Desborough railway station was built by the Midland Railway on its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin.
Desborough and Rothwell | |
|---|---|
 Remains of the station in 1993 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Desborough, North Northamptonshire England |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Midland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 8 May 1857 | Opened as Desborough |
| 1 October 1857 | Renamed Desborough for Rothwell |
| 17 October 1899 | Renamed Desborough and Rothwell |
| 1 January 1968 | Closed |
History
editThe station opened on 8 May 1857[1] as Desborough. It was renamed on 1 October the same year as Desborough for Rothwell.
On 20 May 1899, Elizabeth Palmer and her five-year-old child, Dixon Palmer, were hit by a fish train whilst crossing the line at the station to get to the opposite platform and killed instantly.[2] By August 1899 the Midland Railway Company had received instructions from the Board of Trade to erect a footbridge over the line.[3]
In response to a requisition from the ratepayers of Rothwell, the Midland Railway Company decided to inaugurate a bus service between Rothwell and Desborough station in 1899.[4] The station was renamed Desborough and Rothwell on 17 October 1899.[5]
The station closed in 1968.[6] The station building still stands but the goods yard area is now built-over, mainly given over to a Co-op Food store and its car park. The remainder of the area is occupied by Albany Sheds.
Stationmasters
edit- Samuel Buxton ca. 1858 - 1862[7] (afterwards station master at Hassop)
- G. Rawlings from 1862[7] (formerly station master at Wigston)
- Thomas Gadsby ca. 1870[8] - 1899[9]
- William Samuel Orchard 1899[9] - 1908[5] (afterwards station master at Clay Cross)
- Percy R. Handscomb 1908[5] - 1928[10]
- C.G. Tompkins from 1928[11] (formerly station master at Weedon)
- Alfred Jones 1941[12] - 1947 (formerly station master at Mostyn, afterwards station master at Lichfield City)
- Cyril Breeze ca. 1963
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Harborough | Midland Railway Midland Main Line |
Glendon and Rushton |
References
edit- ^ "Opening of the Leicester and Hitchin Line". Bedfordshire Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 9 May 1857. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "Shocking Double Fatality at Desborough Station. Woman and Child Killed". Northampton Mercury. England. 26 May 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "About Town and County". Northampton Mercury. England. 18 August 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Kettering". Stamford Mercury. England. 8 September 1899. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c "1899-1908 Coaching; Piece 1027". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 669. 1899. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
- ^ a b "1859-1866". Midland Railway Miscellaneous Depts: 175. 1914. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 522. 1871. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b "1881-1898 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 701. 1881. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Death of Desborough Station Master". Market Harborough Advertiser and Midland Mail. England. 25 May 1928. Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Weedon Stationmaster". Northampton Mercury. England. 28 September 1928. Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Presentation to Station Master". Flintshire County Herald. England. 6 June 1941. Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Further reading
edit- "Desborough 'No!'". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. April 1983. p. 46. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
52°26′40″N 0°49′08″W / 52.4445°N 0.8188°W
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