Hampton Row Halt railway station

Summary

Hampton Row Halt railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England.

Hampton Row Halt
General information
LocationBathwick, Bath and North East Somerset
England
Coordinates51°23′26″N 2°20′45″W / 51.3906°N 2.3458°W / 51.3906; -2.3458
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1907Station opened
1917Station closed
Location
Map

Description edit

 
Hampton Row station from Kennet and Avon Canal

The station was built as a halt for the eastern suburbs of Bath, and named after the street that leads eastwards from Sydney Gardens. It opened in 1907 for Great Western Railway stopping train services from Bristol, Swindon and Westbury, Wiltshire.

The station had two platforms, linked by an iron foot bridge which still exists. Its site is on the south side of the River Avon, and to the north of the Kennet and Avon Canal which had to be diverted to the south when the railway was built.

Accidents and incidents edit

On 15 August 1876 a freight train was derailed at Hampton Row after a bale of cotton fell off a wagon and derailed the one behind it.[1]

Closure edit

The station was open for only a short period, as at the same time trams and motor transport were becoming more commonplace. As a street, Hampton Row leads only on to the canal towpath, which limited the station's accessibility.

The station was closed on 25 April 1917 as an economy measure during the First World War, as was Twerton station, which served the west of the city. Neither station reopened when peace came.

Present day edit

The station has been entirely dismantled, leaving a vacant space between the railway lines and the road or canal embankment. A section of rail forms a barrier between a turning/parking area at the end of Hampton Row and railway property. Numbers 9-14 Hampton Row became derelict after Buchanan's Plan for Bath was released in the 1960s, with a new road intended to pass through the site. The houses were compulsorily purchased, but the plan never came to fruition.

References edit

  1. ^ "Railway Accidents". The Times. No. 28709. London. 16 August 1876. col C-D, p. 11.
  • Oakley, Mike (2002). Somerset Railway Stations. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. ISBN 1-904349-09-9.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Bath Spa
Line and station open
  Great Western Railway
Great Western Main Line
  Bathampton
Line open, station closed