Kibworth railway station
Encyclopedia
Kibworth railway station was opened in 1857 by the Midland Railway
in 1857 on what is now the Midland Main Line
.
Plans had been made earlier in 1847 for a line from Leicester to Bedford, but had lapsed. However the Midland, running to Rugby at that time and dependent on the LNWR
for its path into London
, was looking for an alternative. It revived its plans for Bedford to go forward to Hitchin
to join the Great Northern Railway
.
The station was near the summit of the Kibworth Incline, the most northerly of the Leicester to Hitchin section. It was built next to the bridge carrying the highway from Kibworth Beauchamp, still known at Station Street, and access was by means of wooden stairs to each platform. The station buildings were of brick in the Midland Ecclesiastical Gothic style. The booking office and other facilities were on the down (northbound) platform, with a small waiting-room on the southbound.
On the down side were two bay platforms, one running through a goods shed. These joined the running lines by a crossing, but also led back to longer sidings next to the down line. Next to the up line on the other side of the road bridge, was a short loop serving a cattle dock, and an unusual siding curving away from the running lines to some small sheds.
At grouping
in 1923 it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
Goods services finished on the 4, July 1966 and the station closed to passengers on 1, January 1968
In recent years it has housed a fencing and wood merchants business but became empty in 2002.
In the early 2000s, there was talk of re-opening the station, but as a number of houses have been built on the car park and the platforms removed, this now seems unlikely.
Midland 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....
in 1857 on what is now the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
.
Plans had been made earlier in 1847 for a line from Leicester to Bedford, but had lapsed. However the Midland, running to Rugby at that time and dependent on the LNWR
London 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...
for its path into London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was looking for an alternative. It revived its plans for Bedford to go forward to Hitchin
Hitchin railway station
Hitchin Railway Station serves the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It is located approximately north east of the town centre and north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line....
to join the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
.
The station was near the summit of the Kibworth Incline, the most northerly of the Leicester to Hitchin section. It was built next to the bridge carrying the highway from Kibworth Beauchamp, still known at Station Street, and access was by means of wooden stairs to each platform. The station buildings were of brick in the Midland Ecclesiastical Gothic style. The booking office and other facilities were on the down (northbound) platform, with a small waiting-room on the southbound.
On the down side were two bay platforms, one running through a goods shed. These joined the running lines by a crossing, but also led back to longer sidings next to the down line. Next to the up line on the other side of the road bridge, was a short loop serving a cattle dock, and an unusual siding curving away from the running lines to some small sheds.
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.
Goods services finished on the 4, July 1966 and the station closed to passengers on 1, January 1968
In recent years it has housed a fencing and wood merchants business but became empty in 2002.
In the early 2000s, there was talk of re-opening the station, but as a number of houses have been built on the car park and the platforms removed, this now seems unlikely.