LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Foleshill Station

Foleshill railway station was opened on 2nd September 1850 by the LNWR and located in the northern part of Coventry, approximately 3 miles from the city centre, on the northern end of Lockhurst Lane in Holbrooks. From Coventry station, it was the next station after Daimler Halt and was sited just before Three Spires Junction. The station's offices and main passenger facilities were housed in a brick-built structure located on the up (Coventry) line, on the Nuneaton side of the level crossing. The stationmaster's house was also built adjacent to the offices but was removed circa 1930 when the road overbridge was erected. The level crossing marked the road's change of name as Lockhurst Land was on the city centre side and Holbrook Lane on the other. At some after the First World War, a footbridge was built straddling the line to allow pedestrians to cross when the level crossing was closed. This footbridge, seen in image 'lnwrf1471', was to be replaced in 1930 by a smaller footbridge between the two platforms and the road bridge which was erected in the early 1930s. Its rural position and traffic changed as Coventry boomed in the 1920s and 1930s. A number of large factories were built in the area so the station had to handle very large volumes of workmen who travelled into the area to work. As this was shift work, this meant the high volume number of passengers using the facilities were arriving and departing in very small windows of time. For most of the other time the station handled lighter loads of office commuters and shoppers.

The station also had a goods yard which was located on the up (Coventry) line opposite the Signal Cabin. Initially it was a relative small affair with a small goods shed and a siding leading up to it with no run round loop to release the wagon once emptied. There was a short run on through the goods shed which allowed one or two wagons emptied to be moved forward by hand so that another wagon could enter the shed to be unloaded or loaded. Initially, there were two other sidings for use by local merchants primarily for coal as indicated by the coal staithes to be seen in the 1902 Ordnance Survey Map. This had been increased with another three sidings being added in the first decade of the 20th century as can be seen in the 1912 Ordnance Survey Map. By the 1930s traffic had grown again which warranted the goods yard to be remodelled. The goods shed and siding remained but the capacity of the yard had been further increased by the addition of another siding making six all told. A fixed position hand operated crane was sited half way along the length of the siding leading up to the goods shed, centred between the shed's siding and the first of the other sidings. The station was to close on 18th January 1965.

The Station

Ref: lnwrf1475 C Maggs Collection Looking towards Nuneaton as a LNWR Webb 2-4-2T Radial tank runs in to the station with a local passenger service

Ref: lnwrf1475a C Maggs Collection Close up showing the station's general waiting room and ladies waiting room on the down platform

Ref: lnwrf1471 Coventry Library Local Studies Looking towards the city centre showing the original level crossing and station buildings on the up platform

Ref: lnwrf2069 Coventry Library Local Studies Looking towards the city centre, a view of Lockhurst Lane over bridge erected in 1931 at a cost of £50,000

Ref: lnwrf130 Lens of Sutton The station's main passenger building, dominated by Lockhurst Lane bridge, still in its LMS corporate livery

Ref: lnwrf2071 Stations UK Looking towards Nuneaton from the station's up platform with the footbridge, erected in 1931, in the foreground

Ref: lnwrf2071a Stations UK Close up of the down platform with the gentlemen's toilet next to the waiting rooms and the long open shelter

Ref: lnwrf128 Anon Looking towards Coventry along the down platform with the newsagents kiosk on the left circa late 1950s

Ref: lnwrf128a Lens of Sutton Close up of the station's up platform and newsagent's kiosk, brick built gentlemen's toilets and two timber huts

Ref: lnwrf128b Lens of Sutton Close up of the Nuneaton end of Foleshill station with the goods yard located on the left beyond the bridge

Ref: lnwrf138 Anon Looking towards Nuneaton from Lockhurst Lane with the up platform beneath and Dunbar Rd estate on the right

Ref: lnwrf138a Anon Close up showing the waist height passenger footbridge as well as details relating to the platform's accommodation

Ref: lnwrf134 Anon Looking towards Coventry from the bridge with, on the left, Foleshill goods yard and Campton & Sons building

Ref: lnwrf136 G Coltas Looking towards Coventry from a DMU with Campton & Sons on the left and the down passing loop on the right

Ref: lnwrf2067 Coventry Evening Telegraph View of the down platform filled with factory workers commuting to all stations along the branch to Nuneaton

Ref: lnwrfr4257 Coventry Evening Telegraph The down platform, booking office and booking hall and large passenger shelter on 22nd October 1960

