Woodford Halse railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Woodford Halse
gridref = SP540525


caption = Twin overbridges from which a stairway led up to the station.
manager = Great Central Railway
owner = London and North Eastern Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
locale = Woodford Halse
borough = Daventry
platforms = 3
years = 15 March 1899
events = Opened (Woodford and Hinton)
years1 = 1 November 1948
events1 = Renamed (Woodford Halse)
years2 = 5 September 1966
events2 = Closed

Woodford Halse was a railway station serving the village of Woodford Halse in Northamptonshire on the former Great Central main line (GCR). This was the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London and opened in March 1899. The station was originally called Woodford & Hinton, but was renamed Woodford Halse in November 1948.

History

The station was situated near Woodford Halse North Curve Junction linking the GCR with the Great Western Railway at Banbury. A major locomotive depot and marshalling yards were also sited at Woodford Halse – plans to construct carriage sheds there too were dropped. Several rows of terraced dwellings to house the railway workers were built, together with a street of shops. This gave a small village an industrial look that seemed alien to its surroundings. The parish's population eventually peaked at just under 2,000, at which time Woodford Halse had its own cinema.

In timetables of the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, Woodford Halse was shown as the final stop (until early 1960s), even though no Metropolitan trains have ever served the village. The reason for the inclusion of Woodford Halse was that many Metropolitan passengers would use GCR services between Aylesbury Town and London; Woodford Halse was the nearest station north of Aylesbury at which nearly all GCR trains stopped. This made the station the furthest point from London associated with the Underground.

The GCR was, at times, a busy route and the depot and yards at Woodford Halse were a hive of activity, but not busy enough to ensure survival when the Beeching Axe closures of the 1960s took place. It was originally hoped that the line south of Woodford Halse to Aylesbury would remain open. The Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway had already closed in April 1952 and, in September 1966, most of the GCR was closed, including all the lines converging on Woodford Halse. All tracks and most railway buildings were cleared leaving behind a wasteland. The population fell sharply, as many former railway workers and their families left the area, but new developments in later decades have increased it. Where the GCR's line, depot and yards were sited is now a tree plantation and a small modern industrial estate. Woodford Halse is once again a quiet place where visitors may still see evidence of its railway past.

Rail line|previous=Byfield|next=Moreton Pinkney|route=SMJR|col=000000

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Future

Woodford Halse may once again become a railway hub as Chiltern Railways, the rail operator of the remaining southern section of the GCR (Marylebone-Aylesbury) have hinted that they want to connect to Rugby Central via Woodford Halse. This is unlikely to happen before 2022.

[ [http://www.cwn.org.uk/business/a-z/c/chiltern-railways/2000/08/000810-new-central-scheme.htm CWN, " Bid To Reopen Central Railway To Passengers", 10 August 2000.] ]

* [http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/greatcentralrlwy/ Petition to reinstate all of the Great Central Railway on Downing Street website]

References