Turvey railway station
Turvey was a railway station on the Bedford to Northampton Line which served the village of Turvey from 1872 to 1962.
Turvey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Turvey, Bedford England |
| Grid reference | SP960521 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Bedford and Northampton Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 10 June 1872 | Opened |
| 5 March 1962 | Closed to passengers |
| 6 January 1964 | Goods facilities withdrawn |
History
Opened by the Bedford and Northampton Railway on 10 June 1872,[1][2] the station was a mile from the village of Turvey.[3][4] This was a result of the decision to route the line to the south of Turvey in order to avoid Turvey Abbey and the River Great Ouse.[5] The station was therefore sited near the main road away from the village.[5] However, a small hamlet developed around the station, including a public house called The Railway Inn.[6] An attractive stone building was provided with two platforms.[4][7] Two sidings looped from the Up line to reach a small goods yard, while a further siding just to the north served cattle pens.[3] A signal box stood at the Olney end of the Down platform.[8] Five trains each way ran on weekdays and none on Sundays.[9][10]
Serving a rural district with only 782 residents in 1901, traffic was light.[9] With the introduction of local bus services, passenger bookings fell from 13,207 in 1913 to 7,989 in 1922.[3] Closure of the station to passenger traffic came on 5 March 1962, leaving the goods yard to remain open for freight until 6 January 1964.[1][2][11] In its final years, the station saw few passengers.[6]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olney Line and station closed |
Midland Railway Bedford to Northampton Line |
Bedford Midland Line closed, station open |
Present day
The platforms have been demolished but the station building remains as offices used by LC Services Ltd which has redeveloped the rest of the site[12][13][6]
References
Notes
- Butt (1995), p. 236.
- Quick (2009), p. 388.
- Mitchell & Smith (2004), fig. XI.
- Cockman (1974), p. 43.
- Cockman (1972), p. 264.
- Hinitt & Leigh (1994), p. 36.
- Mitchell & Smith (2004), fig. 55.
- Mitchell & Smith (2004), figs. 55-56.
- Oppitz (2000), p. 139.
- Cockman (1972), p. 265.
- Clinker (1988), p. 138.
- Oppitz (2000), p. 140.
- Shannon (1996), p. 30.
Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Clinker, C. R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 978-0-905466-91-0. OCLC 655703233.
- Cockman, F.G. (Autumn 1972). "The Bedford and Northampton Railway". Bedfordshire Magazine. 13 (102): 262–265.
- Cockman, F.G. (1974). The Railway Age in Bedfordshire. Vol. 53. Bedford: Bedfordshire Historical Record Society. ISBN 0-85155-035-5.
- Hinitt, Michael; Leigh, Chris (September 1994). "Last years of the Bedford-Northampton line". Steam World (87): 32–37.
- Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith A. (June 2004). Bedford to Wellingborough including Hitchin, Northampton and Higham Ferrers. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-314.
- Oppitz, Leslie (2000). Lost Railways of the Chilterns. Lost Railways Series. Newbury, Berkshire: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-643-6.
- Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
- Shannon, Paul (1996) [1995]. Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and West Hertfordshire. British Railways Past and Present. Wadenhoe, Peterborough: Past & Present Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85895-073-0. No. 24.