Ref: lnwrfr4257a Coventry Evening Telegraph Close up of the down platform's building with the Gentlemen's urinal between it and the large shelter

Ref: lnwrfr4261 Coventry Evening Telegraph The steps from Lockhurst Lane bridge and the exterior of the station as viewed from Durbar Avenue

Ref: lnwrfr4261a Coventry Evening Telegraph Close up of the approach road, built after the stationmaster's house was demolished in the late 1920s

Ref: lnwrfr4259 Coventry Evening Telegraph Foleshill Road's stationmaster inspects the flowerbed created by his staff on 22nd October 1960

Ref: lnwrfr4262 Coventry Evening Telegraph The station's gate adjacent to the footbridge was only used to handle the large number of factory workers

Ref: lnwrfr4258 Coventry Evening Telegraph View showing the remains of Foleshill Road station looking towards Nuneaton on the 25th April 1987,

Foleshill Goods Yard and Sidings

Ref: lnwrf3396 M Rutherford Foleshill Station's goods yard looking rather empty reflecting the decline in traffic in the late 1950s early 1960s

Ref: lnwrf2075a M Mensing Close up showing mainly coal wagons standing in the goods yard with Lockhurst Lane in the background

Ref: lnwrf2070a Anon Close up showing a number of timber and steel wagons fully loaded with coal on most of Foleshill station's six sidings

Ref: lnwrf127a AW Flowers Close up of the coal stacking areas located against the boundary wall of Campton & Sons Ltd's factory

Ref: lnwrf134a Anon Close up showing the station's goods yard, now empty and therefore allowing a clear view of the yard's layout

Ref: lnwrf1476a M Mensing Close up showing primarily BR steel wagons in Foleshill goods yard with Shanks & Sons works in the background

Ref: lnwrf1476b M Mensing Close up of Foleshill goods yard's coal stacks which were formed by using up ended railway sleepers as the walls

1931 and 1934 aerial views of Foleshill station and Goods Yard

Ref: lnwrcr4225 Britain from Above A 1931 aerial photograph of the goods yard showing a mix of timber and coal being carried in open wagons

Ref: lnwrcr4225a Britain from Above Close up of the 1931 aerial photograph of the goods yard showing the weigh bridge and office by the entrance

Ref: lnwrcr4227 Britain from Above A 1931 aerial view of the station shows the lengthened platform & the old structures on the original platform

Ref: lnwrcr4229 Britain from Above A 1931 aerial view of the goods yard shows part of the goods shed on the left and the coal sidings behind

Ref: lnwrcr4243 Britain from Above Another 1931 aerial view of the goods yard but showing all of the goods shed and the siding servicing it

Ref: lnwrcr4226 Britain from Above The first of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4228 Britain from Above The second of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4230 Britain from Above The third of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4244 Britain from Above The fourth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4245 Britain from Above The fifth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4250 Britain from Above The sixth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge the station

Ref: lnwrcr4251 Britain from Above The seventh of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4252 Britain from Above The eighth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4253 Britain from Above The ninth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4254 Britain from Above The tenth of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4249 Britain from Above The last of several 1931 aerial photographs of the building of Lockhurst Lane bridge over the station

Ref: lnwrcr4246 Britain from Above A 1934 aerial view of Foleshill station showing the platform lengthened by the addition of a timber structure

Ref: lnwrcr4247 Britain from Above A 1934 aerial view of Foleshill station's extended platform and its signal cabin seen on the right

Locomotives seen at or near Foleshill Station

Ref: lnwrf2075 M Mensing Ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 No 48686, running tender first, at the head of a Nuneaton bound train of empty oil tank wagons

Ref: lnwrf1476 M Mensing Another view of No 48686 in charge of the train of oil tank wagons, the first four being fitted with a pair of bogies

Ref: lnwrf137 J Hyde English Electric Type 4 No D339 passes the former site of Foleshill goods yard which has now been fenced off

Ref: lnwrf2070 Anon BR built Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No 41322, auto fitted, on a Nuneaton to Leamington two coach local passenger service

Ref: lnwrf2077 LMS Photograph Daimler Motor Company's 0-4-0ST 'Daimler' heads a train of specially built wagons exiting the factory's sidings

Ref: lnwrf129 AW Flowers BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No 75063 passes Campton & Sons works as it approaches the station on a local service

Ref: lnwrf132 AW Flowers BR built Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No 46446 is seen pulling out of the station's goods yard at the head of train of oil tanks

