Northampton Bridge Street railway station
Northampton Bridge Street | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Far Cotton, Northampton, Northampton England |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | London and Birmingham Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
13 May 1845 | Opened as Northampton |
June 1876 | Station renamed Northampton Bridge Street |
4 May 1964 | Station closed to passengers[1][2] |
1972 | Station closed to freight[2] |
2005 | Last sidings by the station closed[2] |
Northampton Bridge Street is a former railway station in Northampton, the main town of Northamptonshire, on the Northampton and Peterborough Railway which connected Peterborough and Northampton.[3]
History
[edit]Originally named Northampton, this was the first station serving the town. It opened in 1845, with buildings designed by architect John William Livock.[4] The service was from Peterborough to Northampton via Wellingborough. It was renamed Northampton Bridge Street in 1876, after a new station was built for the line to Market Harborough.[5] The station meant that people could travel to Wellingborough, Irthlingborough and Peterborough more quickly than before.
The station closed to passengers in 1964,[2] the buildings being demolished in 1969.[6] Freight trains continued to use Bridge Street regularly until 1972; a lone remaining group of corporate sidings finally closed in 2005.[2]
Stationmasters
[edit]- William Young until 1848
- Robert Snape 1848 - 1852
- Charles Livock 1853 - 1871[7] (formerly station master at Weedon, afterwards station master at Rugby)
- J. Webster 1871 - 1874[7] (formerly station master at Tamworth)
- Charles Livock 1874 - 1875[7] (formerly station master at Rugby
- George Norris 1875[7] - 1880[8]
- J. Mellor 1880 - 1882[9]
- George William Teat 1882[10] - 1890[9]
- G. Gauntley 1890 - 1897[9]
- John Edwin Widdowson 1897 - 1898[11] (afterwards station master at Northampton Castle)
- Henry Burrell ca. 1899
- Edward Burrell 1900 - 1907[12]
- William Smith 1908 - 1913[12]
- Philip Haines 1913[12] - 1920 (formerly night station master at Northampton Castle)
- J. Bentham 1928[13] - 1931[14] (also station master at Northampton Castle)
- F.C. O’Connor 1932 - 1937[15] (also station master at Northampton Castle, afterwards station master at Sheffield)
- Henry Preston 1937 - 1941[16] (formerly station master at Luton, also station master at Northampton Castle)
- Arthur Hill 1941 - 1944[17] (formerly station master at Upminster, also station master at Northampton Castle, afterwards station master at Wigan)
- Bertie Hill 1944 - 1953 (brother of the previous station master, also station master at Northampton Castle)
- Benjamin Blackburn from 1953[18] (formerly station master at Gourock, also station master of Northampton Castle, afterwards station master at Bolton Trinity)
- A.S. Harcourt from 1962 (also station master at Northampton Castle)
Former services
[edit]Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Blisworth | London and North Western Railway Northampton and Peterborough Railway |
Billing | ||
Northampton (Castle) | London and North Western Railway Northampton to Market Harborough line |
Terminus |
Today's usage
[edit]The actual station was between the Old Towcester Road and the line; this land is now a housing development.
The line still runs past the station site, although the line past the level crossing has been de-commissioned and is likely to become a road/cycle/walking route [NBC CAAP 2013].
There is still a Network Rail depot on the south side of the line, which includes an old LNWR shed.
Future plans
[edit]On 22 October 2013, the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation announced that it had agreed to purchase the disused Northampton Bridge Street branch line from Network Rail for £1.5 million to create a two-mile (3 km) cycle and pedestrian path linking the Brackmills Industrial Estate to the Northampton Enterprise Zone.[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
- ^ a b c d e "Disused Stations: Northampton Bridge Street Station".
- ^ British Railways Atlas.1947. p.17
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1961). The Buildings of England. Northamptonshire. Penguin Books.
- ^ Catford, Nick (28 June 2006). "Subterranea Britannica: SB-Sites: Northampton Bridge Street Station". Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
- ^ "Northampton History". Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d "1841-1878 Coaching". London and North Western Railway Operating, Traffic, Coaching Depts: 312. 1841. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Retirement of a Station-Master". Northampton Mercury. England. 6 November 1880. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c "1887-1897 Coaching". London and North Western Railway Operating, Traffic, Coaching Depts: 64. 1887. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Presentation". Northampton Mercury. England. 3 June 1882. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Mr. Widdowson's Retirement". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. England. 25 April 1919. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c "1898-1914 Coaching Pgs.1-572". London and North Western Railway Operating, Traffic, Coaching Depts: 181. 1898. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "New Stationmaster at Northampton". Northampton Chronicle And Echo. England. 4 December 1928. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Mr. J. Bentham to retire". Northampton Mercury. England. 6 November 1931. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stationmaster Going to Sheffield". Northampton Mercury. England. 5 March 1937. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Northampton Stationmaster Retires". Northampton Mercury. England. 10 October 1941. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Notes of the Week". Northampton Mercury. England. 19 May 1944. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Mr. Benjamin Blackburn". Northampton Mercury. England. 25 September 1953. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Northampton disused rail line bought by WNDC". BBC News. 21 October 2013.
52°13′44″N 0°53′51″W / 52.2290°N 0.8975°W