Great Alne Station

GWR Route: Hatton to Bearley and Alcester Branch

Great Alne Station was originally the only intermediate station on the Alcester Railway. The railway and station were constructed by engineer William Clarke and opened on Monday 4th September 1876. The Alcester Railway was a 6 mile 69 chain single track standard gauge line running from the Stratford upon Avon Railway at Bearley to the Evesham & Redditch Railway at Alcester. Although nominally independent, the Alcester Railway Company entered into an operating agreement with the GWR, who also had a director on the Board and in 1878 the GWR arranged the purchase of the company. Great Alne was a small country station served by six trains in each direction. It never created much railway traffic and the station's history is intrinsically linked to that of the Alcester Branch. When the branch closed in 1917 and the track was removed to assist the War effort, the station also closed. It reopened again on 18th December 1922, when the track between Bearley and Great Alne was re-laid. The remaining section between Great Alne and Alcester reopened the following year.

The start of World War 2 caused the Alcester Branch line to be closed again on 25th September 1939, but this time the track was not removed and the relocation of the Maudslay Motor Company from Coventry to Great Alne in 1941 meant an unadvertised workman's train from Leamington was required. Public goods services were also restored to Great Alne the following year, but the section between Alcester and Great Alne remained closed. The special passenger service to Great Alne finished on 3rd July 1944, but the goods yard remained open with a regular twice weekly freight service. This ceased in 1947 and the Alcester Branch was officially closed on 1st March 1951. After closure Great Alne Station became the local Post Office and is now a domestic residence. A major source of information for the photograph captions came from ‘The Alcester Branch’ by Stanley Jenkins and Roger Carpenter. This book is considered essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about the Alcester Branch and Great Alne Station in particular (see Bibliography).

The station building comprised of a two-storey building providing accommodation for the station master and the booking office, ensuring the station safe and other sensitive items were within the most secure portion of the station. The single storey buildings to one side provided passenger facilities including waiting rooms and toilets. The platform canopy protected the entrances to the booking office, general waiting room and ladies waiting room. Supported by cast-iron brackets with the Alcester Railway's initials 'AR' embedded, the canopy was edged with distinct tongue and groove fretwork, typical of the design found on other Clarke buildings seen elsewhere on the GWR system. Erected using brickwork laid in 'English Bond', a course of stretchers alternates with a course of headers, the window and door openings were 'square headed' with stone lintels, whilst the window frames were large paned sash windows. A bay window was provided at one end within the two-storey building at platform level for the station staff to use to look out onto the station without needing to leave their office. The roof was gabled with stone stone copings provided on each gable and stone 'kneelers' at the bottom of each parapet. The station was provided with four substantial chimney stacks, all of which were of typical William Clarke design.

Robert Ferris

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

Great Alne Station Building

Ref: gwrga14 Real Photos The 230’ gentle curve of Great Alne Station platform viewed from the Level Crossing at the Alcester end of the platform

Ref: gwrga14a Real Photos Close up showing Great Alne station with its goods shed on the platform and siding in the background

Ref: gwrga15 Postcard An early picture of Great Alne Station shortly after the first corrugated iron goods shed was erected

Ref: gwrga15a Postcard Close up showing the Station Masters House alongside the booking office and passengers facilities

Ref: gwrga15b Postcard Close up showing the gentlemen's toilet and steel corrugated goods shed situated on the platform

Ref: gwrga762 Green-Jaques Collection Great Alne Station photographed in 1889 from the level crossing looking towards Bearley

Ref: gwrga762a Green-Jaques Collection The goods yard, a single 300’ siding, which could accommodate approximately 14 wagons

Ref: gwrga762b Green-Jaques Collection Close up of the station showing a group of villagers waiting for the arrival of the next train

Ref: gwrga778 AT Locke/KRM The station was reopened in 1941 to enable workers from Coventry to get to the shadow factory

Ref: gwrga778a AT Locke/KRM This close up shows the corrugated iron good sheds at the Bearley end of the platform

