Worcester Shrub Hill railway station
Encyclopedia
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station is one of two railway stations
serving the city of Worcester
in Worcestershire
, England
. It is managed by London Midland
, and it is also served by First Great Western
.
The city's other station, Worcester Foregate Street
, is situated in the city centre; Shrub Hill is situated to the east.
The first station at Shrub Hill was opened in 1850 being jointly owned by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton
and Midland Railway
s; until 1852 it was used only as a terminus for the latter's services from Birmingham. The present station building was designed by Edward Wilson
and built in 1865. It is a Georgian-style building mainly of engineering brick with stone facings. Originally there was also a train shed
which was removed in the 1930s.A survival at the station are the Western Region
semaphore signals
.
/Wales & West service towards Cheltenham Spa, as its a small south facing bay platform it's use is limited. Trains leaving Shrub Hill for Foregate Street need join a single line that ends near Henwick signal box south of Foregate Street station, this is one of the two single lines through Foregate Street Station.
In the ground ahead of the station is Worcester TMD, currently operated by London Midland
who also stable trains at various locations across Shrub Hill station and First Great Western
also stable some of there DMU's at Worcester TMD. Shrub Hill station is home to Worcester London Midland and First Great Western train crew depots. Also two the north of the station behind platform 2 & 3 is a freight railway yard.
, either directly to Birmingham New Street
via Bromsgrove
, or via Kidderminster
to Birmingham Snow Hill
and Birmingham Moor Street.
First Great Western operate about a dozen services a day to and from London Paddington
, the majority of which are via the Cotswold Line
and Oxford
. Other services to and from London are via the Birmingham/Bristol (Cross Country Route), Gloucester/Swindon (Golden Valley Line
) and London/Bristol (Great Western Main Line
) lines. First Great Western also run services every 2 hours to Bristol Temple Meads
via Cheltenham and Gloucester
, these would then continue to Weymouth
or Brighton
.
First Great Western run services via Worcester Foregate Street to Great Malvern
and Hereford
. London Midland
's service between Worcester and Gloucester
via Ashchurch
and Cheltenham
to complement the 2-hourly First Great Western
service was discontinued at the start of the December 2009 railway timetable due to low passenger usage.
Being the bigger of the two stations in Worcester, due to its sidings, Worcester Shrub Hill is often used as stabling point for freight trains and locomotives, as well as an overnight stop for some First Great Western rolling stock.
” ceramic tiles made by Maw and Company of Broseley
.
Maw was originally a Worcester company founded in 1850 when they bought the old Chamberlain tile factory. However in 1852 they moved to Broseley to be nearer their source of clay. In the main they made encaustic tile
s rather than the “majolica” ceramic tiles used to decorate the Shrub Hill waiting room.
Wojtczak
writes that in 1873 there was Ladies’ Waiting Room Attendant called Mrs Dale who earned 10s and that this was the same rate of pay as a Mrs Spencer who was the office cleaner.
It is Grade II* listed and English Heritage
placed it on the “Buildings At Risk
Register” in 2003. The official records record that the waiting room was added c1880. In 2005 the register records “The cast iron frame is in need of structural repair. The front wall is leaning out and currently shored up. Preliminary investigative work has been carried out, but repair works have been delayed due partly to problem of locating specialist contractors." In April 2005, Network Rail
applied for listed building planning consent to restore the waiting room to bring it back into use before the end of 2006. The application gave detail of the work to be carried out including restoration of the cast iron work and the sourcing and replacement of the missing ceramic tiles but as at May 2006 no work had commenced and English Heritage reported that the building should be included on the 2006 “Buildings At Risk Register”.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
serving the city of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, 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 managed by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
, and it is also served by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
The city's other station, Worcester Foregate Street
Worcester Foregate Street railway station
Worcester Foregate Street railway station, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, but is more centrally located...
, is situated in the city centre; Shrub Hill is situated to the east.
History
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
and Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
s; until 1852 it was used only as a terminus for the latter's services from Birmingham. The present station building was designed by Edward Wilson
Edward Wilson (engineer)
Edward Wilson was a civil engineer who was also locomotive superintendent for the Hull and Selby Railway prior to 1847, then held a similar post on the York and North Midland Railway between 1847-1853 [in 1851 he was resident in York], then Midland Great Western Railway, Ireland 1853-1856 and...
and built in 1865. It is a Georgian-style building mainly of engineering brick with stone facings. Originally there was also a train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
which was removed in the 1930s.A survival at the station are the Western Region
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
semaphore signals
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
.
Railway operations
The entire station is controlled by Worcester Shrub Hill Signal Box located at the 'London' end of platform 1. The Worcester area is controlled by another two signal boxes at Henwick (south of Foregate Street) and Tunnel Junction. Both platform 1 and 2 can be used in either direction, generally trains for Foregate Street use platform one and trains towards Oxford and Cheltenham Spa use platform 2 but this is not in all cases. Platform 3 is a small bay that was used mainly for the former Wessex TrainsWessex Trains
Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester and Brighton...
/Wales & West service towards Cheltenham Spa, as its a small south facing bay platform it's use is limited. Trains leaving Shrub Hill for Foregate Street need join a single line that ends near Henwick signal box south of Foregate Street station, this is one of the two single lines through Foregate Street Station.
