This blog nas now been updated with new photos that I have found which I have found on the Internet under the CC licence and others off Geograph where I have credited the photographers concerned.
It is actually the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway
(DN&SR) and was authorised by act of
parliament in 1873 and officially opened on the northern section in 1883. From
then until 1960 it was in continued use apart from in the Second World War
where they doubled up the line. I have
some memories of it from when I was younger when I used to go to see a
girlfriend in Didcot or the motorbike shop on Broadway where I used to travel
under the bridge on Lower Broadway. I forgot about the railway, not even
noticing they had removed the Lower Broadway Bridge or that the new road was
built on the line until one day on the way to work I noticed that they were
filling in the old rail cutting near Upton. By that time I had become interested
in a website called Geograph and was embarking of recording things of historic
value. I looked into how a waste company could have got away with filling a
rail cutting with waste only to find out it was down to the South Oxfordshire
planning department, It was then I decided to start recording what was left.This
is my account of what I have found so far, more work is needed yet. I started
with the Chilton area but for the purpose of this blog I will go back to
Didcot and work my way to Newbury.
The station was a typical Brunell one with wonderful
canopies covering the platforms. Sometime in the 1970’s the station was
refurbished and the old Victorian frontage removed and a ghastly modern one
replaced it. As the station was being upgraded to Parkway status it needed
carparks so the huge store nearby was demolished and a carpark replaced it.
The photo above was taken by Ben Brooksbank on Geograph and shows the City of Truro at the bay platform
The
Bay platforms of the Swindon and Newbury lines were removed to make way for car
parking and so all trace of its former use was erased or was it, traces do
still remain if you look around. At
Didcot station if you look to the right you see a carpark, this was the bay for
the DN&SR, the edge of the platform is still there as is its twin the
Swindon bay can also be seen.
Walk down the carpark towards the Cow Lane bridge
and you can see the edge all the way along and the point where the branch
joined the mainline
This was Didcot station back 2012 before the line was electrified
Another photo by Ben Brooksbank on Geograph showing a goods train coming up to the bay platforms at Didcot
This is a view from near the Cow Lane Bridge looking up the old bay. Didcot station can be seen at the end
Head up along the road towards the roundabout and you pass
some traffic lights for the Orchard centre. If you have to stop then you are
looking uphill, the top is the point where the line went to Riches Sidings
Before the road was built you would have seen this bridge there at Lower Broadway, Jobes Dairy was over to the left past the bridge.
(photo courtesy of
Dave Taylor Didcot Historic Society)
The bridge would have been between the crossing and where the car is on the roundabout, we are looking the opposite way from the B&W one above
The road
uses the old line and the roundabout is built near where the bridge over Lower
Broadway use be
The bridge was removed no doubt when they built the housing
on the old Jobs Dairy site. Going over
the roundabout in the East Hagbourne direction you can see over to the right is
the old DN&SR railway embankment, it has now been made into a National
cycle network route which will take you to Upton, as I still have to check this
section out
.
The old rail embankment now forms a cycleway that will take you to Upton, it's a shame they did not make it one all the way to Newbury
The path runs past a nearby estate
and through a cutting
Photo above and left taken by Shaun Ferguson on Geograph
That went under this bridge photo taken by Norman Griffin on geograph
The bridge is still there photo taken by Ian Poffley on Geograph
From there you went to East Hagbourne along and embankmet past the cemetery there. If you travel along the road
leading to West Hagbourne you pass under a bridge which took the DN&SR over
the road.
Heading along the line to Upton
you will pass over two more
arched bridges over farm tracks. The cycleway leaves the railway just prior to
the second bridge and an unofficial footpath runs on to come out near the
recreation ground. It is possible to walk further and see the approach to Upton
Station but your way will be barred by a fence marking the boundary of a
private property built on the old goods yard.
Heading round to Upton Station you can see the place is now
converted into a house though you can it retains some of its canopy and
fretwork on the roof. The approach road is now a close which ironically is
named after the person who caused the demise of the line, Beeching. Someone on the council must have had warped
since of humour or been in awe of the person who wiped out the livelihood of
hundreds of people and was responsible for the destruction of hundreds of
branch lines.
