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Churchdown railway station

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Coordinates: 51°52′51″N 2°10′02″W / 51.88075°N 2.16714°W / 51.88075; -2.16714
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Churchdown
Cheltenham - Paddington express passing Churchdown station in 1961
General information
LocationChurchdown, Tewkesbury
England
Grid referenceSO886202
Platforms4
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBirmingham and Gloucester Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway/Great Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway/Great Western Railway
Key dates
9 August 1842 (1842-08-09)Opened
27 September 1842Closed
2 February 1874Re-opened
2 November 1964Closed

Churchdown railway station was situated on the main line between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa. It served Churchdown and surrounding areas.

History

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A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Churchdown
'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' passing Churchdown in 1960
Up holiday express from Torbay near Churchdown in 1957

The railway line between Cheltenham and Gloucester opened on 4 November 1840, the final section of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&G) which had been authorised in 1836.[1] At first, there were no intermediate stations, but on 9 August 1842 the first station at Churchdown was opened by the B&G; it proved to be temporary, being closed again on 27 September.[2] Less than a year later, on 22 August 1843, a station opened closer to Cheltenham at nearby Badgworth.[3][4] Both stations were built in response to request from the residents of Badgeworth for a station closer than Cheltenham or Gloucester; Churchdown was the first choice of the railway company since it was closer to the half-way point between the two towns.[5]

The permanent station at Churchdown was opened on 2 February 1874, and was the joint property of the Midland Railway (successor to the B&G) and the Great Western Railway,[2][6] who had shared the line since 1847.[7]

The station closed on 2 November 1964,[2] as part of the reshaping of British Railways or more commonly known as the Beeching Axe by Dr Beeching.

The site of the station is 89 miles 65 chains (144.5 km) from Derby.[4] Little remains of the station itself next to what is now Station Close, but through traffic continues on the line.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Cheltenham Malvern Road   Great Western Railway
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway 		  Gloucester
Gloucester   Birmingham and Gloucester Railway   Lansdown
Gloucester Eastgate   Midland Railway   Cheltenham Spa (Lansdown)

References

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  1. ^ James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 29. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  2. ^ a b c Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 61. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ Butt 1995, p. 22
  4. ^ a b Long, P.J.; Awdry, The Rev. W. V. (1987). The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. Gloucester: Alan Sutton. p. 274. ISBN 0-86299-329-6.
  5. ^ Long & Awdry 1987, p. 261
  6. ^ "Railways in Gloucester and Churchdown - after 1845". Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  7. ^ MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. p. 188.

Further reading

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51°52′51″N 2°10′02″W / 51.88075°N 2.16714°W / 51.88075; -2.16714

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