Stoke Edith Station was built by the West Midland Railway Company, at the behest of Lady Emily Foley of the Stoke Edith Estate, in 1861.

					Lady Emily had given the ribbon of land that ran through the estate to the company, subject to certain terms and covenants..

					One of these was that a station (to be called Stoke Edith Station) would be built for her use, and that the train would be obliged to stop there on request whenever the Foleys or their guests wished to travel! This was done and the station remained in general use for over 100 years.

					The station's heyday was between the 1870's and the Edwardian era when trains would bring in farm machinery and supplies, teams of labourers during harvest time, and droves of hop pickers from Bristol, London and the Valleys who would spend their working holidays camped on the river banks.

					 And the trains would leave packed with sheep and cattle, wheat and barley, beans, timber and famously the world beating hops and apples which thrived and still thrive on the deep and rich alluvial soils around the river Frome.

					Doomed as soon as the roads were sealed with tarmac and more convenient bus and lorry transport arrived after the First World War, the station staggered on (largely now for passengers) into the 1960's before becoming one of the thousands of rural stations to fall under the axe of the Beeching Report and was finally closed in 1965. 
					

Timeline

The Beginning (1858)

Worcester and Hereford Railway co. begin construction of the line between the two cities.
1858

The Opening (1859 - 1861)

The railway is opened progressively.
1859 - 1861

The Purchase (1860)

The WHR co. is purchased by the West Midland Railway co.
1860

Stoke Edith Station (1861)

Stoke Edith Station is opened.
1861

The Amalgamation (1883)

WMR co. is amalgamated into the Great Weston Railway.
1883

Peak Production (1884)

Peak production of hops in Herefordshire at over 10,000 acres.
1884

The Coal Co. (1913)

South Wales Coal co. has a depot in the station yard.
1913

First World War (1914 - 1921)

Rail services temporarily nationalised to deal with the First World War.
1914 - 1921

Second World War (1939)

Rail services are effectively nationalised from the beginning of the Second World War (until 1994)
1939

Yarkhill Court (1940 - 1945)

Hops are shipped out to be used as khaki dye for military use. Refugeed children attending St. Mary's school, occupying near by Yarkhill Court, vie for carriage space with crowds of military personnel at the start and end of terms (usually ending up sitting on their own battered suitcases in the corridors).
1940 - 1945

The Closing (1965)

The station is closed after the Beeching Report.
1965

The Signal Box (1972)

Signal box is removed. The old level crossing gates are replaced.
1972

The Lost Years (1982)

The track is reduced to a single line. The yard is owned by Ken Becket and used as a lorry yard with tenants occupying the house.
1982

The Davies (1997)

The site is purchased by Michael Thomas Davies, agriculturalist and railway enthusiast.
1997