Disused railway stations (Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway)

There are 16 disused railway stations along the 45 mile length of the now closed Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway. The majority of stations were closed between 1960 and 1964 as the line was gradually wound down towards its final closure.

Background

The traffic carried by the DNSR largely consisted of heavy through goods trains with an average of eleven trains per day even in the 1960s when passengers service were being reducedKarau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] . However, the income from the line was largely supplied by the passenger traffic from a number of small villages along the line with some through services from Southampton to Oxford, plus some revenue from light freight such as the transport of horses, farm produce and coal.

From the mid-1950s the competition from road transport was seriously eating into the line's profits. The large losses that the line was making made it an obvious target for closure. Passenger services to stations south of Newbury ended on 7 March 1960. Passenger services to stations north of Newbury then ended on 10 September 1962 although the last passenger train on the line was a re-routed Pines Express in May 1964Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Didcot to Newbury

The following are closed stations between the towns of Didcot and Newbury. These stations all closed to passengers in 1962.

Upton and Blewbury

Originally named Upton; Blewbury was added to the name of the station in 1911 to recognise the more distant but larger village in the Vale of the White Horse. The station comprised of two platforms, with the ticket office and station buildings located on the southbound platform on a passing loop. The northbound platform, linked by two paths across the tracks at either end for access, had a small wooden shelter and a signal box at its northern end. To the North of the station was a headshunt and two sidings, one flanking the southbound platform used for loading horses and other goods, the other siding curving to the east. In the latter part of the station's history it also served the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Churn

This was a small and very isolated single platform halt with no road access. It was built as a temporary stop to accommodate a competition held by the National Rifle Association in 1888. However, from 1889 military summer camps were established near to the station which required the use of the halt as the only access to the site. Timetables provided that trains would not call at Churn unless prior notice had been given to the Stationmaster at Didcot. The station buildings consisted of no more than a simple wooden shelter and basic lavatories. [ [http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=8a704898-f20c-4a64-9bcb-af225ad46515 Geocaching website] ] In order to provide deliveries of goods for the camps a small siding was built at the southern end of the station.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Compton

Compton was the largest station between Newbury and Didcot, serving the villages of Compton, East Ilsley and Aldworth. The station consisted of two platforms with the ticket offices and station buildings located on the Northbound platform. This was the only station with the exceptions of Winchester Cheesehill and Newbury to have a footbridge linking the platforms. To the north of the station was a goods shed plus cattle pens and three sidings. signal box was located at the north end of the southbound platform. The station received relatively large volumes of goods traffic for the area with a foundry being located in the nearby village.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Hampstead Norris

The station was originally built with only a small ticket office and a single platform serving both northbound and southbound trains. However, due to demand the station was eventually expanded to include a passing loop and an additional platform. A small siding and goods shed were used mainly for agricultural goods.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Pinewood Halt

The halt was opened on 11 September 1933 with a single platform and shelter to serve the northern part of Hermitage in the hope of increasing passenger traffic from people unwilling to walk the long distance to the next station. An additional platform also with a shelter was later built with the addition of a passing loop. A couple of sidings were built to the north east of the station to serve the brickworks near the site, although these had been built privately and they predated the halt.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

Hermitage

Hermitage station was built with two platforms including a passing loop with the ticket office and station buildings located on the northbound platform. A goods shed and crane were located next to two sidings north west of the station. In 1942, several sidings were built to the south of the station to provide access to a cold store. The station served the village of Hermitage in Berkshire.Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5]

Newbury to Winchester

The following are closed stations between the towns of Newbury and Winchester. All stations on this section of the line were closed to passengers in 1960.

Woodhay

Woodhay was located a short distance from the junction with the Great Western Railway west of Newbury. It served the village of Enborne and the surrounding parishes. Like most country stations on the line it originally consisted of two platforms, the southbound platform on the passing loop. Since the station was built on a bank it was not possible to construct strong foundations for a brick-built station building. Hence this was the only station on the line with a wooden station building located on the southbound platform. Two sidings and a headshunt were built to the south of the station for goods. These were primarily used for horses and wood cut from nearby pine forests.

Highclere

The station shares the name of the nearby village of Highclere and Highclere Castle. The station was very similar to other stations on the line with the standard passing loop, station building and a single siding to the south. To the north of the station the line was crossed on an unusually designed bridge by the A34. The road now occupies much of the track-bed to the south of the station, although the station building, goods shed, and signal box still remain to this day, a move that took place when the trunk road became a dual carriage-way. The A34 Newbury bypass now occupies the tothill cutting which carried the line to the north of the station.

Burghclere

Originally named Sydmonton, Burghclere station was further from the village of Burghclere than Highclere station. However, the station was a relatively busy station serving the larger village of Kingsclere. Although furnished with the usual two platforms, station buildings (on the northbound platform) and passing loop, there were additional sidings on both sides of the line and further private sidings on a curve to the south east servicing local lime kilns. A goods shed, standard crane and cattle pen was also built next to the siding on the Northbound line.

Litchfield

Litchfield served the small hamlet of the same name. The station received relatively little traffic (only 20 passengers a week during the 1920s). The station was originally built with two platforms and a passing loop in the same style as other stations on the route. However, low traffic resulted in the removal of the loop in 1936, only for a longer loop and the platform to be reinstated in 1943 to deal with wartime traffic. This was then removed again in 1955, only five years before the station's closure. There was a small siding and headshunt on the northbound line but goods traffic at the station was light.

Whitchurch

The station served the town of Whitchurch, a town that was already served by one railway station on the LSWR which survives to this day. The DNSR had a choice of connecting to the LSWR and building a station nearby to aid interchange traffic. However, it decided to build the station closer to the town. The station was relatively large compared to others on this section of the line including a larger station building on the northbound platform and a subway to link the two platforms. There was also a long passing loop and three sidings complete with a large goods shed. The station also boasted a water crane and water tower.

Barton Stacey

This station was a small single platform halt serving the village of Barton Stacey.

utton Scotney

Sutton Scotney was originally the last station before Winchester. Serving the village of Sutton Scotney, it was the last station to use the standard design station buildings on the southbound platform. As per most stations there was a passing loop and a single siding, although the station did see considerable goods traffic from local farms including Watercress and pigs.

Worthy Down

Worthy Down was a small single platform halt built in 1917 to serve the Royal Flying Corps (later RAF) depot nearby. It included two passing loops (the shorter of which was used as a siding) to provide supplies to the site. Later, the station became a junction for a spur to connect with the Southern Railways line through Winchester. At this point an additional line was built on the opposite side of the station to provide an island platform serving both northbound and southbound trains on separate lines.

King's Worthy

The station was built in 1909 as a direct petition from local residents of Easton and Abbotts Worthy. It resulted in the addition of another passing loop on the line and a single siding which was later provided with a goods shed. Five years before the closure of the station the passing loop was removed leaving the station building on the remaining single platform (previously the northbound platform).

Winchester Cheesehill

For the first six years after the opening of the line, Wichester Cheesehill was the terminus of the line until the line was extended to link up with the Southern Railways line to Southampton. The station buildings were larger than those of any other DNSR station on the line but were built to the standard designs used by the Great Western Railway. The station buildings were located on the northbound platform. At the northern end of the station the line passed into the double tracked Chesil tunnel. The station also included a loading bay and single siding at its southern end accessible from the northbound line.

Further to the south of the station was an area of extensive sidings known as the Bar End Yard. There were 4 sidings, two passing loops, a large good shed, a ten ton crane, an engine shed and a turntableKarau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) "An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway", Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5] .

References