CAN you guess where this week’s Mystery Photograph was taken?

Each week, the Journal invites readers to test their local knowledge by identifying a historic location from days gone by.

Last week’s Mystery Photograph was taken at Mells Road Station (GWR).

Mells Road Station served the village of Mells as part of the Great Western Railway network, forming a small but important link along the former branch line between Frome and Radstock.

Opened in the late 19th century, the station was established to support both local passenger travel and the movement of goods connected to the area’s coal and agricultural industries. Its location made it a convenient stop for residents travelling to larger towns as well as for workers commuting across the Somerset coalfield.

The station featured a single platform with basic facilities typical of rural GWR halts. Buildings on the site included a modest waiting room and a small goods yard that saw steady use during the height of local mining activity.

Although never a major junction, Mells Road played a practical role in connecting several nearby communities to the wider rail network.

Passenger numbers declined in the mid-20th century as road transport became more accessible, and the station eventually closed along with the line as part of broader reductions to rural rail services. Since its closure, little remains of the original structures, though the trackbed can still be traced in places by walkers and rail enthusiasts.

The site survives as a reminder of the area’s industrial heritage and the once-significant network of local rail links that supported village life.

Today, Mells Road Station stands largely as a memory within the landscape, its former role marked only by subtle traces along the old line. Although the railway has long since disappeared, the station remains part of local history, reflecting a period when small rural stops formed an essential transport network for communities across the district.