Hawkesbury Lane Station

LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

The station was built by the London and North Western Railway and opened on 2nd September 1850 at the same time as the other stations on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line (with the exception of Daimler Halt which only serviced workmen from the adjacent Daimler factory). Hawkesbury Lane Station initially only handled passenger traffic although Peter Lee noted in his book 'Nuneaton, Coventry & Leamington Railway' that a small general merchandise goods yard opened on 21st May 1889. The station was adjacent to two collieries both of which grew in size over the next one hundred years after the station opened. The station was built on one side of Black Horse Road level crossing, with both platforms being typical 1850s structure in that they were short in length and low in height.

Unlike Longford and Exhall Station, the main station building was erected in brickwork, because it also served as accommodation for the station master. The booking office and waiting room located on the down (Nuneaton) platform was erected in timber. Peter Lee further mentions in his book that the station master who took over from John Charles Blackmore in 1910 was a Mr Harry Horne, whose Christian and Surname was the same as two other members of the station staff, a signalman and a goods porter. Peter Lee states that Hawkesbury Lane Sidings, with a capacity of 756 wagons, was a very important interchange for coal traffic emanating from as far away as 'Griff in addition to Charity, Exhall, Hawkesbury and Wyken as well as Coventry Colliery and for any other local traffic that needed intermediate marshalling prior to dispatch'. As would be expected with the number of wagons using the sidings, wagon repairers were accommodated at the sidings to repair the numerous crippled wagons being received each week. The station closed to passenger traffic on 18th January 1965.

Ref: lnwrhl147 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Coventry from the Nuneaton end of Hawkesbury Lane station's down platform

Ref: lnwrhl3253 M Billington The down platform's Hawkseye Running In Board and the waiting room with oil lamp between the two doors

Ref: lnwrhl146 Lens of Sutton Hawkesbury Lane station's down platform building which comprised of a waiting room and booking office

Ref: lnwrhl148 Lens of Sutton Looking to Nuneaton with the station's down platform on the left and the station master's house on the right

Ref: lnwrhl149 Anon Looking towards Coventry from the Nuneaton end of the station's short up platform with the sidings on the left

Ref: lnwrhl145 G Coltas View from the driving cab of a motor fitted train as it nears the station with a local service to Nuneaton

Ref: lnwrhl145a G Coltas Close up showing the down platform and LMS station nameboard and the brick built gentlemen's toilet

Hawkesbury Lane Sidings

Ref: lnwrhl147a Lens of Sutton Close up showing Hawkesbury Lane sidings on the left and the signal box which opened in 1896 on the right

Ref: lnwrhl143 BR-OPC View of the track side huts provided for the different gangs of workmen at Hawkesbury Lane station

Ref: lnwrhl142 BR-OPC The Carriage and Wagon Examiner's track side hut used both for mess facilities and for storage of equipment

Ref: lnwrhl144 BR-OPC The other side of the Inspector's hut showing the entrance door and its location alongside the branch line

Locomotives seen at or near Hawkesbury Lane Station

Ref: lnwrhl140 ES Russell LMS 3MT 2-6-2T No 143 runs bunker first at the head of a Nuneaton to Coventry local passenger service in 1948

Ref: lnwrhl3252 WA Camwell LMS 3MT 2-6-2T No 143 crosses the level crossing on a five coach service to Coventry on 24th July 1948

Ref: lnwrhl141 G Coltas Ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 No 48656 is seen working hard at the head of an up coal train from Nuneaton yard to Coventry

Ref: lnwrhl3250 REG Read BR built 3MT Ivatt 2-6-2T No 41214 arrives at the station on a service to Coventry during September 1958

Ref: lnwrhl3251 M Mensing A Park Royal DMU stops at the station with the 1:10pm Nuneaton Trent Valley to Leamington Avenue service

Ordnance Survey Maps, Control Strips and Track Plans

Ref: lnwrhl3247 National Library of Scotland An 1886 OS map of Hawkesbury Lane station and the junctions for Exhall Colliery and Wyken Colliery

Ref: lnwrhl3248 National Library of Scotland A 1912 OS map of Hawkesbury Lane station and the junctions for Exhall Colliery and Wyken Colliery

Ref: lnwrhl3249 National Library of Scotland A 1902 OS map of Hawkesbury Lane station and the junctions for Exhall Colliery and Wyken Colliery

Ref: lnwrhl3254 National Library of Scotland A 1902 OS map of Hawkesbury Lane station and the junctions for Exhall Colliery and Wyken Colliery

Ref: lnwrmap109 M Hollick A 1930s LMS Control strip map of the route between Longford & Exhall station and Hawkesbury Lane station

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

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

Ref: lnwr_track3374a B Hickman Part One of LNWR trackplan of Warwickshire Coal Company Ltd at Wyken Branch on the Nuneaton to Leamington line

Ref: lnwr_track3374b B Hickman Part Two - LNWR trackplan of Warwickshire Coal Company Ltd at Wyken Branch on the Nuneaton to Leamington line