Hook railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Hook
code = HOK


caption = The station building seen from the westbound platform
manager = South West Trains
locale = Hook
borough = Hart
usage0405 = 0.510
usage0506 = 0.517
usage0607 = 0.593
platforms = 2
start = 2 July 1883

Hook station serves the town of Hook and surrounding villages in Hampshire, southern England. There are two platforms serving the outer pair of tracks while the centre pair of tracks have no platforms and are used by fast services between the South Coast and the West Country. Platform One also has a small cafe that is open from time to time.

Most services to and from this station terminate at either Basingstoke or London Waterloo and run every half hour during the weekday and every hour at the weekends.

The railway station is situated next to a Tesco superstore and is located within a 5 minute walk of Hook.

History

The railway that runs through Hook was built in 1839, but Hook only got its railway station in 1885 when it had became a large settlement. It was built by London and South Western Railway in their typical style. Unlike the older nearby Winchfield, it was built fully with four platforms and four tracks (rather than being expanded from two platforms). The middle island platform was removed around the 1960s but its tracks still survive.

In 1940, a bomb landed near the station. Worried it could damage it, six soldiers were called to dispose the bomb. Unfortunately, the bomb went off killing the six soldiers and injuring their sergeant. A group of locals have been campaigning to have a memorial plaque put up to them. [ [http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/search/display.var.1822865.0.group_wants_memorial_plaque_put_up_in_station.php Basingstoke Gazette - Group Wants Memorial Plaque Put Up In Station] ]

References

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