Wolvercot Platform railway station

Last updated

Wolvercot Platform
Location Oxford, City of Oxford
England
Grid reference SP493098
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Great Western Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1 February 1908Station opened
1 January 1916Station closed

Wolvercot Platform was a halt on the Great Western Railway line between Oxford and Banbury. The line is now known as the Cherwell Valley Line or the "Oxford Canal Line".

Contents

History

The platform was opened on 1 February 1908; [1] it was situated on the north side of Godstow Road, [2] and served the village of Wolvercote, but was spelt Wolvercot to try to reduce confusion with the nearby Wolvercote Halt on the London and North Western Railway's Varsity Line. Although only a halt, Wolvercot had once been staffed and during the First World War it became the first station to have a stationmistress. The lady in question was Miss Margaret Elsden, sister of Mr A.H. Elsden who became stationmaster at Birmingham Snow Hill. Margaret Elsden later married Frank Buckingham who became stationmaster at Oxford. [3]

The GWR closed Wolvercot Platform on 1 January 1916. [1] Wolvercot Siding signalbox, a 29-lever hipped roof structure which survived the closure, controlled the level crossing over Godstow Road as well as vehicular access to the adjacent meadows. The down starter in Wolvercot Siding carried the distant arms for Wolvercot Junction, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the north, where the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Line diverged north-westwards from the Birmingham Main Line. [3]

Route

Services were provided by steam railmotors based at Oxford, which was also the southern terminus; the northern terminus of these services was Kidlington, Blenheim and Woodstock, or Heyford. [4]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Kidlington
Line open, station closed
  Great Western Railway
Cherwell Valley Line
  Oxford
Line and station open

Notes

Related Research Articles

Wolvercote Human settlement in England

Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England. It is about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the city centre, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow and adjoins the River Thames.

Oxford railway station Railway station in Oxfordshire, England

Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, one of two serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about 0.5 miles (800 m) west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road. It is on the line for trains between London Paddington and Hereford via Worcester Shrub Hill. It is a starting point for fast and local trains to London Paddington and London Marylebone, and for local trains to Reading, Worcester, and Banbury. It is also on the north/south Cross Country Route from Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle via Birmingham New Street and Reading to Southampton Central and Bournemouth. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, and also served by CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways trains. Immediately to the north is Sheepwash Channel Railway Bridge over the Sheepwash Channel.

Cherwell Valley line

The Cherwell Valley line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands. The line follows the River Cherwell for much of its route between Banbury and Oxford.

Banbury railway station Railway station in Oxfordshire, England

Banbury railway station serves the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The station is operated by Chiltern Railways, on the Chiltern Main Line, and has four platforms in use.

Banbury Merton Street railway station

Banbury Merton Street was the first railway station to serve the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury in England. It opened in 1850 as the northern terminus of the Buckinghamshire Railway providing connections to Bletchley and Oxford and closing for passengers in 1961 and goods in 1966.

Wolvercote Halt railway station Disused railway station in Oxfordshire, England

Wolvercote Halt was a railway station at Upper Wolvercote near Oxford on the Varsity Line. The London and North Western Railway opened the halt in 1905 and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway closed it in 1926. It was situated on the southern side of First Turn.

Oxford Road Halt was a railway station on the Varsity Line 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the hamlet of Water Eaton, Oxfordshire.

Padbury railway station

Padbury railway station served the village of Padbury in the English county of Buckinghamshire. It opened in 1878 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway's branch line to Verney Junction which provided connections to Banbury, Bletchley and Oxford and closed in 1964.

Sarsden Halt was an unstaffed railway station on the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway.

Hook Norton railway station served the village of Hook Norton in northern Oxfordshire, England.

Rollright Halt railway station served the village of Great Rollright in Oxfordshire, England.

Chipping Norton railway station

Chipping Norton railway station served the town of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The station had two platforms and a signal box.

Yarnton Junction was a three-platform station serving the village of Yarnton, Oxfordshire. It was built in 1861 at the junction of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway and Witney Railway, north of Oxford. British Railways closed the station to passengers in 1962 and it was demolished c. 1965.

Eynsham railway station Former railway station in Oxfordshire, England

Eynsham railway station served the Oxfordshire village of Eynsham and the Eynsham Sugar Beet Factory on the Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway between Oxford and Witney.

Witney goods station served the Oxfordshire town of Witney on the Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway. It consisted of seven sidings, a goods shed, a wooden parcel office and a cattle dock. It also had an engine shed, which was demolished early in the twentieth century. Following the opening of the East Gloucestershire Railway in 1873, the station became a goods depot, with passengers using the second station situated to the south. The original station remained open to goods traffic until 1970.

Fairford railway station

Fairford railway station served the town of Fairford in Gloucestershire. It was the western terminus of the Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway between Oxford and Fairford. It had one platform, and a stone-built station building.

Shipton-on-Cherwell Halt was a railway halt constructed in 1929 by the Great Western Railway to serve the Oxfordshire village of Shipton-on-Cherwell as well as the adjacent Oxford and Shipton Cement Company limestone quarry and cement works.

Kidlington railway station

Kidlington railway station opened in 1852 on the Oxford and Rugby Railway to serve the adjacent Oxfordshire village of Kidlington, and act as a railhead for the town of Woodstock, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away. It became a junction station in 1890 upon the opening of the Blenheim and Woodstock Branch Line, and served the area for over 100 years before falling victim to the programme of closures initiated by the Beeching Report in 1964. Following many proposals for its reopening, a new station to serve Kidlington opened in October 2015 at Oxford Parkway on the Oxford to Bicester Line.

Abingdon Road Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve South Hinksey, a village near Oxford.

Hinksey Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve New Hinksey, a suburb of Oxford.

References

Coordinates: 51°47′06″N1°17′11″W / 51.7851°N 1.2865°W / 51.7851; -1.2865