Braunston and Willoughby railway station

Braunston and Willoughby railway station was a station on the former Great Central Main Line.[1] It served the small village of Willoughby which it was located next to, and the larger but more distant village of Braunston. The station opened with the line on 15 March 1899.[2]

For the station serving Braunston on the Weedon to Leamington line, see Braunston London Road railway station.

Braunston and Willoughby
Stationmaster's House in July 2009.
Location
PlaceWilloughby
AreaRugby
Grid referenceSP524671
Operations
Original companyGreat Central Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Central Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
Platforms2
History
15 March 1899Opened as Willoughby for Daventry
1 January 1904Renamed Braunston and Willoughby for Daventry
1938Renamed Braunston and Willoughby
1 April 1957Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain
A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

The station was one of the standard island platform design typical of the London Extension, though here it was the less common "embankment" type reached from a roadway (the A45 Coventry to Daventry road), that passed beneath the line.

The station was situated close to the village of Willoughby, Warwickshire and was originally known as Willoughby for Daventry[2] although Daventry itself was some five miles to the south east in Northamptonshire and already had a station of its own on another line (the London & North Western branch line from Weedon to Leamington Spa). Braunston, also in Northamptonshire, lay between the two, some two miles away and also served by the same LNWR branch that ran through Daventry, but it was Braunston that was found to be providing the new Great Central station with the bulk of its usage. This was reflected in a renaming on 1 January 1904 to Braunston and Willoughby for Daventry[3] (the for Daventry was eventually dropped in 1938[4]).

Braunston and Willoughby station closed to passengers and goods on 1 April 1957[4] and the line itself closed on 5 September 1966. The station buildings had already been removed in 1961-2 although the platform remained for a while longer. Today there is little left to see at the site. The twin bridges over the A45 have been removed and the abutment walls substantially lowered. The stationmaster's house remains, however. A short distance to the south of the station was the 13-arch Willoughby Viaduct crossing the River Leam: this viaduct has now gone.

The other line passing through the area - the former LNWR Weedon to Leamington Spa branch line, via Daventry, closed on 15 September 1958.

Route
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Charwelton
Line and station closed		   Great Central Railway
London Extension		   Rugby Central
Line and station closed

Notes
  1. Conolly 1976, p. 10, section B4
  2. Butt 1995, p. 251
  3. Butt 1995, pp. 42,251
  4. Butt 1995, p. 42
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References
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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