Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway
Encyclopedia
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The Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway was incorporated in 1859 to build a railway to link Ringwood
Ringwood railway station
Ringwood is a closed railway station in the county of Hampshire which served the town of Ringwood. It lay on the former Southampton and Dorchester Railway, the original main line from Brockenhurst to Dorchester...
, in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, with Christchurch
Christchurch original railway station
Christchurch was a railway station in Christchurch in the county of Hampshire . It was opened on 13 November 1862 by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway...
.
The route opened in 1862. It followed the River Avon
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
and there were two intermediate stations, Hearne (or Hurn
Hurn railway station
Hurn was a railway station in the county of Hampshire , opened on 13 November 1862 by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway...
) and Avon Lodge
Avon Lodge railway station
Avon Lodge was a private untimetabled railway station in the county of Hampshire , opened on 3 November 1862 by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway...
, the latter being a private station for the use of the Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1733 for John Perceval, 1st Viscount Perceval. This Perceval descends from John Perceval, who on 9 September 1661 was created a Baronet, of Kanturk in the County of Cork, in the Baronetage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his...
. The line was extended to the growing seaside town of Bournemouth
Bournemouth East original railway station
Bournemouth East was the first railway station to be built in Bournemouth, England. Completed on 14 March 1870, it was sited at the south-east side of the Holdenhurst Road bridge, opposite the current station, at the end of an extension of an existing branch from Ringwood to Christchurch which had...
in 1870 and more stations were added at Pokesdown
Pokesdown railway station
Pokesdown for Boscombe railway station is a railway station serving the Pokesdown, Boscombe and Southbourne areas of Bournemouth in Dorset, England...
, in 1886, and Boscombe
Boscombe railway station
Boscombe railway station was a station in Bournemouth, now in the county of Dorset, England. It was opened in 1897 at which time the previous station with the name was renamed Pokesdown. The station served the Royal Victoria Hospital and the centre of Boscombe around the Royal Arcade...
in 1897. The route was a difficult one with a 25 miles per hour speed restrictions on the severe grades and curves but, without a competing route into Bournemouth, it prospered.
The services were operated by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
and on 1 January 1874, the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway amalgamated with the larger company.
As Bournemouth grew, it attracted another rail route running closer to the coast from Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst railway station
Brockenhurst railway station is a railway station serving the village of Brockenhurst in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth...
via Sway
Sway railway station
Sway railway station is a railway station serving the village of Sway in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth....
, New Milton
New Milton railway station
New Milton railway station is a railway station serving the town of New Milton in Hampshire, England. The station also serves nearby places including Milford on Sea, Bashley, Ashley, Hordle and Barton on Sea.-History:...
and Hinton Admiral
Hinton Admiral railway station
Hinton Admiral railway station is a station serving the villages of Bransgore and Hinton and the town of Highcliffe on the Hampshire/Dorset border in southern England....
, on a shorter and faster alignment. In 1886 Christchurch station was relocated to the west of the newly created junction so that it could also serve this new route. In 1935 the line between Ringwood and Christchurch was closed.