Henley in Arden - Terminus Station (B&HRC)

GWR Route: Lapworth to Henley in Arden Branch Line

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Henley in Arden's first station was opened by the Birmingham and Henley in Arden Railway Company on 6th June 1894 when a passenger services commenced. The station became open for goods traffic the following month, on 2nd July 1894. Whilst nominally independent, the station and goods yard was worked by the GWR before being formally taken into their ownership on 1st July 1900, a month before the GWR also took over the Birmingham and North Warwickshire Railway Company. The terminus station comprised of a single platform sufficiently long enough to accommodate several carriages and the train locomotive, the latter being a tank engine which had run from Lapworth bunker first. On arrival at the station the locomotive would uncouple from the train before running around the train in order to couple up at the other end of the coaching stock, the locomotive facing forward to the direction of travel. The line which facilitated the locomotive running around the train also provided access to a short siding adjacent to the single road engine shed as well as to the shed - see image 'gwrha1417' for a plan of the station.

Post 1908 most local passenger services to Henley-in-Arden were almost entirely worked with autocars and steam railmotors, around seven or eight over the branch via Lapworth with fifteen trains calling in each direction on the main line. Roger Carpenter and Chris Turner noted in their article on the station, in the Great Western Railway Journal - No 11 Summer 1994, that a Stratford on Avon Steam Railmotor carried out three round trips to Birmingham on the North Warwickshire line as well as a return trip via the branch to Lapworth. The branch auto worked five return journeys up the branch, including the 6:18am goods service to Lapworth. From 1908 all passenger services were diverted, over a 50 chain long new section, to use the new Henley-in-Arden station. However, the original station was retained for goods traffic as there were no goods facilities at the new North Warwickshire line station. Passenger services on the line from Lapworth (Rowington Junction) to Henley were withdrawn from 22 March 1915 and goods services likewise from 1 January 1917, although the section between the new and old stations was retained for goods traffic, until train services were withdrawn from 5 November 1962 (see also 'Lapworth to Henley in Arden Branch Line').

Extract from The Railway Club Journal Nov 1907

The Birmingham and North Warwickshire Railway by T Perkins

Approaching Henley in Arden station 13.5 miles from Tyseley Junction, the main line is joined on the left by a single line branch extending from the old station, which latter will be used for goods only on completion of the new line. The original line extends from Rowington Junction, between Lapworth and Hatton stations and has some severe gradients, 1 in 60 occurring in several places, while the last half mile approaching the old terminus is at 1 in 55. In October 1899 a passenger train ran away on this incline, tearing away the stop block at the end of the line and pursuing its way into the field beyond. Fortunately the train was nearly empty and no serious injuries were sustained. At the foot of this incline the new branch commences, rising at 1 in 80 and 1 in 92 to its junction with the North Warwickshire line and crossing the Alne by a bridge of one arch, while the mill-race and the Stratford Road are crossed by a bridge which consists of a skew arch and a girder span.

Robert Ferris

Much of the information on this and other pages of Warwickshire Railways is derived from articles or books listed in our 'bibliography'.

The Terminus Station

Ref: gwrha659 Anon External view of the the original the station building now used as the station master's accommodation

Ref: gwrha1421 Joe Moss Looking along the station approach with the original station on the right and the goods yard directly ahead

Ref: gwrha1419 GM Perkins Looking towards the buffers with the shed on the left and the station master posed standing on the rails

Ref: gwrha1419b GM Perkins Close up of the original Henley-in-Arden single-storey station building erected using red brick and grey slate roof

Ref: gwrha1382 NRM Looking towards Lapworth with the station starter signal and the goods shed in the near distance

Ref: gwrha475 Lens of Sutton Looking in the direction of Rowington Junction showing the disused original station and locomotive shed

Ref: gwrha475b Lens of Sutton Close up of the disused original station now providing accommodation for the new station's station master

Ref: gwrha476 Lens of Sutton View of the disused original station and its now isolated engine shed showing just the one set of rails

Ref: gwrha476b Lens of Sutton Close up of the original building showing its use in the 1930s as accommodation for the station master

Ref: gwrha657 Anon The front elevation of the original station building and platform which are now seen in a derelict condition

Ref: gwrha1404 NJ Allcock A general view of the original passenger station showing TR Perkins standing on the derelict platform in

Ref: gwrha477 Anon The abandoned station with weeds growing through the track, after closure of the goods facilities in 1964