In it's heyday this would have been the scene at the station with the goods yard behind now Beeching Close
The photo was sourced off the Internet
Going along to the main road you would have been crossing the
line via a bridge but that was removed sometime in the 1960s and the road
straightened though I do vaguely remember the bridge. The line ran through a
cutting (there is a house built on part now) but a lot of it remains and if you
follow the footpath to Chilton from near the George and Dragon you will be
walking alongside the old line. The part of the cutting towards Upton looks in
good condition and is used by the local residents who border it hand have
access to it.
The last moments of Upton Road Bridge The photo was sourced off the Internet
The line and cutting going towards
Chilton is very over grown in places and has a lot of tree saplings growing
otherwise it is possible to view with care. There are a of uncovered inspection
holes for the wiring culvert so if you do go along the cutting watch out for
them you could break a leg. Along the cutting you come across a high bridge
that takes a track and the footpath over the line.
This is worth a look at and
there are a few old wrecked cars nearby dumped after the railway closed.
Some
of the cutting towards Chilton is also used by motorcycle trials as the time I
visited a track was laid out. The cutting from the bridge to Chilton is also
quite overgrown
and as you near Chilton you can see where it has been filled up
to the arch level of the bridge at Chilton.
This is the Chilton bridge before it was filled in taken by
Mick Crawley on Geograph
From this bridge to the next and
beyond the cutting has been filled which I feel is an insult to the memory of
those who built the line. From the bridge at Tile Barn the line ran out of the
cutting and flat till it reached Churn where it went under a bridge before
coming to Churn Halt.
The line up to that point can still be seen and part is
used as a farm track and unofficial path (the official one nearby tends to be
quite bad at times)
Churn bridge which takes the track and footpath over the line
though the section to Churn Halt is very overgrown though I have since seen a photo showing it cleared
The
platform at Churn is still there though very overgrown and one wonders why it
was put there though it was used by the Army for summer camps and the National
Rifle Association did used the range there and locally it was hoped that it would
be the National range but due to the lack of facilities (no roads etc) it moved
to Bisley.
Churn would have been the bleakest of places in the winter with only
a small shelter to keep out the elements. A little further along the line goes
under a second bridge which takes the ridgeway over it. The bridge is becoming
battered with one parapet having broken away at some time and the trackbed
littered with various debris and rubbish.
This is what Churn may have looked like though I am suspicious of the photo. I seem to remember it being only a shed there. It was also a Halt as opposed to station The photo was sourced off the Internet
Looking on towards Compton the line
is impassable due to heavy undergrowth but clears again where it has been used
by farm traffic and looks in good condition.
I did not check any more of the line here which runs to Stocks Farm just
outside Compton as a small sign on a gate said private so I will try and get
permission to view some of it.
Impassable section by the bridge
This is the trackbed going towards Stocks Farm now used by farm traffic
as the line comes into Compton it runs over a bridge
Photo from
Graham Horn Geograph
Then
into the station where there was a goods yards. The line round here is all built
on with small industrial units
the station a private residence. A footpath
runs past it and it is possible to view the building which remains in good
condition.
Along with a couple of the goods buildings
The line itself has been filled though you can see where the
platforms were and one of the old dock buildings. Looking towards Hampstead
Norreys the line is overgrown but does cross the road by a bridge which is still
in place. You have to view this from the road as properties border the ends
which are fenced off.
This is what Compton would have looked like back in the day. The horse may have been part of the logistics and a vital part of the workforce there but they did ship a lot of horses to the racing courses from the nearby stables from there as well,
photo was sourced off the Internet
Above Compton Bridge
Going on towards Hampstead Norreys the line crossed a
road at Compton Crossing and the crossing house is still there with the
line
used as a garden, looking from there to Compton you can make out where
it ran. The other way the embankment remains though very overgrown. More
investigation
is needed in this area.
Heading on to Hampstead Norreys the line ran under the
road near Uplands, the bridge still remains in use by local traffic and
farm
traffic runs under the bridge. It was recently cleared when I last
visited revealing the old fencing and the rails they used as end stops.