In the ground ahead of the station is Worcester TMD, currently operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
who also stable trains at various locations across Shrub Hill station and First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
also stable some of there DMU's at Worcester TMD. Shrub Hill station is home to Worcester London Midland and First Great Western train crew depots. Also two the north of the station behind platform 2 & 3 is a freight railway yard.
Possible closure plans
If either of the proposed Worcester Parkway railway stations is built, Shrub Hill station will close. However, it is expected that planned housing growth as a result of the South Worcestershire Joint Core Strategy and Regional Spatial Strategy may result in this decision being changed, as a result of changes in land use around the Shrub Hill area.Services
Worcester Shrub Hill is served by London Midland's services from Worcester to BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, either directly to Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
via Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove railway station
Bromsgrove railway station serves the town of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. It is located at the foot of the two-mile Lickey Incline which ascends at a gradient of 1-in-37.7 towards Barnt Green on the line between Birmingham and Worcester. The station opened as part of the Birmingham and Gloucester...
, or via Kidderminster
Kidderminster railway station
Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The station is operated by London Midland.-Facilities:...
to Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
and Birmingham Moor Street.
First Great Western operate about a dozen services a day to and from London Paddington
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
, the majority of which are via the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
and Oxford
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
. Other services to and from London are via the Birmingham/Bristol (Cross Country Route), Gloucester/Swindon (Golden Valley Line
Golden Valley Line
The Golden Valley Line is a railway line from Swindon to Cheltenham in the UK.The line was originally built as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in the 1840s...
) and London/Bristol (Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
) lines. First Great Western also run services every 2 hours to Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
via Cheltenham and Gloucester
Gloucester railway station
Gloucester railway station serves the city of Gloucester in England. The station was originally built as the terminus of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840, but the arrival of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in 1844, and then conversion...
, these would then continue to Weymouth
Weymouth railway station
Weymouth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is the terminus of both the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line from and .-History:...
or Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
.
First Great Western run services via Worcester Foregate Street to Great Malvern
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station serves the line between Worcester and Hereford. It is situated close to the centre of Great Malvern, England. It is one of two stations serving the town of Malvern, the other being Malvern Link station...
and Hereford
Hereford railway station
Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, England. Managed by Arriva Trains Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Leominster and Abergavenny and is the western terminus of the Cotswold Line.The station has four platforms...
. London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
's service between Worcester and Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
via Ashchurch
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station serving the village of Ashchurch near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line 12 km north of Cheltenham Spa and was opened on 1 June 1997...
and Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
to complement the 2-hourly First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
service was discontinued at the start of the December 2009 railway timetable due to low passenger usage.
Being the bigger of the two stations in Worcester, due to its sidings, Worcester Shrub Hill is often used as stabling point for freight trains and locomotives, as well as an overnight stop for some First Great Western rolling stock.
Waiting room
On Platform 2b is the old ladies’ waiting room which extends onto the platform. It is a cast-iron structure cast at the Vulcan Iron Works at Worcester. This was a subsidiary of the MacKenzie and Holland signal manufacturing company about 200 yards from Worcester Shrub Hill station . The exterior is decorated with classical pilasters and covered with “majolicaVictorian majolica
Victorian Majolica is earthenware pottery made in 19th century Britain, Europe and the USA with molded surfaces and colorful clear lead glazes.-History:...
” ceramic tiles made by Maw and Company of Broseley
Broseley
Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 . The River Severn flows to the north and east of the town. Broseley has a town council and is part of the area controlled by Shropshire Council. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 to link Broseley with...
.
Maw was originally a Worcester company founded in 1850 when they bought the old Chamberlain tile factory. However in 1852 they moved to Broseley to be nearer their source of clay. In the main they made encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s rather than the “majolica” ceramic tiles used to decorate the Shrub Hill waiting room.
Wojtczak
Helena Wojtczak
Helena Wojtczak is a British researcher and author of women's history books, and owner of The Hastings Press.-Biography:Wojtczak grew up in London, where she spent 22 years before moving to Kent for five years, then returning to her native county in 1992...
writes that in 1873 there was Ladies’ Waiting Room Attendant called Mrs Dale who earned 10s and that this was the same rate of pay as a Mrs Spencer who was the office cleaner.
It is Grade II* listed and English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
placed it on the “Buildings At Risk
Buildings At Risk
Buildings at Risk Registers exist in several areas of the United Kingdom. The term refers to buildings or structures which are at risk due to neglect or decay.-England:...
Register” in 2003. The official records record that the waiting room was added c1880. In 2005 the register records “The cast iron frame is in need of structural repair. The front wall is leaning out and currently shored up. Preliminary investigative work has been carried out, but repair works have been delayed due partly to problem of locating specialist contractors." In April 2005, Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
applied for listed building planning consent to restore the waiting room to bring it back into use before the end of 2006. The application gave detail of the work to be carried out including restoration of the cast iron work and the sourcing and replacement of the missing ceramic tiles but as at May 2006 no work had commenced and English Heritage reported that the building should be included on the 2006 “Buildings At Risk Register”.