Knowle Halt railway station

Last updated

Knowle Halt Railway Station
Business Unit next to railway line at Knowle - geograph.org.uk - 458231.jpg
Site of former Knowle Halt
General information
Location Knowle, Winchester City Council
England
Coordinates 50°52′55″N1°12′29″W / 50.882°N 1.208°W / 50.882; -1.208 Coordinates: 50°52′55″N1°12′29″W / 50.882°N 1.208°W / 50.882; -1.208
Grid reference SU558095
PlatformsOne
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-grouping London & South Western Railway (1907-1923)
Post-grouping Southern Railway (1923 to 1948)
Southern Region of British Railways (from 1948)
Key dates
1 May 1907Opened
6 April 1964Closed

Knowle Halt was a railway station in the county of Hampshire in England. It was served by trains on the Eastleigh to Fareham and Meon Valley lines. [1] The station opened in 1907 and closed in 1964.

Contents

History

Opening

The station was opened on 1 May 1907 [2] by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) to serve Knowle Hospital, then known as the Hampshire County Lunatic Asylum. Opened as Knowle Asylum Halt, its name was changed to Knowle Platform and then, from 1942, to Knowle Halt.

Facilities

From the beginning, this simple halt was fitted with electric lights, powered from the nearby hospital's generators. This made it one of the first rural stations in Hampshire to have electric lighting.

Closure

The station was originally closed on 12 August 1963, but was re-opened the following day due to objections from trade unions. The halt finally closed on 6 April 1964. [3]

The site today and future plans

The concrete supports of the former platform still exist alongside the now single track of the Eastleigh to Fareham Line. Due to the provision of much new housing on and around the former hospital site, on the outskirts of Fareham, it has been suggested that the station should be considered for reopening. In February 2017 it was reported that Network Rail had recently met with Fareham Borough Council to discuss various options for connecting the new Welborne development to the existing railway network, and had offered to work with the council to look at providing a new station at the site. [4]

Route

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Wickham
Line and station closed
  British Rail
Southern Region

Meon Valley Railway line
  Fareham
Line and station open

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coastway line</span> Railway line in England

The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the densely populated conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million people between them. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. Some trains using part of the route operate as direct continuations of passenger services to/from London, particularly those to the branch stations mentioned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Alton railway station is a station in the town of Alton, in the English county of Hampshire. The station is the terminus for two railway lines: the Alton Line which runs to Brookwood and on to London Waterloo, and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran through to Winchester but was closed to passengers in February 1973; it reopened as a heritage line in 1985. Two other routes, both now closed, also served the station – the Meon Valley line to Fareham and the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastleigh–Fareham line</span>

The Eastleigh–Fareham line is the railway line from Eastleigh to Fareham in the United Kingdom. At Eastleigh, trains join the South West Main Line for onward travel to Basingstoke and London Waterloo. At Fareham trains join the West Coastway Line for onward travel to Portsmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fareham railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Fareham railway station is on the West Coastway Line situated about 0.62 miles (1 km) from the town of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It is 84 miles 21 chains (135.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botley railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Botley railway station serves Botley and the surrounding areas in the English county of Hampshire. The station is on the railway line between Eastleigh and Fareham, 78 miles 72 chains (127.0 km) from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastleigh railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Eastleigh railway station serves the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England. It is located on the South West Main Line and is the junction station for two other routes, the Eastleigh-Fareham Line and the Eastleigh-Romsey Line. It is 73 miles 35 chains (118.2 km) from London Waterloo. South of the station are Eastleigh Railway Works and Eastleigh Depot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micheldever railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Micheldever railway station, in the village of Micheldever Station, serves Micheldever and the surrounding area in Hampshire, England. It is a flint building with an added veranda. The station is on the South West Main Line, 58 miles 4 chains (93.4 km) down the line from London Waterloo towards Southampton and is managed by South Western Railway. The station is near the A303 Basingstoke to Andover road approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) from the village.

The Meon Valley Railway was a cross-country railway in Hampshire, England, that ran for 22 miles between Alton and Fareham, closely following the course of the River Meon. At its northern (Alton) end, it joined with the Alton Line from London. It was conceived as an additional main line to the area around Gosport, and it was opened in 1903. It never fulfilled its planned potential, and remained a local line through sparsely populated agricultural areas, and it closed to passenger services in 1955; some local goods services continued until total closure in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knowle Hospital</span> Hospital in England

Knowle Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital in the village of Knowle near the town of Fareham in Hampshire, southern England, which opened in 1852 and closed in 1996.

