Aston Rowant railway station
Encyclopedia
Aston Rowant
railway station was opened in 1872 and was a part of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
. Having closed in 1961, there have been proposals to reopen the station not only to the heritage services of the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
, but also National Rail
commuter services operated by Chiltern Railways
.
it stayed part of that company after the Grouping
of 1923. The station passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948, and was then closed by the British Transport Commission
. The station was closed to passengers on 1 June 1957 and to goods in January 1961.
A single track ran through the station running through to pass under a bridge carrying the A40
main road between Oxford
and London
.
The station appeared in four films: The Captive Heart
(1946), My Brother Jonathan
(1947), My Brother's Keeper
(1948) and Portrait of Clare
(1950). Excerpts of these films can be found at The Watlington Branch Line blog.
meets the A40 road
at the bottom of Beacon Hill near the M40 motorway
. If approaching from the direction of Stokenchurch
, the site is immediately to the right after passing the Icknield Way
. The site is at a point where a bridge took the road over the line; this overbridge remains but is infilled to road level.
The actual station site is to be found near a path through a wooded area. An area where some remains may be covered is near the edge where the earth is piled high with little undergrowth. The area is now overgrown, yet a flat concrete surface is visible and the track bed is still apparent in undergrowth at the end of the flat area.
If explored, the overgrown area of the site reveals signs of the stations platform. The original railings of the platform are heavily bent and twisted from nature but are still in their original position. The goods platform too can still be clearly made out showing the brick construction. Bricks etc can be found strewn around this area of the site and at the edges, where the original boundary fences remain.
(CPRR) wishes to extend its operations to Aston Rowant. A joint venture
between the CPRR and Chiltern Railways
has also been proposed whereby the national rail operator would construct a new station at Aston Rowant to allow frequent weekday commuter services along the Icknield Line to connect with main line traffic through to London Marylebone, leaving the CPPR to run heritage services at other times. The scheme, which would cost around £3m, would seek to take advantage of Aston Rowant's location near junction 6 of the busy M40 motorway
.
Aston Rowant
Aston Rowant is a village and civil parish about south of Thame in South Oxfordshire, England. The parish includes the villages of Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount, and adjoins Buckinghamshire to the southeast....
railway station was opened in 1872 and was a part of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
. Having closed in 1961, there have been proposals to reopen the station not only to the heritage services of the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway is a heritage railway with its main station at Chinnor on the border between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
, but also National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
commuter services operated by Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
.
History
Operated from the outset by the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
it stayed part of that company after the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The station passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on nationalisation in 1948, and was then closed by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
. The station was closed to passengers on 1 June 1957 and to goods in January 1961.
A single track ran through the station running through to pass under a bridge carrying the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
main road between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The station appeared in four films: The Captive Heart
The Captive Heart
The Captive Heart is a 1946 British war drama, directed by Basil Dearden for Ealing Studios. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1946), My Brother Jonathan
My Brother Jonathan
My Brother Jonathan is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold French. It starred Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, and James Robertson Justice....
(1947), My Brother's Keeper
My Brother's Keeper (1948 film)
My Brother's Keeper is a 1948 British crime film in the form of a convicts-on-the-run chase thriller, directed by Alfred Roome for Gainsborough Pictures. It was the first of only two films directed by Roome during a long career as a film editor...
(1948) and Portrait of Clare
Portrait of Clare
Portrait of Clare is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Margaret Johnston, Richard Todd, Robin Bailey and Ronald Howard.-Cast:* Margaret Johnston - Clare Hingston* Richard Todd - Robert Hart* Robin Bailey - Dudley Wilburn...
(1950). Excerpts of these films can be found at The Watlington Branch Line blog.
Present day
The station site is to be found just before the B4009 roadB roads in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-3 digits:-4 digits :-4 digits :-4 digits :...
meets the A40 road
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
at the bottom of Beacon Hill near the M40 motorway
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
. If approaching from the direction of Stokenchurch
Stokenchurch
Stokenchurch is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about south of Chinnor in Oxfordshire and west of High Wycombe. The village is a popular place to live, due to its rural location and ease of access to London and Birmingham...
, the site is immediately to the right after passing the Icknield Way
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
. The site is at a point where a bridge took the road over the line; this overbridge remains but is infilled to road level.
The actual station site is to be found near a path through a wooded area. An area where some remains may be covered is near the edge where the earth is piled high with little undergrowth. The area is now overgrown, yet a flat concrete surface is visible and the track bed is still apparent in undergrowth at the end of the flat area.
If explored, the overgrown area of the site reveals signs of the stations platform. The original railings of the platform are heavily bent and twisted from nature but are still in their original position. The goods platform too can still be clearly made out showing the brick construction. Bricks etc can be found strewn around this area of the site and at the edges, where the original boundary fences remain.
Future
There have been reports that the Chinnor and Princes Risborough RailwayChinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway is a heritage railway with its main station at Chinnor on the border between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
(CPRR) wishes to extend its operations to Aston Rowant. A joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between the CPRR and Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
has also been proposed whereby the national rail operator would construct a new station at Aston Rowant to allow frequent weekday commuter services along the Icknield Line to connect with main line traffic through to London Marylebone, leaving the CPPR to run heritage services at other times. The scheme, which would cost around £3m, would seek to take advantage of Aston Rowant's location near junction 6 of the busy M40 motorway
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
.