Looking along
the line either way from the bridge all traces of the line have been
erased
You have to look hard towards Hamptsead Norreys before you see the
embankment
again.
When you get to Hampstead Norreys you find little to show there was a
station there apart from a footpath and the base of the one ton crane from the
goods yard though I must admit I need to go back for another look around.
The
bridge is there and you can walk under it on the way to the village hall. The
railway turned right after the bridge and you can walk along it still as many
locals do with their dogs.
Hampstead Norreys Station, the bridge would have been ahead you as you look at the station here The photo was sourced off the Internet
Taken in 2020
A cycleway and path were built by West Berks Council in 2019 and it now looks like this
Along the section you pass over two bridges before
coming to Four Elms Bridge via a cutting. The bed round here is over grown with
trees and the far side of the bridge looks quite hard to navigate
The track is now clear
and the bridge easily passable now
As you get near the M4 the path now looks like this Four elms bridge would be ahead further up
This is nearer the M4 the path ends in the distance
You now come out here and walk to the right of the photo
The railway would have come along side the road by my car but is now a paddock, nearby you can find the track bed. The M4 cuts the line in two. There is now a footpath that runs beside the fence under the M4 bridge where you turn left into the old cutting below
A little past the bridge is a roundabout were you can pull into Pinewood
close and you can walk along the old cutting to the M4 embankment.
Part of the
close is built on the line and the rest is fenced off awaiting building on. Go round to chapel lane and you will cross a
bridge. If you stop at the bottom and look towards the line you can see a small
play area that is Pinewood halt.
This was the most taxing of places to find.
Very little is there to tell you what used to be there only the bridge and the
footpath leading away on the far side. Looking towards Hermitage station is
imposable due to high conifer trees and properties built on the line. The
bridge itself is in good condition though a rather wicked looking fence has
been erected to stop any one going through and entering the properties beyond
over the fence.
There is a path leading down to this area over to the right of the
bridge though it can also be accessed off the park that is off to the
left out of picture
I did manage to scrabble down the other side to view the bridge
which like I said was in good condition but the area beside the fencing has
been used to dumping grass cuttings and various other debris and I could not
work out if it belonged to one of the properties.
Train going through Pinewood Halt, the bridge is just behind the train The photo was sourced off the Internet
Further along the line
crossed the Yattendon road but nothing remains to say there was a bridge
The embankment is still on one side and you can walk along it. I can only think the bridge was removed
because of the traffic and it may well have been narrow. You can walk alongside
the embankment to the Buckleberry road where you will find the bridge is still
there. Access to embankment is possible
which I did to view it though it does overlook the housing nearby, it’s also
fenced off by the bridge.
The bridge is
in good condition and has a flat deck making me think it was replaced at some
time. To the right of the bridge looking through it to Slanting Hill side you
will see a track, this I believe to be the original entrance to Hermitage
station or at least to the goods yard.
Possible good yard entrance
To get to Hermitage station you need to go back to the main
road and drive down a straight road that leads to the station. This was a
private road which once used to lead to the British Rail cold store which was a
huge building over to the right. It was demolished and a housing estate built there.
This is the rear of the station, the platform and line were the other side. The building privately owned and the yard is used by a Diamond Drilling
company. Externally the building looks in good condition though I have yet to
go back and ask to view the other side.
The good yard was off to the left
And this is Hermatige station when the trains used to run
The photo was sourced off the Internet
From Hermitage the line ran towards
Curridge and passed nearby under Longlane, you can still view the bridge and
part of the cutting there but looking in the Newbury direction any sign of the
lane has gone having been ploughed over or used as farming land I did not go in
the cutting to view the bridge due to rather prickly looking gorse baring the
way. Looking back in the Hermitage direction a sawmill has been built beside
the line and the line has been planted with trees, near the bridge it looks
like it has been used as a bit of a dumping ground for garden rubbish.
Out of Curridge
you pass by Cold Ash Farm where I could not
work out if there had been a farm crossing there at one time but there was at
Fishers lane where you can see where the line was and walk along it to Cold
Ash Farm .
