West Meon railway station

West Meon railway station was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley line which ran from Alton to Fareham during the first half of the 20th century. Opened on 1 June 1903, it formed part of a comprehensive set of transport links serving the village.[1] The main station building was designed by T. P. Figgis.

West Meon
Station Road, West Meon
General information
LocationWest Meon, City of Winchester
England
Coordinates51.0086°N 1.0862°W / 51.0086; -1.0862
Grid referenceSU642237
PlatformsTwo
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLondon and South Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 June 1903Opened
7 February 1955Closed
1970 station in poor repair
Tunnel under disused line near WM station

Engineering works

The Meon Valley line was particularly difficult to construct (it cost the equivalent of 27 million pounds[2]). The terrain around West Meon was very uneven, requiring large works of civil engineering to build the railway. In quick succession, heading into West Meon from the north, the line required a tall embankment with a large tunnel driven through it to carry it over the A272, a tunnel and, immediately before the station, an impressive wrought-iron viaduct over the Meon Valley itself.

Closure

Never a busy station, its only substantive commission was to move a complete farm in 1933.[3] It was finally closed on 7 February 1955. The station buildings remained for several years but were eventually demolished for hard core rubble for a car park in Denmead. The four-span West Meon viaduct was demolished in 1957.[4]

The site today

The only remains today are the 600-foot-long (180 m) platforms which were cleared of trees in 2015 to provide a grassy area with picnic tables. An interpretation board has been installed to provide a brief description of the scene. [5] and an Ordnance Survey benchmark.[6] The site of the former goods yard is now a car park for users of the Meon Valley Trail and the approach road from the village is still called 'Station Road'. The goods storage yard opposite the platform area was converted by volunteers into a wildlife area for the local primary school. A pupil won a school competition by naming the area 'The Nature Station'.

Route
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Privett   British Rail
Southern Region
Meon Valley Railway line		   Droxford

See also

References
  1. "Summary of transport provision".
  2. Stone, R.A. (1983). The Meon Valley Railway. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 978-1-870754-36-1.
  3. Oppitz, L (1988). Hampshire railways remembered. Newbury: Countryside. ISBN 1-85306-020-8.
  4. Railway Magazine December 1957 p. 852 with before and after photos
  5. "Aerial photo".
  6. "Location of benchmark".


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