Desborough railway station
Desborough railway station was built by the Midland Railway on its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin.
| Desborough and Rothwell | |
|---|---|
 Remains of the station in 1993 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Desborough |
| Area | Kettering |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Midland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 8 May 1857 | Opened as Desborough |
| 1 October 1857 | Renamed Desborough for Rothwell |
| 1 November 1899 | Renamed Desborough and Rothwell |
| 1 January 1968 | Closed |
| 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 opened on 8 May 1857[1] as Desborough. It was renamed on 1 October the same year as Desborough for Rothwell.
On 20 May 1899, Elizabeth Palmer and her five-year-old child, Dixon Palmer, were hit by a fish train whilst crossing the line at the station to get to the opposite platform and killed instantly.[2] By August 1899 the Midland Railway Company had received instructions from the Board of Trade to erect a footbridge over the line.[3]
In response to a requisition from the ratepayers of Rothwell, the Midland Railway Company decided to inaugurate a bus service between Rothwell and Desborough station in 1899.[4] The station subsequently was renamed Desborough and Rothwell.
It closed in 1968.[5] The station building still stands, but the goods yard area is now built-over, mainly given over to a Co-Op store and car park and Albany Sheds.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Harborough | Midland Railway Midland Main Line |
Glendon and Rushton |
References
- "Opening of the Leicester and Hitchin Line". Bedfordshire Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 9 May 1857. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- "Shocking Double Fatality at Desborough Station. Woman and Child Killed". Northampton Mercury. England. 26 May 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "About Town and County". Northampton Mercury. England. 18 August 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Kettering". Stamford Mercury. England. 8 September 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
Further reading
- "Desborough 'No!'". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. April 1983. p. 46. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.