Ref: gwrha1424 Anon View looking along the platform the original station showing much neglect and over growth since the 1940s

The Goods Shed and Yard

Ref: gwrha1400 JH Russell The goods yard looking in the direction of the front of Henley-in-Arden's original passenger station

Ref: gwrha1400a JH Russell Close up of the two sidings and the typical array of vans and five-plank wagons used to transport primarily coal

Ref: gwrha1400b JH Russell Close up of the two buffer stops at the end of the goods yard's with the original station in the background

Ref: gwrha1405 CL Mowatt Looking towards the goods shed with the original branch line to Rowington Junction disappearing into the distance

Ref: gwrha1405a CL Mowatt Close up of the goods shed and the track on the truncated former branch forming the head shunt

Ref: gwrha658 Anon A side view of the original goods shed now seen in a derelict state after the tracks in the yard were lifted in 1964

Ref: gwrha1423 J Moss Looking to Rowington Junction from the end of the station platform with the truncated branch line in the distance

Ref: gwrha2768 BPC Henley-in-Arden's brick built stable which accommodated one horse used deliveries and for shunting in the yard

Ref: gwrha2769 BPC Henley-in-Arden's ground frame which was controlled by a train 'staff' allowing the train access to the yard

Ref: gwrha656 Anon Henley-in-Arden's abandoned goods yard showing the timber storage sheds on the right of the white structure

Ref: gwrha2813 R Ferris The newly completed plate girder bridge over the main Stratford Road at the northern edge of Henley-in-Arden

Ref: gwrha2811 R Maund Copy of Midlands Division (Birmingham District) Freight Train Notice No TF 152 dated 29th October 1962

Ref: gwrha3878 R Ferris Detailed plan and elevation of the Station Road Approach bridge over the River Alne in Henley-in-Arden

Shunting the Goods Yard

Ref: gwrha2767 MEJ Deane BR built 0-6-0PT No 9973 is at the rear of a short goods train entering the main North Warwickshire line

Ref: gwrha1403 MEJ Deane Ex-GWR 0-6-0PT 94xx class No 9432 is seen cautiously reversing down the gradient towards the head shunt

Ref: gwrha1427 MEJ Deane BR built 0-6-0PT No 9432 at the head of the 'Henley goods' as it runs forward from the head shunt into the yard

Ref: gwrha1401 MEJ Deane Ex-GWR 0-6-0PT 94xx class No 9432 is seen with its wagons rolling past, by gravity, into a parallel siding

Ref: gwrha1402 MEJ Deane Ex-GWR 0-6-0PT No 9432 has just completed the shunting of the wagons into one of the two long sidings

Miscellaneous

Ref: gwrha669 RS Carpenter GWR 0-4-4T No 3556 is seen derailed at Henley after running through the buffers on 4th September 1899

Ref: gwrha669a RS Carpenter Close up of GWR 0-4-4T No 3556, one of William Dean's double-framed tank engines rebuilt from 0-4-2Ts

Ref: gwrha1397 Aerofilms Aerial view of Henley-in-Arden in 1930 showing the layout of the original station, engine shed and goods shed

Ref: gwrha1397a Aerofilms Close up of the former branch terminus and the layout of the sidings, goods shed, station and engine shed

Locomotives seen at or near Henley in Arden's terminus station

Ref: gwrha1380 J Whybrow Ltd GWR 0-4-2T No 539 is seen at the head of the branch passenger train at the beginning of the 20th century

Ref: gwrha655 Anon An unknown GWR 0-4-2T locomotive stands at the head of a short train comprising of four-wheel coaching stock

Ref: gwrha1418 GM Perkins GWR 0-4-2T 517 class No 539 is buffered up to the stops on the track adjacent to the branch line locomotive shed

Ref: gwrha1426 C Maggs GWR 0-4-2T 517 class No 1432 and GWR 2-4-2T 36xx class No 3601 on tracks leading to the shed

Ref: gwrha1381 GM Perkins GWR 2-4-2T No 3606 is seen at the head of a through working from Henley-in-Arden to Birmingham Snow Hill

Ref: gwrha1398 C Jacks Ex-GWR 0-6-0PT No 7713 stands on one of the back sidings with the connecting line to the new station behind

Maps of Henley in Arden Terminus Station (BHRC)

Ref: gwrha1417 Crown Copyright Map of the branch terminus in 1905 showing the layout of the original station, engine shed and goods yard