Ref: lnwrf133 Anon Ex-L & Y 0-4-0ST 'Pug' No 51204 is seen working the Dunlop sidings to the south of Foleshill station circa 1958

Ref: lnwrf2078 M Mensing A Metro Cammel two-car DMU unit passes the former Munitions Sidings as it approaches Foleshill station

Ref: lnwrf1474 M Mensing Ex-LNWR 0-8-0 'Super D' No 49439' is seen at the head of of a northbound freight as it passes the down refuge loop

Ref: lnwrf137a J Hyde Close up of Foleshill Station Signal Box which was situated on the down line beneath Lockhurst Lane overbridge

Ref: lnwrf1473 AW Flowers BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No 73003 is standing at the up platform with a local passenger service to Coventry

Ref: lnwrf3397 P Riley BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No 75011 on the 5:10pm Coventry to Nuneaton service by passes Webster sidings

Ref: lnwrf127 AW Flowers BR built 4MT 2-6-4T No 42062 passes Foleshill goods yard with a Coventry to Nuneaton local passenger service

Ref: lnwrf135 AW Flowers LMS 3P 2-6-2T No 109 passes the goods yard at the head of a Nuneaton to Coventry local passenger service

Ref: lnwrf3399 P Lee Ex-MR 2F 0-6-0 No 3725, having come off the rails by Compton and Sons factory, awaits the breakdown gang

Ref: lnwrf2068 Anon BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No 75035 is seen entering Foleshill station on an down local passenger service

Ref: lnwrf3394 Anon BR 4MT 4-6-0No 75035 departs Foleshill station on a down local passenger service to Nuneaton

Ref: lnwrf3395 Anon BR 4MT 4-6-0 No 75035 departs Foleshill station on a down local passenger service to Nuneaton

Ref: lnwrf3400 M Mensing A Park Royal DMU comes to a halt at the station on 7:10 pm Nuneaton to Leamington Avenue local service

Ref: lnwrfr4210 M Wells A view of Foleshill goods yard taken from the Signal cabin as a Nuneaton bound DMU approaches

Ref: lnwrcr4211 M Wells Ex-LMS 2-6-0 'Hughes Crab' No 42970 is seen passing Foleshill Road Signal Cabin on a Class K service

Ordnance Survey Maps, Trackplans and Schematic Drawings

Ref: lnwrcll3234 National Library of Scotland An 1888 Ordnance Survey map showing mainly countryside where the Foleshill Railway was later to be built

Ref: miscfr3401 National Library of Scotland An 1902 Ordnance Survey map showing Foleshill Station and its goods yard in a mainly rural area of Coventry

Ref: miscfr3402 National Library of Scotland An 1912 Ordnance Survey map showing Foleshill Station and its goods yard in a mainly rural area of Coventry

Ref: miscfr3403 National Library of Scotland An 1936 OS map showing Foleshill Station and a goods yard has been expanded both with a seventh siding

Ref: lnwrf2078 Anon Diagram of the various sidings and connections along the branch from Courtaulds to Three Spires Junction

Ref: lnwrmap114 M Hollick A 1930s LMS Control strip map showing the goods shed and two sets of sidings adjacent to Foleshill station

Ref: lnwrmap108 M Hollick A 1930s LMS Control strip map showing the route from Nuneaton to Coventry plus the Loop Line

Ref: lnwrmap112 M Hollick A 1930s LMS Control strip map of the route between Nuneaton No 1 Signal Box and Coventry No 3 signal box

Rob Rankin remembers, 'I worked at Foleshill Station in 1959 to 1961. Mr Palmer was the Station Master and I worked with Mrs Hazelton, Bobby Cameron was the ticket clerk and Ernie Hill was the signalman. I also went to Coundon Road station to help out for a hour a day and to Daimler Halt to issue tickets in the morning because it was unmanned. My duties started at 4:30am and I had to open up, light fires in both waiting rooms and get the rest of station ready and clean. Mrs H and I would do the station's flower beds (we did win best looking flower beds once, which I'm quite proud about). I also cleaned, refilled and trimmed the wicks on the signals at the station. Also, on the odd occasion I would help out at Hawkesbury Lane Station. When working as a porter on the late shift, I would see passengers leaving to go home from the many factories near by. Also, there was a very active goods yard. When I finished early shifts, I would go up the signal box and learn a bit about signaling from Ernie. Lovely memories - best job ever'.