Ref: gwrga768 RK Cope The track on the Alcester Branch was removed during WW1 to assist with the war effort

Ref: gwrga2331 J Moss View of Great Alne station seen from the position of the ground frame after goods operations ceased in 1947

Ref: gwrga798 John Platt Collection The station buildings and entrance to the goods yard viewed from the Great Alne to Wootton Wawen road

Ref: gwrga2328 G Tilt A 1956 view of Great Alne station now converted to serve as a Post Office and General Store

Ref: gwrga1359 A Vaughan External view of Great Alne station taken circa 1955 showing the vandalised state of the station building

Ref: gwrga2965 John Earle Looking along Great Alne's single line platform towards the level crossing and Alcester Town

Great Alne Station sidings and approaches

Ref: gwrga799 John Platt Collection View of the overgrown trackwork and abandoned Great Alne Station viewed from the goods yard in 1947

Ref: gwrga799a John Platt Collection Close up looking towards Alcester in 1947 showing the station and platform opposite the P&W huts

Ref: gwrga800 John Platt Collection Great Alne goods yard viewed from the end of the station ramp looking back towards Bearley

Ref: gwrga800a John Platt Collection Close up of the goods yard showing the wooden gangers hut and the standard GWR loading gauge

Ref: gwrga797 John Platt Collection View looking towards Alcester showing Great Alne's overgrown goods yard and disused station in 1949

Ref: gwrga796 John Platt Collection Looking towards Spencer's level crossing at the Bearley end of Great Alne goods yard with the gatekeepers cottage

Ref: gwrga796a John Platt Collection Close up of the gangers hut at the Bearley end of the yard and the up distance signal protecting Spencer’s crossing

Ref: gwrga802 JH Moss A 1949 view of the station seen from the abandoned trackwork on the Alcester side of the level crossing

Ref: gwrga801 JH Moss Looking towards Alcester in 1949 showing the level crossing that guarded one end of the station

Ref: gwrga804 AT Locke/KRM The view along the branch's single line from the Level Crossing at Great Alne towards Alcester

Ref: gwrga3829 JS Doubleday View of the long closed railway station at Great Alne now undergoing private restoration in 1959

Spencer's Level Crossing

Ref: gwrga2332 Great Alne Village Collection A 1965 view of the former crossing keeper's cottage at Spencer's Level Crossing seen shortly before its demolition

Ref: gwrga806 PJ Garland The Down distance signal for Spencer’s Level Crossing - between Great Alne and Aston Cantlow

Ref: gwrga2333 Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey map showing Spencer's Crossing and keeper's house and Great Alne Corn Mill

Miscellaneous

Ref: gwrga803 RS Carpenter View of Auto trailer No 83 being hauled by an unidentified Collett 48xx class 0-4-2T locomotive

Ref: gwrga1604 RJ Buckley A Great Western Railway 0-4-2T class 48xx locomotive arrives at Great Alne station with an auto trailer

Ref: gwrga769 GWR Magazine Photograph of a track relaying gang at Great Alne Station that appeared in the GWR Magazine of March 1912

Ref: gwrga779 RS Carpenter Alcester branch being used to store crippled PO colliery and coal trader wagons during World War Two

Ref: gwrga2329 R King A 1960 view of the skew girder bridge near Kinwarton looking towards Alcester shortly before the removal of the girders

Ref: gwrga2330 PJ Garland Looking towards Bearley up Captain's Hill towards the three-arch road over bridge located near Kinwarton

Ref: gwrga3828 Great Western Railway Four GWR memos showing some of the preparations for the reopening of the Alcester branch line

Ref: gwrga4028 Great Western Railway The Signalling Notice which was issued to inform staff of the new signals and operational procedures

Ref: gwrga4029 Great Western Railway Public Handbill detailing services and a Signalling Notice detailing the changes at Great Alne

Ref: gwrga4030 Great Western Railway An 1884-5 Land Survey of the Alcester Railway undertaken by the Great Western Railway Land Survey