Butts Junction
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Butts Junction was a railway junction located in Alton in Hampshire, England. The junction was the location at which the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway[1] and the Meon Valley Railway[2] diverged from the Mid-Hants Railway which runs from Alton to Winchester. The junction became operational in 1901.[3]
All of the Junction's railway lines had closed by 1973, with the Mid-Hants Railway subsequently reopening as a heritage railway known as the Watercress Line in 1977.[4] The location of Butts Junction can still be seen from trains on the Watercress Line, with an embankment tailing off in a different direction.
Location
[edit]Butts Junction was located at grid reference SU711384[5] in an area southwest of Alton town centre[6] known as The Butts, from which the junction takes its name. The Butts is a triangle of open land which in medieval times was used for archery practice,[7] leading to its name in reference to the archery butts formerly located at the site.[8][9] Butts Junction was just 20 chains (0.25 miles, 0.40 km) from the former Treloar's Hospital Platform railway station,[10][11] and 1.05 miles (1.69 km) to Alton railway station[12] located northeast of the junction. The railway crosses Butts Road at the junction over a bridge which was replaced with the opening of the line to Basingstoke.[13]
The junction was home to an LSWR type 4 signal box which was built on the site in June 1903.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Dean, Martin; Robertson, Kevin; Simmonds, Roger (2003). The Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway. Southampton: Barton. pp. 9 & 10. ISBN 0-9545617-0-8. OCLC 53030800.
- ^ Patmore, John (1982). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Southern England.
- ^ Course, Edwin (1976). The Railways of Southern England. Batsford. ISBN 0713431962.
- ^ Butcher, Alan (1996). Mid-Hants Railway in colour. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2465-0.
- ^ "Butts Junction". Old Hampshire Gazetteer. 2001. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Grant, Donald (28 September 2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain. Troubador Publishing Limited. p. 34. ISBN 978-1788037686.
- ^ "The Butts, Alton". Alton Events. Alton Town Council. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "More About Alton, Hampshire". River Wey and Wey Navigation. 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "The Butts Church". Alton, Hampshire. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 50.
- ^ Maggs, Colin (15 January 2016). Maggs's Railway Curiosities. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445652665.
- ^ Benn, Don (2017). Biography of British Train Travel. Pen & Sword Transport. p. 238. ISBN 978-1473858442.
- ^ "Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway". Friends of Alton Station. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "Butts Junction". The Signalling Record Society. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2023.