Churchdown railway station

Churchdown
Cheltenham - Paddington express passing Churchdown station in 1961
Location
Place	Churchdown
Area	Tewkesbury
Grid reference	SO886202
Operations
Original company	Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway/Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway/Great Western Railway
History
9 August 1842 (1842-08-09)	Opened
27 September 1842	Closed
2 February 1874	Re-opened
2 November 1964	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
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Churchdown railway station was situated on the main line between Birmingham and Bristol.

History

A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Churchdown

'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' passing Churchdown in 1960

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 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. Plans have been proposed in the past to put in a third or fourth track though Churchdown between Cheltenham and Gloucester. It is not expected that Network Rail will put in this third track in the near future.^{[citation needed]}

Routes

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Gloucester Eastgate Line and station closed		Midland Railway Bristol and Gloucester Railway		Cheltenham Lansdown Line and station open
Gloucester Line and station open		Great Western Railway Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway		Cheltenham Malvern Road Line and station closed

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. ^ ^{a b c} 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. ^ ^{a b} 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". http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/Railgloschur2.htm. 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. 

Coordinates: 51°52′51″N 2°10′02″W / 51.88075°N 2.16714°W / 51.88075; -2.16714