Blaenavon High Level railway station
Encyclopedia
Blaenavon High Level is a station on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
heritage line, serving the World Heritage Site
town of Blaenavon
, south Wales
. It is currently the southern-most terminus of the P&BR, reopened thanks to an Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992
to extend and operate its line from the Whistle Inn halt in the north to the site of Blaenavon (High Level) some two miles to the south.
Originally the station was simply called 'Blaenavon'. The "High Level" suffix came after the 1948 nationalisation to differentiate it from Blaenavon Low Level – the other Blaenavon station, which was previously operated by the GWR
.
In its time Blaenavon (High Level) station had up and down platforms. The up platform contained the main station buildings and was approached by a wide road providing for vehicular access. Also on the up side was a loco shed and a goods shed. The down platform was built with a stone front wall and relatively narrow stone coping stones along its edge, behind the copers the majority of the platform was of ash or macadam stone. The platform was approached from the main road by a steep footpath and the two platforms were joined by a barrow crossing. The platform contained a sizeable waiting room, and a notably tall signal box. The waiting room was fronted by blue diamond-cut setts rather than ash, whilst the area in front of the signal box was clad with wooden planks overlaying a cavity through which the rods and wires were channelled.
to transport coal to the Midlands via the Heads of the Valleys line
. The line was completed in the late eighteen sixties and the LNWR were operating passenger trains over the line by
1872. Eight years later it was extended to meet the Great Western Railway
at Abersychan & Talywain
. Here the line carried on down the valley through Pontypool Road Station to the coast at Newport. In 1922 the LNWR was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
. In later years the line saw a variety of GWR locomotives operating from pit to port, however the railway retained its LNWR infrastructure up until the very last days before its closure.
The line was closed to passengers, not during the Beeching Cuts
which befell the GWR route to Blaenavon Low Level, but in 1941 due to the exigencies of the Second World War. Blaenavon shed closed in 1942 and eventually goods also ceased in 1954. The line was retained for wagon storage until 1953, and around 1950, a temporary siding was laid in connection with opencast workings on the Blorenge nearby.
Not long after closure to passengers all the buildings on the both the up and down platforms were eventually demolished by British Rail
. All, except some vestigial remains of the up platform were swept away, post-war, when the area was later occupied by a concrete works.
Firstly the volunteers cleared away the undergrowth the limited remains of the platform, with its attractive stone front wall and stone coping stones came into view. Unfortunately a minor setback occurred when the majority of the cut course stone was stolen within a year or two of its reconstruction. This forced the society to incorporate straightforward dense concrete blocks laid broad face down to replace what was taken from vandal attacks.
In late 2008 as work continued it was discovered that much of the original waiting room remained. Although the building had been demolished to the level of the original platform, the foundation walls were still retained, much of the brickwork was simply thrown into the intact cellars below. These walls were massively thick, and although their geometry was complicated, with some picking about, a clear footprint of the building emerged.
With the extension to Blaenavon now open, the railway society intends to rebuild the entire original waiting room and replace the LNWR signal box on the platform in due course.
Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a halt platform opposite the Whistle Stop public house southwards to the town of Blaenavon via a two-platform station at the site of former colliery furnace.The line is the highest...
heritage line, serving the World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
town of Blaenavon
Blaenavon
Blaenavon is a town and World Heritage Site in south eastern Wales, lying at the source of the Afon Lwyd north of Pontypool, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. The town lies high on a hillside and has a population of 6,349 people...
, south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is currently the southern-most terminus of the P&BR, reopened thanks to an Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992
Transport and Works Act 1992
The Transport and Works Act 1992 was established by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to provide a system by which the construction of rail transport, tramway, inland waterway and harbour infrastructure could proceed in the UK by order of the Minister of State for Transport rather than, as...
to extend and operate its line from the Whistle Inn halt in the north to the site of Blaenavon (High Level) some two miles to the south.
Originally the station was simply called 'Blaenavon'. The "High Level" suffix came after the 1948 nationalisation to differentiate it from Blaenavon Low Level – the other Blaenavon station, which was previously operated by the GWR
Great 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...
.
In its time Blaenavon (High Level) station had up and down platforms. The up platform contained the main station buildings and was approached by a wide road providing for vehicular access. Also on the up side was a loco shed and a goods shed. The down platform was built with a stone front wall and relatively narrow stone coping stones along its edge, behind the copers the majority of the platform was of ash or macadam stone. The platform was approached from the main road by a steep footpath and the two platforms were joined by a barrow crossing. The platform contained a sizeable waiting room, and a notably tall signal box. The waiting room was fronted by blue diamond-cut setts rather than ash, whilst the area in front of the signal box was clad with wooden planks overlaying a cavity through which the rods and wires were channelled.
History
The line from Brynmawr to Blaenavon was originally built in 1866 by the Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway and immediately leased to the London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
to transport coal to the Midlands via the Heads of the Valleys line
Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was a railway company operating between 1860 and 1958 between the towns of Merthyr Tydfil, Tredegar and Abergavenny through the counties of Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire in south east Wales....
. The line was completed in the late eighteen sixties and the LNWR were operating passenger trains over the line by
1872. Eight years later it was extended to meet the Great Western Railway
Great 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...
at Abersychan & Talywain
Abersychan and Talywain railway station
Abersychan and Talywain railway station served the west of Abersychan village in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire. The station was the meeting point for two major pre-grouping railways as they competed for the South Wales coal traffic.-History:...
. Here the line carried on down the valley through Pontypool Road Station to the coast at Newport. In 1922 the LNWR was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
. In later years the line saw a variety of GWR locomotives operating from pit to port, however the railway retained its LNWR infrastructure up until the very last days before its closure.
The line was closed to passengers, not during the Beeching Cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
which befell the GWR route to Blaenavon Low Level, but in 1941 due to the exigencies of the Second World War. Blaenavon shed closed in 1942 and eventually goods also ceased in 1954. The line was retained for wagon storage until 1953, and around 1950, a temporary siding was laid in connection with opencast workings on the Blorenge nearby.
Not long after closure to passengers all the buildings on the both the up and down platforms were eventually demolished by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. All, except some vestigial remains of the up platform were swept away, post-war, when the area was later occupied by a concrete works.
Preservation
Despite the fact that virtually everything had been destroyed, the preservation society were determined to save what little remained.Firstly the volunteers cleared away the undergrowth the limited remains of the platform, with its attractive stone front wall and stone coping stones came into view. Unfortunately a minor setback occurred when the majority of the cut course stone was stolen within a year or two of its reconstruction. This forced the society to incorporate straightforward dense concrete blocks laid broad face down to replace what was taken from vandal attacks.
In late 2008 as work continued it was discovered that much of the original waiting room remained. Although the building had been demolished to the level of the original platform, the foundation walls were still retained, much of the brickwork was simply thrown into the intact cellars below. These walls were massively thick, and although their geometry was complicated, with some picking about, a clear footprint of the building emerged.
With the extension to Blaenavon now open, the railway society intends to rebuild the entire original waiting room and replace the LNWR signal box on the platform in due course.