Verney Junction
Encyclopedia
Verney Junction is a hamlet in the parish
of Middle Claydon
in north Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is on a disused railway line near Claydon House
.
The stone cottages that make up the hamlet were largely constructed to provide houses for workers on the railway in the early Victorian era
. The hamlet is named after the Verney family of Claydon House. The new village included a cricket ground for the railway workers.
Until 1936 Verney Junction railway station
was the northern outpost of the Metropolitan Railway
from Baker Street
. It was the junction of that line with the Buckinghamshire Railway
between Bletchley and Banbury
(opened 1850) with a later line added from Verney Junction to Oxford
(opened 1851). It was this later route that formed part of the "Varsity Line
" from Oxford
to Cambridge
, and legend has it that the station was so called because the then isolation of the area meant that the only obvious name was that of the local landowner.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Middle Claydon
Middle Claydon
Middle Claydon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about five miles south of Buckingham and three miles west of Winslow....
in north Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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 is on a disused railway line near Claydon House
Claydon House
Claydon House is a country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, close to the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust....
.
The stone cottages that make up the hamlet were largely constructed to provide houses for workers on the railway in the early Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. The hamlet is named after the Verney family of Claydon House. The new village included a cricket ground for the railway workers.
Until 1936 Verney Junction railway station
Verney Junction railway station
Verney Junction was a railway station at a junction serving four directions between 1868 and 1968 and from where excursions as far as Ramsgate could be booked...
was the northern outpost of the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
from Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
. It was the junction of that line with the Buckinghamshire Railway
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...
between Bletchley and Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
(opened 1850) with a later line added from Verney Junction to 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...
(opened 1851). It was this later route that formed part of the "Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
" from 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...
to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and legend has it that the station was so called because the then isolation of the area meant that the only obvious name was that of the local landowner.