Chinnor | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Chinnor, South Oxfordshire England |
Coordinates | 51°41′52″N0°54′25″W / 51.6978°N 0.9069°W |
Grid reference | SP756004 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Heritage railway |
History | |
Original company | Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Key dates | |
15 August 1872 | Opened |
1 July 1957 | Closed |
20 August 1994 | Reopened |
Chinnor railway station in Oxfordshire is on the line of the former Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway. The station was reopened by the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Association in 1994 after a period of disuse.
First opened in 1872 to serve Chinnor and the surrounding villages, the line was projected to be extended to Wallingford, where it would complete a cross-country line between Cholsey and Princes Risborough. However, due to financial difficulties the Watlington - Wallingford section was never built. The line was always single track.
British Railways closed the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway to passengers in 1957 [1] and to goods in 1961. The station was demolished but the section of line between Princes Risborough and Chinnor remained open for cement traffic until 1989. [2]
Current access to the station is from the 'wrong' side of the tracks compared with the original layout (i.e. you have to cross the line to get to the station).
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Wainhill Crossing Halt Line open, station closed | Great Western Railway Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway | Kingston Crossing Halt Line and station closed | ||
Heritage railways | ||||
Terminus | Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway | Princes Risborough |
The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway with its headquarters and main station at Chinnor in South Oxfordshire, England. It runs along the foot of the Chilterns escarpment. Although a little distance away, it has since been given the nickname 'The Icknield Line' for its connection to the Lower Icknield Way.
The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway is a 2+1⁄2-mile (4 km) long standard gauge heritage railway in the English county of Oxfordshire. It operates along most of the length of the former Wallingford branch of the Great Western Railway (GWR), from Cholsey station, 12 miles (19 km) north of Reading on the Great Western Main Line, to a station on the outskirts of the nearby town of Wallingford.
Princes Risborough railway station is a stop on the Chiltern Main Line, serving the market town of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Chiltern Railways, which operates all services that stop here.
Watlington railway station in Oxfordshire was the terminus of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway and opened in 1872. Watlington station was not in Watlington itself, but in the parish of Pyrton half a mile from Watlington.
Aston Rowant railway station was opened in 1872 and was a part of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway. Having closed in 1961, there have been proposals to reopen the station not only to the heritage services of the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway, but also National Rail commuter services operated by Chiltern Railways.
The railway system of Buckinghamshire has a long and complex history dating back to the 1830s with the opening of sections of today's West Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line. The development of Buckinghamshire's railway network was largely due to its position nationally as many long-distance routes chose to go through Buckinghamshire, especially between Britains two largest cities, London and Birmingham. The county had its own pulling power in addition, as produce such as the Aylesbury duck could then be easily transported to the capital.
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was an independent English railway company that opened a line between the Oxfordshire towns of Watlington and Chinnor in 1872. The 9 mi (14 km) branch, which connected to the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Princes Risborough, did not make any money and was taken over in 1883 by GWR resulting in its investors sustaining considerable losses.
Lewknor Bridge Halt railway station was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway which the Great Western Railway opened in 1906 to serve the Oxfordshire village of Lewknor. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
Kingston Crossing Halt railway station was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway which the Great Western Railway opened in 1906 to serve the Oxfordshire village of Kingston Blount. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away custom.
Henton is a hamlet in Oxfordshire, about 3 miles (5 km) west of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. Henton is in the civil parish of Chinnor, just off the Icknield Way, which has been a road since the Iron Age.
Bledlow Bridge Halt railway station was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway which the Great Western Railway opened in 1906 to serve the Buckinghamshire village of Bledlow. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
Wainhill Crossing Halt was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway which the Great Western Railway opened in 1925 to serve the Oxfordshire hamlet of Wainhill. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
Bullo Cross Halt railway station is a disused railway station opened by the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the Forest of Dean Branch.
Upper Soudley Halt railway station is a disused railway station that was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the GWR Forest of Dean Branch.
Staple Edge Halt railway station is a disused railway station opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the GWR Forest of Dean Branch.
Ruspidge Halt railway station is a disused railway station opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the GWR Forest of Dean Branch.
Cinderford New railway station was a railway station that was opened by the former Severn and Wye Railway to serve the mining town of Cinderford.
Bilson Halt railway station is a disused railway station opened on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the Great Western Railway Forest of Dean Branch.
Eastern United Colliery was a drift mine in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England served by the Great Western Railway's Forest of Dean Branch.
The Wallingford railway branch line was a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) branch line between the market town of Wallingford and the Great Western Railway main line at Wallingford Road in Oxfordshire. The railway, which opened in 1866, was originally planned to go a further 6 mi (9.7 km) to Watlington but this was never completed because of insufficient funds. Instead Watlington was reached by a 9 mi (14 km) line completed by the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company in 1872. After the Wallingford branch line opened, it ran regular passenger shuttle services to the GWR mainline for almost a century. It closed to passengers in 1959; the line escaped the Beeching Axe, remaining open for goods services until 1981.