Holmsley railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Holmsley
gridref = SU232007


caption = Former railway station, now a Tea Room
manager = Southampton and Dorchester Railway
London and South Western Railway
owner = Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
locale = Holmsley
borough = New Forest, Hampshire
platforms = 2
years = 1 June 1847
events = Opened as "Christchurch Road"
years1 = 13 November 1862
events1 = Renamed "Holmsley"
years2 = 4 May 1964
events2 = Closed to passengers
years3 = 7 August 1967
events3 = Closed to freight

Holmsley is a closed railway station in the county of Hampshire which served the small village of Holmsley.

History

The station was opened in 1847 as "Christchurch Road" by the Southampton and Dorchester Railway. Sited next to a bridge carrying the A35 road over the line, it was initially the nearest station for the towns of Christchurch and Bournemouth. Coaches served these places until the construction of direct lines, from firstly Ringwood and then Brockenhurst. [ [http://www.swgfl.org.uk/seaside/themes/Transport.htm Footprints in the Sand] ] The station's name was changed to Holmsley on 13 November 1862.

The station fell under the control of the London and South Western Railway before becoming part of the Southern Railway in the 1923 railway grouping. The station closed in 1964, a casualty of the programme of closures advocated by the Beeching Report.

The site today

The Burley to Brockenhurst road passes under the A35 through the platforms, using the former trackbed for some distance. However, remains of the platforms can be seen, and the station house survives as a tea room at the road junction. [ [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/h/holmsley/index.shtml Holmsley Station on Subterranea Britannica] ]

###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

*cite book|author=R.V.J.Butt, |title= The Directory of Railway Stations |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |year=1995 ISBN 1 85260 508 1
* ISBN 0 906520 97 5

External Links

* [http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#423,100,1 Holmsley station on navigable 1946 O. S. map]