Bourne railway station
Encyclopedia
Bourne was a railway station serving the town of Bourne
in Lincolnshire
which opened in 1860 and closed to passengers in 1959.
The station was on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
main line between the Midlands and the Norfolk Coast
. it was finally closed in 1959 when the M&GN was closed. The line from Spalding
and also the Sleaford
branch as far as Billingborough
remained in use for goods until 1964. The remaining station buildings were demolished in 2005 to make way for new residential development.
The original station opened in 1860 as the terminus of the Essendine & Bourne Railway, which provided connecting services to the Great Northern main line, and the local Stamford and Essendine. It was this company which took over the Red Hall rather than demolishing it. The line was operated by the GNR, and later owned by them. The line closed and was lifted in June 1951.
The next development was the opening of the Bourne and Spalding Railway in 1866, converting the site into a through station.
In 1870 the Great Northern exercised its powers to build the Bourne and Sleaford Railway
, opening in 1872. Although operated by the same company, this line was run separately from the Essendine line, and had its own goods yard. This line closed to passengers in 1930 although a 'special' for the Festival of Britain
ran in 1950.
The last line to open was the Saxby to Bourne line, which was part of the Midland & Great Northern project, which subsumed the Bourne & Spalding route. This connection opened in 1894 and was closed to passengers, along with the Spalding line, in 1959.
The original down platform remained outside the Red Hall, after conversion to a through layout, but was no longer used. A hedge was planted along the running line edge to prevent passengers approaching the line. This can be made out in both photographs here. From the Bourne & Spalding period A single island platform was used by passengers, later reached by an iron lattice footbridge from the disused platform next to the Red Hall. The footbridge was a characteristic Midland Railway design, and is likely to have been provided when the M&GN arrived. All passenger trains used the two faces of the island platform.
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
which opened in 1860 and closed to passengers in 1959.
History
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
main line between the Midlands and the Norfolk Coast
Norfolk Coast AONB
The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers over 450 km2 of coastal and agricultural land from the The Wash in the west through coastal marshes and cliffs to the sand dunes at Winterton in the east....
. it was finally closed in 1959 when the M&GN was closed. The line from Spalding
Spalding railway station
Spalding railway station serves the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, England.Spalding is on the branch line to Lincoln operated by a roughly hourly service in both directions usually by Class 153 single car units...
and also the Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
branch as far as Billingborough
Billingboro and Horbling railway station
Billingborough and Horbling railway station was a station serving the villages of Billingborough, Horbling and Threekingham, Lincolnshire on the Great Northern Railway Bourne and Sleaford railway. It opened in 1872 and closed to passengers in 1930. The section from Bourne to Billingborough remained...
remained in use for goods until 1964. The remaining station buildings were demolished in 2005 to make way for new residential development.
The original station opened in 1860 as the terminus of the Essendine & Bourne Railway, which provided connecting services to the Great Northern main line, and the local Stamford and Essendine. It was this company which took over the Red Hall rather than demolishing it. The line was operated by the GNR, and later owned by them. The line closed and was lifted in June 1951.
The next development was the opening of the Bourne and Spalding Railway in 1866, converting the site into a through station.
In 1870 the Great Northern exercised its powers to build the Bourne and Sleaford Railway
Bourne and Sleaford Railway
The Bourne and Sleaford Railway was a long Great Northern Railway built single track branch railway line that ran between Bourne, on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway main line between the Midlands and the Norfolk Coast, to Spilsby, on the Peterborough to Lincoln Line via four...
, opening in 1872. Although operated by the same company, this line was run separately from the Essendine line, and had its own goods yard. This line closed to passengers in 1930 although a 'special' for the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
ran in 1950.
The last line to open was the Saxby to Bourne line, which was part of the Midland & Great Northern project, which subsumed the Bourne & Spalding route. This connection opened in 1894 and was closed to passengers, along with the Spalding line, in 1959.
