Churchdown railway station

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Churchdown
Churchdown railway station geograph-2539415-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Cheltenham - Paddington express passing Churchdown station in 1961
General information
Location Churchdown, Tewkesbury
England
Grid reference SO886202
Platforms4
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Pre-grouping Midland Railway/Great Western Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway/Great Western Railway
Key dates
9 August 1842 (1842-08-09)Opened
27 September 1842Closed
2 February 1874Re-opened
2 November 1964Closed

Churchdown railway station was situated on the main line between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa. It served Churchdown and surrounding areas.

Contents

History

A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Churchdown Gloucester Cheltenham RJD 30.jpg
A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Churchdown
'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' passing Churchdown in 1960 Churchdown railway and jubilee 2010489 04a60284.jpg
'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' passing Churchdown in 1960
Up holiday express from Torbay near Churchdown in 1957 Up holiday express from Torbay - geograph.org.uk - 2130768.jpg
Up holiday express from Torbay near Churchdown in 1957

The railway line between Cheltenham and Gloucester opened on 4 November 1840, the final section of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&G) which had been authorised in 1836. [1] At first, there were no intermediate stations, but on 9 August 1842 the first station at Churchdown was opened by the B&G; it proved to be temporary, being closed again on 27 September. [2] Less than a year later, on 22 August 1843, a station opened closer to Cheltenham at nearby Badgworth. [3] [4] Both stations were built in response to request from the residents of Badgeworth for a station closer than Cheltenham or Gloucester; Churchdown was the first choice of the railway company since it was closer to the half-way point between the two towns. [5]

The permanent station at Churchdown was opened on 2 February 1874, and was the joint property of the Midland Railway (successor to the B&G) and the Great Western Railway, [2] [6] who had shared the line since 1847. [7]

The station closed on 2 November 1964, [2] as part of the reshaping of British Railways or more commonly known as the Beeching Axe by Dr Beeching.

The site of the station is 89  miles 65  chains (144.5  km ) from Derby. [4] Little remains of the station itself next to what is now Station Close, but through traffic continues on the line.

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Cheltenham Malvern Road   Great Western Railway
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
  Gloucester
Gloucester   Birmingham and
Gloucester Railway
  Lansdown
Gloucester Eastgate   Midland Railway   Cheltenham Lansdown

Related Research Articles

The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&GR) was the first name of the railway linking the cities in its name and of the company which pioneered and developed it; the line opened in stages in 1840, using a terminus at Camp Hill in Birmingham. It linked with the Bristol and Gloucester Railway in Gloucester, but at first that company's line was broad gauge, and Gloucester was a point of the necessary but inconvenient transhipment of goods and passengers onto 4 ft 8+12 in gauge that became the national standard. Nearly all of the original main line remains active as a "trunk" route, also known as an arterial route or line.

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References

  1. James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 29. ISBN   0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  2. 1 2 3 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 61. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. Butt 1995 , p. 22
  4. 1 2 Long, P.J.; Awdry, The Rev. W. V. (1987). The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. Gloucester: Alan Sutton. p. 274. ISBN   0-86299-329-6.
  5. Long & Awdry 1987 , p. 261
  6. "Railways in Gloucester and Churchdown - after 1845" . Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  7. MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. p. 188.

Further reading

51°52′51″N2°10′02″W / 51.88075°N 2.16714°W / 51.88075; -2.16714