A HUGE workforce was employed back in the late 19th century to carry out work at Taunton Station.

The station, which was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1842 as part of the Bristol and Exeter Railway, kept being extended and re-modified owing to extra trains passing through from new branch lines to Yeovil, Watchet, Chard and Barnstaple in the 1860s and 70s.

This picture, taken in 1895 and supplied by former County Gazette reporter Mike Ford, captures the extension of platforms, the longest on the Great Western Railway.

New bay platforms were added to cope with the many branch line trains.

When opened on July 1, 1842, Taunton Station was the terminus of the line until a new temporary terminus was opened the following year at Beam Bridge.

Brunel's original design was for a single-sided station with two platforms, each with their own buildings and train sheds, placed on the south side of the line.

But it created issues as the railway became busier, with each train having to cross the line used by trains in the opposite direction.

Several branches opened in the ensuing decades, with trains run through Taunton to provide connections, leading to a major rebuilding in 1868.

The 'up station' at the east end was demolished and replaced by a more conventional platform on the north side of the line; the 'down station' was extended and a new train shed constructed.

Goods traffic was moved away from the passenger platforms in 1896 with 'avoiding lines' around the south side of the station.

READ MORE: Muli-million pound station improvements in 2020.

In more recent times, multi-million pound improvements have seen a new multi-storey car park built, along with a new ticket office, extra bike spaces and an improved bus and taxi interchange.

The scheme involved relocating the main entrance from the north to the south side of the station.