The Southampton–Fareham line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of Hampshire. As a through line it came late in British Railway history, traversing unpromising coastal terrain. The first part from Portswood, near Southampton, to Netley was opened in 1866, prompted by the establishment of the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley, which had been established for the care of wounded soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Privett railway station</span> Railway station in Privett, East Hampshire District Council, England

Privett station was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley line which ran from Alton to Fareham during the first half of the 20th century. Named after the hamlet of Privett, the station was in fact over half a mile from its namesake and was built in largely uninhabited countryside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farringdon Halt railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Farringdon Halt was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley line which ran from Alton to Fareham, England during the 20th century. A goods yard for loading agricultural produce was already sited there, and in 1930 a short wooden platform of one coach-length was built to serve the village. It opened on 1 May 1931, and from 1 May 1932 until 8 July 1934 was named Faringdon Platform, before reverting to the original name of Farringdon Halt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Meon railway station</span> Former railway station in West Meon, City of Winchester, England

West Meon railway station was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley line which ran from Alton to Fareham during the first half of the 20th century. Opened on 1 June 1903, it formed part of a comprehensive set of transport links serving the village. The main station building was designed by T. P. Figgis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droxford railway station</span> Former railway station in Hampshire, England

Droxford railway station was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley Railway, built to a design by T. P. Figgis and opened in 1903. It served the villages of Droxford, Soberton and Hambledon in Hampshire, England. The railway served a relatively lightly populated area, but was built to main line specifications in anticipation of it becoming a major route to Gosport. Consequently, although the station was built in an area with only five houses, it was designed with the capacity to handle 10-carriage trains. It initially proved successful both for the transport of goods and passengers, but services were reduced during the First World War and the subsequent recession, and the route suffered owing to competition from road transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampress Works Halt railway station</span> Disused railway station in Lymington, New Forest

Ampress Works Halt was a halt station on the Lymington Branch Line which, between 1956 and 1989, served the Wellworthy engineering works near Lymington in Hampshire, England. Sited near the bridge over the A337 Lymington to Brockenhurst road, the station closed when the engineering works ceased operation. The station never appeared in any public timetable.

The Gosport and Cosham lines were a collection of railway lines in southern Hampshire. Most of the lines are now closed but some elements are still in use, forming part of the West Coastway line. The lines originally linked to the main London to Southampton line via the Eastleigh–Fareham line and subsequently with a line from Southampton via Bursledon, both of which are still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knowle, Hampshire</span> Human settlement in England

Knowle is a village with mainly 21st century shops and businesses in the Winchester district of Hampshire, England that sits high on the left bank of the Meon between the Southampton and Portsmouth conurbations. It is in the south of the civil parish of Wickham in which it ranks in population about 25% behind Wickham. Its nearest town is Fareham, adjoining an inlet of Portsmouth Harbour approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funtley Deviation</span>

The Funtley Deviation was a 2-mile long double track railway opened as a single line in 1904 and as a double line in 1906 to provide an alternative to the 1841 railway line north of Fareham which traversed the precarious Fareham tunnel. Unfortunately the deviation line suffered from stability problems of its own and it was eventually closed on 6 May 1973, in favour of the original route, and is now a nature walk with a small car park at the Highlands Road end. The route south of Highlands Road was sold for housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wickham railway station (Hampshire)</span> Former railway station in Wickham, Winchester, England

Wickham (Hants) railway station served the village of Wickham in Hampshire, England. It was on the Meon Valley line of the London and South Western Railway. The station opened in 1903 and closed to passengers in 1955 and to goods in 1962. The main building was to a design by the architect T. P. Figgis.

References

  1. Oppitz, L (1988). Hampshire railways remembered. Newbury: Countryside. ISBN   1-85306-020-8.
  2. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
  3. Stone, R.A (1983). The Meon Valley Railway. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN   978-1-870754-36-1.
  4. Percival, Richard (21 February 2017). "New village development near Fareham in line to receive Hampshire's first new rail station in 25 years". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 6 March 2017.