The original down platform remained outside the Red Hall, after conversion to a through layout, but was no longer used. A hedge was planted along the running line edge to prevent passengers approaching the line. This can be made out in both photographs here. From the Bourne & Spalding period A single island platform was used by passengers, later reached by an iron lattice footbridge from the disused platform next to the Red Hall. The footbridge was a characteristic Midland Railway design, and is likely to have been provided when the M&GN arrived. All passenger trains used the two faces of the island platform.
Summary of former services
Sample train timetable for July 1922
The table below shows the train departures from Bourne on weekdays in July 1922.| Departure | Going to | Calling at | Arrival | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07.45 | King's Lynn | Twenty, Counter Drain, North Drove, Spalding, Weston, Moulton, Whaplode, Holbeach, Fleet, Gedney, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Walpole, Terrington, Clenchwarton, South Lynn | 09.32 | M&GN |
| 07.45 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 07.59 | GNR |
| 08.55 | Leicester | Castle Bytham, South Witham, Edmondthorpe & Wymondham, Saxby, Melton Mowbray, Asfordby, Frisby, Brooksby, Rearsby, Syston | 10.38 | M&GN |
| 09.05 | Sleaford | Morton Road, Rippingale, Billingborough & Horbling, Aswarby & Scredington | 09.40 | GNR |
| 09.20 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 09.35 | GNR |
| 10.48 | Sleaford | Morton Road, Rippingale, Billingborough & Horbling, Aswarby & Scredington | 11.23 | GNR |
| 10.53 | King's Lynn | Twenty, Counter Drain, North Drove, Spalding, Weston, Moulton, Whaplode, Holbeach, Fleet, Gedney, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Walpole, Terrington, Clenchwarton, South Lynn | 12.50 | M&GN |
| 12.10 | Lowestoft Central | Sutton Bridge, South Lynn, Melton Constable, Aylsham, North Walsham, Yarmouth Beach, Gorleston-on-Sea, Corton, Lowestoft North. Also through coaches to Norwich and Cromer. | 16.16 | M&GN |
| 12.15 | Leicester | Saxby, Melton Mowbray | 13.28 | M&GN |
| 12.37 | Saxby | Castle Bytham, South Witham, Edmondthorpe & Wymondham | 13.19 | M&GN |
| 13.00 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 13.15 | GNR |
| 14.30 | King's Lynn | Twenty, Counter Drain, North Drove, Spalding, Weston, Moulton, Whaplode, Holbeach, Fleet, Gedney, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Walpole, Terrington, Clenchwarton, South Lynn | 16.45 | M&GN |
| 15.25 | Sleaford | Morton Road, Rippingale, Billingborough & Horbling, Aswarby & Scredington | 16.00 | GNR |
| 15.28 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 15,43 | GNR |
| 16.28 | Nottingham | Castle Bytham, Saxby, Melton Mowbray | 17.41 | M&GN |
| 16.40 | Lowestoft Central | South Lynn, Fakenham, Melton Constable, Aylsham, North Walsham, Stalham, Potter Heigham, Yarmouth Beach, Gorleston-on-Sea, Lowestoft North. Also through coaches to Norwich and Cromer. | 20.24 | M&GN |
| 16.50 | Spalding | Twenty, Counter Drain, North Drove | 17.11 | M&GN |
| 16.50 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 17.04 | GNR |
| 17.55 | Sleaford | Morton Road, Rippingale, Billingborough & Horbling, Aswarby & Scredington | 18.30 | GNR |
| 18.05 | King's Lynn | Twenty, Counter Drain, North Drove, Spalding, Weston, Moulton, Whaplode, Holbeach, Fleet, Gedney, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Walpole, Terrington, Clenchwarton, South Lynn | 20.05 | M&GN |
| 18.13 | Essendine | Thurlby, Braceborough Spa | 18.33 | GNR |
| 18.15 | Leicester | South Witham, Saxby, Syston | 13.28 | M&GN |
| 18.27 | Nottingham | Castle Bytham, South Witham, Edmondthorpe & Wymondham, Saxby, Melton Mowbray | 19.30 | M&GN |
| 21.07 | Spalding | Twenty | 21.27 | M&GN |