed guests to the opening commented: "The new Halt is a wonderful example of what can be achieved by volunteers.

"It looks as if it has always been there because it closely follows the appearance of the original. It is complete with a corrugated iron waiting shelter which was recovered from Usk in Wales, identical to that which once stood on the site. It has a gravelled platform surface and even has oil lamp standards!"

From today some of the railway's heritage train services will be stopping at the Halt by request.

Richard Rhodes of English Heritage and manager of the Abbey commented: "Back in the 1920s the Halt was built thanks to close co-operation between the then owners of the Abbey and the Great Western Railway, which was always keen to promote train travel to places of interest on its network.

"Later this month English Heritage is re-opening the museum, bigger and better than ever, bringing events full circle. Both we and the National Trust have enjoyed a close relationship with the GWSR as their plans for the Halt developed - and now it has come to fruition.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for visitors to enjoy all that the railway has to offer as well as a pleasant walk to visit this important historic site."

The train used for the event was identical to the kind of service that served this and other stations between Cheltenham St. James (where there is today a supermarket) and Honeybourne. Known by local people as the 'Coffee Pot' it comprises a small 1400 class tank locomotive and a single 'auto-coach' which has a driving compartment at one end, to enable the driver to operate the engine's controls when it is propelling the coach.

In fact the coach in which guests travelled was one that actually used to operate over the line in the 1950s.

The locomotive and coach are currently on loan from owners Push-Pull Ltd and the Severn Valley Railway where it is based. Over the weekend of 10th and 11th June, the combination will be operating passenger services between Winchcombe via Hayles Abbey Halt and Toddington, to the railway's current northern limit at Little Buckland. This service operates alongside the main train services between Toddington and Cheltenham.

Hayles Abbey Halt is about half way between Winchcombe and Toddington stations. Details of services can be found on the railway's website at www.gwsr.com. 

Top: Lord Wemyss officially opens Hayles Abbey Halt. Picture: Malcolm Ranieri

Below: Volunteers who built the Halt. Picture: Ian Crowder