Farthinghoe railway station
Encyclopedia
Farthinghoe was a railway station which served the Northamptonshire
village of Farthinghoe
in England
. It opened in 1851 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway
's branch line to Verney Junction
which provided connections to Bletchley and Oxford
and closed in 1963.
and Middleton Cheney
- Farthinghoe station first appeared in timetables in October 1851. Its precise opening date is unknown, but was almost certainly within one year of the line's inauguration.
The Buckinghamshire Railway provided basic facilities which consisted of a single wooden platform and solitary goods siding
on the up side of the line. The main station building, a part-timber and part-brick structure in an "H" shape, was of unusual construction, with the main ticket office and booking hall housed in a one-storey weather-boarded
wing with a steeply-pitched gable
roof which projected over the platform as a sort of makeshift canopy. The stationmaster occupied an adjacent two-storey building which was linked with the ticket office by a two-storey tile-hung central block which contained a waiting room. The style of construction can be explained by the Buckingham Railway's need to save on costs in the face of an economic crisis.
The station boasted limited goods facilities, with a cattle dock and weigh bridge provided for the mainly agricultural traffic. Until the mid-1930s, goods trains would shunt the siding daily with regular loads of pink roadstone granite
as well as coal
for W. Palmer & Son, local coal merchants. The Second World War saw Farthinghoe handle ammunition destined for the RAF's Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield.
Farthinghoe station was situated on the busiest section of the line, the 5½ mile stretch from Merton Street
to Cockley Brake, where there was a junction with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
(SMJ). Opened on 1 June 1872, the section provided connections to Towcester
and Blisworth
. The LNWR and SMJ jointly served Farthinghoe and Merton Street until they were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
on 1 January 1923 upon the railway grouping
. The station lost its stationmaster from 1930 and came under the control of Banbury, only 3½ miles away. Former SMJ passenger services were withdrawn as from 2 July 1951. Farthinghoe was itself to close to passengers the following year.
and pulveriser plant
. One feature has, however, survived - a plum
tree which stood in the stationmaster's garden. The meadow which adjoined the station and which was used for holding cattle and sheep prior to transfer to Banbury Market is now part of Farthinghoe Nature Reserve
.
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,...
village of Farthinghoe
Farthinghoe
Farthinghoe is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England. It is located on the A422 road about north-west of Brackley and south-east of Banbury.At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 418 people.-Buildings:...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It opened in 1851 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway
Buckinghamshire Railway
The Buckinghamshire Railway was a railway company in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England that constructed railway lines connecting Bletchley, Banbury and Oxford...
's branch line to Verney Junction
Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line
The Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line was a railway branch line constructed by the Buckinghamshire Railway which connected the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury with the Buckinghamshire town of Bletchley via the historic county town of Buckingham and the Northamptonshire town of Brackley, a...
which provided connections to Bletchley and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and closed in 1963.
History
Situated in an isolated location over a mile from the village from which it took its name - and further still from two others it was supposed to serve: GreatworthGreatworth
Greatworth is a village about north-west of Brackley, Northamptonshire, England.-History:The Church of England parish church of Saint Peter was built in the 13th century and the bell tower was added in about 1300. The architect H.R. Gough rebuilt the chancel arch in 1882. In 2005 a new ring of six...
and Middleton Cheney
Middleton Cheney
Middleton Cheney is a civil parish and the largest village in South Northamptonshire, England. It is situated between Banbury and Brackley. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 3,753.-Local amenities:...
- Farthinghoe station first appeared in timetables in October 1851. Its precise opening date is unknown, but was almost certainly within one year of the line's inauguration.
The Buckinghamshire Railway provided basic facilities which consisted of a single wooden platform and solitary goods siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
on the up side of the line. The main station building, a part-timber and part-brick structure in an "H" shape, was of unusual construction, with the main ticket office and booking hall housed in a one-storey weather-boarded
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
wing with a steeply-pitched gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
roof which projected over the platform as a sort of makeshift canopy. The stationmaster occupied an adjacent two-storey building which was linked with the ticket office by a two-storey tile-hung central block which contained a waiting room. The style of construction can be explained by the Buckingham Railway's need to save on costs in the face of an economic crisis.
The station boasted limited goods facilities, with a cattle dock and weigh bridge provided for the mainly agricultural traffic. Until the mid-1930s, goods trains would shunt the siding daily with regular loads of pink roadstone granite
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
as well as coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for W. Palmer & Son, local coal merchants. The Second World War saw Farthinghoe handle ammunition destined for the RAF's Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield.
Farthinghoe station was situated on the busiest section of the line, the 5½ mile stretch from Merton Street
Banbury Merton Street railway station
Banbury Merton Street was the first railway station to serve the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury in England. It opened in 1850 as the northern terminus of the Buckinghamshire Railway providing connections to Bletchley and Oxford and closing for passengers in 1961 and goods in 1966.- Context...
to Cockley Brake, where there was a junction with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
(SMJ). Opened on 1 June 1872, the section provided connections to Towcester
Towcester railway station
Towcester was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which served the Northamptonshire town of Towcester between 1866 and 1964. It was one of the most important stations on the line, and once served as an interchange for services to Stratford, Banbury and Olney....
and Blisworth
Blisworth railway station
Blisworth railway station was opened by the London and Birmingham Railway in Blisworth, Northamptonshire in 1838.-History:The station was opened on 17 September 1838. In 1845 the L&BR opened their Northampton and Peterborough Railway a line which connected Peterborough and Northampton from a...
. The LNWR and SMJ jointly served Farthinghoe and Merton Street until they were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
on 1 January 1923 upon the railway grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
. The station lost its stationmaster from 1930 and came under the control of Banbury, only 3½ miles away. Former SMJ passenger services were withdrawn as from 2 July 1951. Farthinghoe was itself to close to passengers the following year.
Routes
Present day
The station buildings have been demolished and replaced by a council dumpLandfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
and pulveriser plant
Pulverizer
A pulverizer or grinder is a mechanical device for the grinding of many different types of materials. For example, they are used to pulverize coal for combustion in the steam-generating furnaces of fossil fuel power plants.-Types of pulverizers:...
. One feature has, however, survived - a plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
tree which stood in the stationmaster's garden. The meadow which adjoined the station and which was used for holding cattle and sheep prior to transfer to Banbury Market is now part of Farthinghoe Nature Reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.