Unlike its hilltop neighbour Morchard Bishop, Lapford’s location clinging to the side of the Yeo valley, protected it from vicissitude. The arrival first of the turnpike around 1830, and of the railway 25 years later, did not so much spell the doom of the village as place it firmly on the map. Population remained stable, at around 680, in the hundred years between 1871 and 1971, with some 6,400 railway tickets being issued in 1928. The opening of the Ambrosia milk products factory that same year provided a significant boost to the village economy, offering employment to large numbers of local women and two-way freight opportunities for the railway: raw milk inbound and finished product outbound.

An intriguing feature of the old station was the positioning of the “down” platform on an isolated island reached by a stairway from the south parapet of the road bridge. If traffic on the A377 isn’t heavy, it’s worth inspecting both the river and railway bridges. The bridge over the Yeo features a commemorative plaque installed in 1830 by the Turnpike trustees. The bridge over the railway has a single concrete (rather than granite) capstone, mounted above newer brickwork and indicating the point at which weary passengers from Exeter and Waterloo reached the top of the staircase and stepped out into the main road.