Churn railway station
Encyclopedia
Churn railway station served Churn Down, a remote part of the Berkshire Downs
. The nearest village was Blewbury
, two miles north, which was already served by Upton and Blewbury the previous station on the line. The station closed in 1962.
in 1888. However, from 1889 military summer camps were established near to the station which required the use of the halt as the only access to the site. Timetables provided that trains would not call at Churn unless prior notice had been given to the Stationmaster at Didcot. The station buildings consisted of no more than a simple wooden shelter and basic lavatories. In order to provide deliveries of goods for the camps a small siding was built at the southern end of the station.. In 1905 it was the subject of a fictional crime mystery, Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture, by Victor Whitechurch
.
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. The nearest village was Blewbury
Blewbury
Blewbury is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs about south of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Prehistory:...
, two miles north, which was already served by Upton and Blewbury the previous station on the line. The station closed in 1962.
History
This was a small and very isolated single platform halt with access only via an unmetalled downland sheep road. It was built as a temporary stop to accommodate a competition held by the National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association of the United Kingdom
The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom is the governing body of full bore rifle and pistol shooting sports in the United Kingdom.- History :...
in 1888. However, from 1889 military summer camps were established near to the station which required the use of the halt as the only access to the site. Timetables provided that trains would not call at Churn unless prior notice had been given to the Stationmaster at Didcot. The station buildings consisted of no more than a simple wooden shelter and basic lavatories. In order to provide deliveries of goods for the camps a small siding was built at the southern end of the station.. In 1905 it was the subject of a fictional crime mystery, Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture, by Victor Whitechurch
Victor Whitechurch
Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch was a Church of England clergyman and author.He wrote many novels on different themes. He is probably best known for his detective stories featuring Thorpe Hazell, which featured in the Strand Magazine, Railway Magazine, Pearson's and Harmsworth's Magazines...
.