Charlton Kings railway station
Encyclopedia
Charlton Kings railway station was a small station in Gloucestershire
serving the village of Charlton Kings
and the southern outskirts of Cheltenham Spa.
to Cheltenham
section of the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
, which was operated and later taken over by the Great Western Railway
.
From 1891, Charlton Kings station was also served by trains on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
line, which branched off the Banbury and Cheltenham line at Andoversford
and formed a north-south link between Cheltenham to Swindon, Andover and the south coast. The M&SWJR had running rights over the GWR line.
Charlton Kings was a small station with a wooden building. The line through it was particularly busy during the First World War and the Second World War with heavy troop and machinery movements on the M&SWJR. But traffic declined rapidly after the Second World War, and Charlton Kings also faced competition from road transport services. The station was reduced to "halt" status in 1956, with goods facilities withdrawn a couple of years before that.
The M&SWJR line closed to passenger traffic in September 1961, and services on the Banbury to Cheltenham line were withdrawn on 15 October 1962, when Charlton Kings station closed. There is no trace of the station today.
Chelsea Building Society
bought the disused land around 2004 and built a second smaller head office to contain its expanding head office operations, which won environmental
awards for its use of geothermal heating
, green building
and "green" credentials. The building was also designed in such a way by Hoare Lea
that it would be recognised for its long term reduced environmental impact. For example during the height of the Summer months the angle and placement of the windows along the south east facing side of the building avoids the midday sun falling directly through the windows into the rooms thus avoiding a greenhouse effect and decreasing the need for greater levels of air conditioning. Hoare Lea acted as environmental and MEP engineer, ensuring that thermal environmental performance, engineering systems design, future adaptability, and energy efficiency were integral to the design. Key features include ground source heat pumps and comfort cooling provided via displacement ventilation with passive chilled beams.
In early 2010, the merger with the Yorkshire Building Society
was completed and it was announced shortly after that the original head office would close by the end of 2011 and the remaining Chelsea staff and operations would relocate to the Charlton Kings site.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
serving the village of Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings is a suburb of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 coming into force on April 1, 1974, it had been an urban district...
and the southern outskirts of Cheltenham Spa.
History
The station opened in 1881 with the opening of the Bourton-on-the-WaterBourton-on-the-Water railway station
Bourton-on-the-Water was a Gloucestershire station on the Great Western Railway's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway that opened in 1881 and closed in 1964...
to Cheltenham
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...
section of the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway is a former railway in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, England.-Origins and development:...
, which was operated and later taken over by 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...
.
From 1891, Charlton Kings station was also served by trains on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
line, which branched off the Banbury and Cheltenham line at Andoversford
Andoversford railway station
Andoversford railway station was in Gloucestershire on the Great Western Railway's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway that opened in 1881. Situated about six miles east of Cheltenham, the station served the village of Andoversford with its large market, which provided a lot of the traffic at the...
and formed a north-south link between Cheltenham to Swindon, Andover and the south coast. The M&SWJR had running rights over the GWR line.
Charlton Kings was a small station with a wooden building. The line through it was particularly busy during the First World War and the Second World War with heavy troop and machinery movements on the M&SWJR. But traffic declined rapidly after the Second World War, and Charlton Kings also faced competition from road transport services. The station was reduced to "halt" status in 1956, with goods facilities withdrawn a couple of years before that.
The M&SWJR line closed to passenger traffic in September 1961, and services on the Banbury to Cheltenham line were withdrawn on 15 October 1962, when Charlton Kings station closed. There is no trace of the station today.
Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society was the fourth largest Building Society in the United Kingdom with total assets in excess of £13 billion at 31 December 2007 . It is a member of the Building Societies Association. Operating mainly in South East England with its network of 35 branches, its head office is...
bought the disused land around 2004 and built a second smaller head office to contain its expanding head office operations, which won environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
awards for its use of geothermal heating
Geothermal heating
Geothermal heating is the direct use of geothermal energy for heating applications. Humans have taken advantage of geothermal heat this way since the Paleolithic era. Approximately seventy countries made direct use of a total of 270 PJ of geothermal heating in 2004...
, green building
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
and "green" credentials. The building was also designed in such a way by Hoare Lea
Hoare Lea
Hoare Lea is a firm of consulting engineers specialising in mechanical, electrical and environmental engineering...
that it would be recognised for its long term reduced environmental impact. For example during the height of the Summer months the angle and placement of the windows along the south east facing side of the building avoids the midday sun falling directly through the windows into the rooms thus avoiding a greenhouse effect and decreasing the need for greater levels of air conditioning. Hoare Lea acted as environmental and MEP engineer, ensuring that thermal environmental performance, engineering systems design, future adaptability, and energy efficiency were integral to the design. Key features include ground source heat pumps and comfort cooling provided via displacement ventilation with passive chilled beams.
In early 2010, the merger with the Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire Building Society
The Yorkshire Building Society is the second largest building society in the UK, with its headquarters in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Assets now exceed £20 billion....
was completed and it was announced shortly after that the original head office would close by the end of 2011 and the remaining Chelsea staff and operations would relocate to the Charlton Kings site.