Holmsley railway station

Holmsley is a closed railway station in the county of Hampshire which served rural settlements in the New Forest.

Holmsley
Former railway station, now a Tea Room
General information
LocationHolmsley, New Forest, Hampshire
England
Grid referenceSU232007
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingSouthampton and Dorchester Railway
London and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 June 1847Opened as "Christchurch Road"
13 November 1862Renamed "Holmsley"
4 May 1964Closed to passengers

History

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The station was opened in 1847 as "Christchurch Road" by the Southampton and Dorchester Railway. Sited next to a bridge carrying the A35 road over the line, it was initially the nearest station for the towns of Christchurch and Bournemouth. Coaches served these places until the construction of direct lines, from firstly Ringwood and then Brockenhurst.[1] The station's name was changed to Holmsley on 13 November 1862.

The station fell under the control of the London and South Western Railway before becoming part of the Southern Railway in the 1923 railway grouping. The station closed in 1964, a casualty of the programme of closures advocated by the Beeching Report.

The site today

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Former railway station platform, Holmsley

The Burley to Brockenhurst road passes under the A35 through the platforms, using the former trackbed for some distance. However, remains of the platforms can be seen, and the station house survives as a restaurant at the road junction.[2]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Brockenhurst
Line closed, station open
  British Rail
Southern Region

Southampton and Dorchester Railway
  Ringwood
Line and station closed

References

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  1. ^ "Footprints in the Sand". Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  2. ^ Holmsley Station on Subterranea Britannica
  • R.V.J. Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1
  • Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (1992). Branch Lines Around Wimborne. Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-97-5
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50°48′19″N 1°40′22″W / 50.8054°N 1.6727°W / 50.8054; -1.6727