Ketton and Collyweston railway station
Encyclopedia
Ketton and Collyweston railway station is a former station serving the villages of Ketton
, Geeston, Aldgate and Collyweston
, Rutland
. It is located in Geeston adjacent to a level crossing on the Ketton to Collyweston road. It is under half a mile from Ketton but over a mile from Collyweston. It closed in 1966 but has been proposed for reopening.
as Ketton on 1 May 1848, on the Syston and Peterborough Railway
about two years after the rest of the line opened. From 1851, trains using the LNWR Rugby and Stamford Railway railway which joined at Luffenham
passed through the station but generally did not stop.
Although much of the line had opened in 1846, there was a dispute with Lord Harborough over the course of the line and this section was not opened until 1848. It was built next to a level crossing on the road between Ketton and Collyweston. The handsome station building was built in a Victorian ecclesiastical Tudor pattern of local stone and Collyweston tiles. For good measure it included a small belfry though whether this was ever used is not known. On the other platform was a smaller building in a combination of stone and timber.
To gain a more direct route, in 1879 the LNWR built a line from Seaton
to Yarwell junction near Wansford
on its Northampton
to Peterborough
line, thus bypassing the section through Luffenham, though it continued to run a few trains.
On both sides of the double track were ample sidings, particularly on the down Peterborough side where three lines served a good shed and loading dock with a crane. Unusually, access to the three minor sidings was by means of a wagon turntable rather than points. There was a signal box on the other side of the road.
In the early part of the 20th century the station saw six or seven Midland Railway trains per day and five LNWR trains between Seaton and Stamford. After the war is reduced to five a day on the Midland routes with a few on the branch from Seaton.
At grouping
in 1923 it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. It received its final name in 1935.
The line from Seaton was closed and lifted in 1966, but the main Midland line is still in operation for trains from Leicester to Peterborough. The station buildings no longer exist.
Former Services
Ketton
Ketton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about eight miles east of Oakham and three miles west of Stamford in Lincolnshire...
, Geeston, Aldgate and Collyweston
Collyweston
Collyweston is a village and civil parish about three miles south-west of Stamford on the road to Kettering.-Geography:The village is on the southern side of the Welland valley of Tixover. The River Welland, at the point nearby to the north-west, is the boundary between Rutland and...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
. It is located in Geeston adjacent to a level crossing on the Ketton to Collyweston road. It is under half a mile from Ketton but over a mile from Collyweston. It closed in 1966 but has been proposed for reopening.
History
The station was opened by the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
as Ketton on 1 May 1848, on the Syston and Peterborough Railway
Syston and Peterborough Railway
The Syston and Peterborough Railway was an early railway in England opened between 1845 and 1848 to form a branch from the Midland Counties Railway at Syston just north of Leicester to Peterborough.-Origins:...
about two years after the rest of the line opened. From 1851, trains using the LNWR Rugby and Stamford Railway railway which joined at Luffenham
Luffenham railway station
Luffenham railway station is a former station of the Syston and Peterborough Railway serving the villages of North and South Luffenham, Rutland. The station was situated adjacent to a level crossing on the North Luffenham to Duddington road...
passed through the station but generally did not stop.
Although much of the line had opened in 1846, there was a dispute with Lord Harborough over the course of the line and this section was not opened until 1848. It was built next to a level crossing on the road between Ketton and Collyweston. The handsome station building was built in a Victorian ecclesiastical Tudor pattern of local stone and Collyweston tiles. For good measure it included a small belfry though whether this was ever used is not known. On the other platform was a smaller building in a combination of stone and timber.
To gain a more direct route, in 1879 the LNWR built a line from Seaton
Seaton railway station
Other stations with this name have included Seaton in Cumbria , Seaton in Durham , Seaton Delaval in Northumberland , in Devon and Seaton Park in Adelaide, Australia....
to Yarwell junction near Wansford
Wansford railway station
Wansford railway station is the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway. The current station building was opened in 1995 and contains a ticket office, shop, cafe and toilets. The locomotive sheds are located at this station. Also at the station there is a picnic area and children's playground...
on its Northampton
Northampton railway station
Northampton railway station is a railway station serving the large town of Northampton and other parts of Northamptonshire in England. Other parts of South Northamptonshire are better served by Kings Sutton, Banbury and Milton Keynes Central stations....
to Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
line, thus bypassing the section through Luffenham, though it continued to run a few trains.
On both sides of the double track were ample sidings, particularly on the down Peterborough side where three lines served a good shed and loading dock with a crane. Unusually, access to the three minor sidings was by means of a wagon turntable rather than points. There was a signal box on the other side of the road.
In the early part of the 20th century the station saw six or seven Midland Railway trains per day and five LNWR trains between Seaton and Stamford. After the war is reduced to five a day on the Midland routes with a few on the branch from Seaton.
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. It received its final name in 1935.
The line from Seaton was closed and lifted in 1966, but the main Midland line is still in operation for trains from Leicester to Peterborough. The station buildings no longer exist.