Henley-in-Arden railway station

Last updated

Henley-in-Arden
National Rail logo.svg
London Midland Class 172 339 at Henley in Arden Station - 14878019854.jpg
The station in 2014
General information
Location Henley-in-Arden, Stratford-on-Avon
England
Grid reference SP148659
Managed by West Midlands Trains
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeHNL
Classification DfT category F1
Passengers
2019/20Decrease2.svg 0.136 million
Henley-in-Arden
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Danzey
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Lapworth
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Rowington Junction
Henley-in-Arden
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Wootton Wawen
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Hatton
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Henley-in-Arden is a railway station serving the town of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, England. It is on the North Warwickshire Line between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Contents

History

First station and branch line

Henley-in-Arden Railway Act 1861
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act for making and maintaining of the Henley-in-Arden Railway, and for other Purposes.
Citation 24 & 25 Vict. c. lxxvi
Dates
Royal assent 28 June 1861
Henley-in-Arden Railway Act 1864
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to extend the Time for completing the Henley-in-Arden Railway, and to raise additional Capital.
Citation 27 & 28 Vict. c. cxxxiv
Dates
Royal assent 30 June 1864
Text of statute as originally enacted
Henley-in-Arden and Great Western Junction Railway Act 1873
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to incorporate a Company for the purpose of making and maintaining a Railway from the Birmingham and Oxford section of the Great Western Railway in the parish of Rowington and county of Warwick to Henley-in-Arden in the same county; and for other purposes.
Citation 36 & 37 Vict. c. ccxxxviii
Dates
Royal assent 5 August 1873
Text of statute as originally enacted
Henley-in-Arden and Great Western Junction Railway (Revival of Powers) Act 1884
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to revive the powers and extend the periods for the compulsory purchase of Lands and for the construction of the Railway authorised by the Henley-in-Arden and Great Western Junction Railway Act 1873 and for other purposes.
Citation 47 & 48 Vict. c. lxvii
Dates
Royal assent 23 June 1884
Birmingham and Henley-in-Arden Railway Act 1888
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to revive the powers and extend the periods for the compulsory purchase of Lands and for the construction of the Railway authorised by the Henley-in-Arden and Great Western Junction Railway Act 1873 and the Henley-in-Arden and Great Western Junction Railway (Revival of Powers) Act 1884 and for other purposes.
Citation 51 & 52 Vict. c. clxxxi
Dates
Royal assent 7 August 1888
Text of statute as originally enacted
Birmingham and Henley-in-Arden Railway Act 1891
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to extend the time tor the completion of the authorised railway of the Birmingham and Henley-in-Arden Railway Company and for other purposes.
Citation 54 & 55 Vict. c. clxxv
Dates
Royal assent 28 July 1891
Text of statute as originally enacted

The first railway station at Henley was opened to passengers on 6 June 1894 (and to goods on 2 July 1894) at the end of a short branch line, 3 miles 7 chains (5.0 km) in length, running from Rowington Junction, near Lapworth (then known as Kingswood) on the Great Western Railway (GWR) main line from London to Birmingham. Construction of the branch line began in 1860, but was not finished because of a lack of funding. New authorisation was given in the Birmingham and Henley-in-Arden Railway Act 1891 (54 & 55 Vict. c. clxxv), and construction was again begun again in the 1890s by a new company, the Birmingham and Henley-in-Arden Railway, and completed in June 1894. The branch came under the control of the GWR in 1900. [1] [2]

On 9 December 1907 the North Warwickshire Line was opened for goods traffic; it opened to passengers on 1 July 1908. This connected Henley with a new station, and made the branch line superfluous. A short spur, 32 chains (640 m) in length, was constructed to allow branch line trains to enter the new station, but the old one continued to be used for goods. The branch continued in operation until 1915, when it was closed as a wartime economy measure, and its tracks were taken up to be used for the First World War war effort. Official closure of the 2 miles 59 chains (4.4 km) between Rowington Junction and the old station took place on 1 January 1917. The short spur to the old station continued to be used for goods until December 1962. [1] [3]

Current station

The current station was opened in 1908 with the North Warwickshire Line, which then was an important main line connecting Birmingham with Cheltenham via Stratford-upon-Avon. The new station was one of the most prestigious on the new line, and was provided with three platforms. One of which was for trains terminating from Birmingham, and for a short period, trains terminating from the old branch line, until it closed. [4]

The station today is unstaffed, and only two of the three original platforms are in use. The original station building and canopy is still extant on one platform, but is now boarded up. [5]

A modern lift-equipped footbridge was installed at the station in 2014, the original footbridge was dismantled and donated to the heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway [6] where it was re-erected at Broadway.

In 2022, a local community group, Friends of Henley Railway Station, agreed to a 25-year lease of the station building from Network Rail. The following year, the group initiated a renovation of the building intended to return it to its original state, retaining as many features as possible. [7] The renovated building, housing The Station, a community bar/taproom and lounge run by Henley Mile Brewery, a microbrewery also located inside the building, was opened in early 2024 by Lord Peter Hendy, chair of Network Rail. [8] [9] Within two months, local media was reporting that the new venue was "... already receiving high praise from beer lovers near and far." [9]

Services

The station is served by hourly local trains in each direction, between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon, run by West Midlands Trains. Most Birmingham trains continue to Stourbridge Junction. [10] On Sundays, trains run to/from Worcester Foregate Street on the same hourly frequency.

Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
Danzey   West Midlands Railway
North Warwickshire Line
  Wootton Wawen
HR icon.svg   Heritage railways
Tyseley   Vintage Trains
The Shakespeare Express
Railtours
July–September
  Stratford-upon-Avon
Disused railways
Lapworth
Line closed, station open
  Great Western Railway
Birmingham and Henley in Arden Railway
 Terminus

Accidents

Several accidents have taken place at both the original and present stations at Henley: [11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Henley-in-Arden – Original Station". Warwickshire Railways. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  2. MacDermot, E. T. (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863–1921. Paddington: Great Western Railway. pp. 401, 607. OCLC   55853736.
  3. MacDermot 1931 , pp. 441–2, 611, 613
  4. "Henley in Arden – North Warwickshire Railway". Warwickshire Railways.com. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  5. "Henley-in-Arden Station 1908 – Present". Rail around Birmingham. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  6. "Henley-in-Arden station's weather delayed improvements begin". BBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  7. Mingins, Philippa (23 March 2023). "Renovation work to begin at Henley Railway Station by Easter". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  8. Osborne, Ashleigh (2 March 2024). "New lease of life for Henley-in-Arden Railway Station". Redditch Standard. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 Queenborough, Marcus; DeSouza, Naomi (28 April 2024). "'Hidden' platform bar that customers say is worth missing the train for". Birmingham Live . Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  10. Table 71 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  11. Boynton, John (1994). Shakespeare's Railways. Mid England Books. ISBN   0-9522248-1-X.
  12. "Accident at Henley in Arden on 25th June 1911" (PDF). Railways Archive.

52°17′28″N1°47′02″W / 52.291°N 1.784°W / 52.291; -1.784