St. Lawrence railway station was the original terminus of the branch from Merstone until the 1½ mile extension to Ventnor

Ventnor

Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...

 was completed in June 1900. From 1927 the station was downgraded to the status of an unstaffed halt.

Location

The station was located between a steep cliff face and a public road. During the early years of the line's operation, rock falls were common. This problem was alleviated when the undergrowth took hold on the cliff face.

The short distance between the south portal of the St. Lawrence tunnel and the station was widely regarded as one of the finest views to be had on the island's railways.

Today the station building still stands but is in a poor state of repair. The trackbed has been filled in up to the level of the platform. The steep road bridge crossing at the eastern end of the station is still evident. The trackbed towards Ventnor is now covered by modern housing.

Other stations on the branch

The other stations on the Ventnor West branch were:

• Merstone
  Merstone (Isle of Wight) railway station
  Merstone railway station, was an intermediate station situated on the edge of Merstone village on the line from Newport to Sandown incorporated by the Isle of Wight and Newport Junction Railway in 1868 , opened in 1875 and closed 81 years later...
  
   (where the branch joined the Newport-Sandown line)
• Godshill
  Godshill railway station
  Godshill station opened on 20 July 1897 at Godshill on the Isle of Wight on the Newport, Godshill & St Lawrence Railway, later the Isle of Wight Central Railway. It opened as a single platform station with a small goods siding and this layout remained until closure...
  
  
• Whitwell
  Whitwell (Isle of Wight) railway station
  Whitwell Station, on the Ventnor West branch of the Isle of Wight Central Railway, was opened on 26 July 1897 along with the other stations on the branch...
  
  
• Ventnor West
  Ventnor West railway station
  Ventnor West railway station was opened on 1 June 1900 as the final addition to the railway network on the Isle of Wight. It was originally opened as Ventnor Town but the station was renamed in 1923 by the Southern Railway.- Location :...
  
  

External links

• Subterranea Britannica: SB-Sites: St. Lawrence Station