Braunston and Willoughby railway station
Encyclopedia
Braunston and Willoughby railway station was a station on the Great Central Railway
main line
, the last main line to be built from the north of England to London. The station opened with the line on 15 March 1899.
, 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 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 to ). 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 (the for Daventry was eventually dropped in 1938).
Braunston and Willoughby station closed to passengers and goods on 1 April 1957 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.
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
main line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
, the last main line to be built from the north of England to London. The station opened with the line on 15 March 1899.
History
The station was one of the standard island platform design typical of the London ExtensionGreat Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
, though here it was the less common "embankment" type reached from a roadway (the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
to Daventry
Daventry
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...
road), that passed beneath the line.
The station was situated close to the village of Willoughby, Warwickshire
Willoughby, Warwickshire
Willoughby is a village and civil parish about south of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. The village is only about northwest of Daventry in neighbouring Northamptonshire and the eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary....
and was originally known as Willoughby for Daventry although Daventry itself was some five miles to the south east in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and already had a station of its own on another line (the London & North Western branch line
Weedon to Leamington Spa line
The Weedon to Marton Junction line was a rural branch line that linked the West Coast Main Line at Weedon to Leamington Spa.-History:The single track line was constructed in two phases. First a branch from the West Coast Main Line at Weedon to Daventry was constructed in 1888...
from to ). Braunston
Braunston
Braunston is a village and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It has a population of 1,675 . Braunston is situated just off the A45 main road and lies between the towns of Rugby and Daventry....
, 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 (the for Daventry was eventually dropped in 1938).
Braunston and Willoughby station closed to passengers and goods on 1 April 1957 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
River Leam
The River Leam is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 25–30 miles long. The town of Leamington Spa lies on, and is named after, 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.