Fenny Compton West railway station
Encyclopedia
Fenny Compton West railway station was a railway station serving Fenny Compton
in the English
county of Warwickshire
.
and . The first section of the line to open was the Fenny Compton to Kineton section on 1 June 1871 followed by the Kineton to Stratford upon Avon section on 1 July 1873.
There were two platforms to serve the passing loop
on the otherwise single line. It was built side by side with the GWR
's Fenny Compton station
on the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway which had opened in 1852. The up platform was directly next to the GWR down, but because the latter's goods yard was in between, the E&W one tapered down to less than 3 feet instead of the required six - something which the Board of Trade
inspector ordered should be rectified but which was never done.
In fact the Board of Trade had been extremely critical of the impecunious line. On the first visit of its inspector for, it had commented on deficient ballast, missing fish bolts, incomplete points interlocking, as well as poor fencing and lack of station facilities, such as name boards and clocks
The line became part of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
in a merger of 1908 and at grouping
in 1923 it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
The LMS found it a useful link between its Bristol and London routes in competition with GWR goods traffic to the Capital.
Initially the line had its own signal box, but in 1931 a new joint LMS and GWR box was built to the north of the station. This in turn was replaced by British Rail
in 1960.
Passenger services finished on the E&W in 1952. Subsequently, the up platform was removed, and various connecting lines were installed to allow through goods traffic. However this never materialised because the line was closed as a through route in 1965. A stub of the Stratford upon Avon line remains as a freight line leading to the Kineton Military Railway. The GWR line remains as the present day Didcot to Chester line. Although the station trackwork remains much as it was, the platforms and most of the buildings have gone.
Fenny Compton
Fenny Compton is a village and parish in Warwickshire, England, about eight miles north of Banbury. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 797. Its church of St. Peter and St. Clare was built in the 14th century...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
History
It was opened by East and West Junction Railway between Stratford upon AvonStratford-upon-Avon railway station
Stratford-upon-Avon railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It was once a through station on the Great Western Railway route from Birmingham to Cheltenham, but has been the terminus of the line since 1976.There are plans for a new...
and . The first section of the line to open was the Fenny Compton to Kineton section on 1 June 1871 followed by the Kineton to Stratford upon Avon section on 1 July 1873.
There were two platforms to serve the passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
on the otherwise single line. It was built side by side with 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...
's Fenny Compton station
Fenny Compton railway station
Fenny Compton railway station was a railway station serving Fenny Compton in the English county of Warwickshire.-History:It was opened by Great Western Railway in 1852 on its Oxford and Rugby Railway and would have formed the junction of with its proposed Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway...
on the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway which had opened in 1852. The up platform was directly next to the GWR down, but because the latter's goods yard was in between, the E&W one tapered down to less than 3 feet instead of the required six - something which the Board of Trade
Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, HM Railway Inspectorate was the British organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways...
inspector ordered should be rectified but which was never done.
In fact the Board of Trade had been extremely critical of the impecunious line. On the first visit of its inspector for, it had commented on deficient ballast, missing fish bolts, incomplete points interlocking, as well as poor fencing and lack of station facilities, such as name boards and clocks
The line became part of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
in a merger of 1908 and at 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...
in 1923 it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
The LMS found it a useful link between its Bristol and London routes in competition with GWR goods traffic to the Capital.
Initially the line had its own signal box, but in 1931 a new joint LMS and GWR box was built to the north of the station. This in turn was replaced 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...
in 1960.
Passenger services finished on the E&W in 1952. Subsequently, the up platform was removed, and various connecting lines were installed to allow through goods traffic. However this never materialised because the line was closed as a through route in 1965. A stub of the Stratford upon Avon line remains as a freight line leading to the Kineton Military Railway. The GWR line remains as the present day Didcot to Chester line. Although the station trackwork remains much as it was, the platforms and most of the buildings have gone.
Routes
Further reading
- Jordan, A., (1982) The Stratford upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway: The Shakespeare Route, Oxford Railway Publishing Company
- Dunn, J.M., (1952) The Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway, South Godstone: The Oakwood Press