The line was on the right here
and this would have been a crossing
Trackbed towards Fishers Lane
The track bed looking towards the previous photo
Fishers Lane the crossing would have been around here
The crossing keepers house is still there though the building by the
crossing was demolished a few years back.
In the hedge you can find old railing
used as fence posts but looking towards Shaw the railway is now farmland and you
have little Idea as to where it would have been.
The railway ran towards Shaw and it is still possible
to see line from the road (in places looks to be used by Craven farm)
before disappearing behind houses along the road after it emerges the line
looks to have been farmed on near Mousefield farm and can then be seen again as
you get towards Shaw. You can also view it from Newbury Cemetery but again
parts look to have been built on or used. The line ran under Kiln Lane in Shaw
though now the bridge has been filled in and only the parapet remains on one
side and the line used as back gardens.
On the Newbury side you will find a
company called Hitachi Capital has a building there and the line to the bridge
is a carpark. Looking down the line you and access road runs on the line now
and the cutting sides have been shored up with steel pilings.
The Bridge that
went over the River Lambourn has been demolished and a footbridge marks the
place now.
If you look you can see evidence of the old railway bridge. A wall
marks the line going towards Newbury and a car park has been built on the part
near the bath road
The embankmen would have been to the right where the shrubbery is, a bridge took the line over the A4 London road to the bridge over the Kennet. Now from the A4 to the canal is a wasteland with a pond, the embankment removed.
The bridge across the A4 was around this are where the shrubbery is
This is the old rail bridge as it crosses the A4 at Newbury, the railway then went along abut another 100meter before crossing the River Kennt, The embankment that held the trackbed has bee removed The photo was sourced off the Internet
Best find yet being sent this photo of a crane building the bridge crossing the Kennet.
Photo came from the Facebook group from a friend who is a member.
After crossing the A4 the railway crossed the Kennet photo from the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust
Above is the view you get today, the lock is still there though the house has gone
By the Kennet you can find the fence ends (made of old rail line) which
were either side of the embankment, by the river is a retaining wall.
Looking back to where the bridge would have been
From this point the railway went towards Hambridge Road. An industrial estate is there now but you can workout the line of the railway
This was the part that lead to the Hambridge road bridge
Photo sourced off the internet
it had been used as a dumping ground till it was built on
Photo sourced off the internet
Not a lot to see where the bridge used to be though parts do remain
On the other side it now lost to an industrial estate
The trackbed was near where the trees are in the distance
and came out onto the main line around where the near building is
The fence in front marks where the line used to run to Didcot
The branch line joins the main line just in front Boundary Road Bridge
The Didcot Bay Platform which is still in use today.
The mail line with the bay over to the right
This side of the station would have taken you to Southampton. The bay platform would have been where the parking bays are to the right of the picture
Newbury Station back in 2012 the Didcot Bay Platform to the left. I doubt the place has changed much since it was built. On the opposite side were the Southampton Bay platforms but they have now been demolished and a carpark built in it's place. Since I wrote this the line here has bee electrified and you will see overhead gantries and power lines.
After originally writing this I went down to the Enborne Junction to check out what I could see and can confirm there is nothing there now. The Enborne bridge is still there as is a cutting and it is possible to see where the line went across the field to join the main line.
The next part running to Southampton will take a little
more work and investigation but I do know that a lot of the line it still
there and the Enborne Junction was the start the rest will take a little time
In conclusion I do feel that Beeching did the wrong thing in
closing down a lot of lines like this, and the Conservative government at the
time was behind it all. The line could have been modernised and if they had not
been so short-sighted they would have realised the traffic on the A34 would got
worse. If the railway had been kept open I’m sure the amount of Lorries on the
A34 would have been reduced. They were also short-sighted in disposing of the
old line selling back to grabbing landowners. The line could have been put to
better use as a national cycleway but that time it was not though of. People
could have enjoyed walking and cycling along it, instead the memory of those
who built it has been destroyed by landfill and housing estates. What is left
is worth hanging onto if only for its historic value. For a more in depth look at the line read my article on
Geograph
This blog was first published back in 2012 and took around two years to collect the photos. I am still collecting them and updating when I can.
