Tile Hill Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton

The station at Tile Hill did not open until 1850 some twelve years after the London to Birmingham Railway was opened. Initially it was named Allesley Lane station and then in 1857 renamed as Allesley Gate reflecting perhaps that it was a station with a level crossing and the need to differentiate its location from Allesley Lane which was not local. It finally received its Tile Hill name in 1864. Harry Jack writes 'Tile Hill is referred to as Allesley Lane in L&NWR traffic reports from 1848 to 1850. Clinker's 'Chronology' is a bit confusing here. He says "1848 - Jan 12 - Stations Committee of Board minuted: 'required - new station at Allesley by agreement with inhabitants,' His next reference is under 1863 where he says 'Allesley Gate station renamed Allesley Lane' giving a timetable source date of September 1863. I've added a pencil note in my copy 'w.e.f. 1st August 1863' which I think I got from some L&NWR minute-book at Kew. Likewise, Clinker just gives 'April 1864' for the change from Allesley Lane to Tile Hill, but I've added 'w.e.f. 1st April 1864'. 'The level crossing had been in existence since 1838 and the crossing keeper's house, later the station master's, was erected by the L&BR. The station was a simple affair with a staggered platform configuration either side of the level crossing with the booking office located next to the gatekeepers house on the up platform.

The goods yard was a single line siding with a cattle dock at one end and a weighbridge to cater for mineral goods traffic. The date of opening is not known but the goods yard was closed on 4th February 1963. According to the seventh edition (1894) Railway Clearing House (RCH) 'Handbook of Stations, Junctions, Sidings and Collieries' Tile Hill station provide facilities for the following categories: Passenger, Goods, Furniture Vans (including Carriages, Portable Engines and Machines on Wheels) and Livestock. The 1938 edition of the Handbook recorded the range of facilities on offer had been extended to that of: Passenger, Goods, Livestock, Horse Boxes and Prize Cattle Vans as well as Carriages and Motor Cars by Passenger Train. No craneage facilities were available at Tile Hill, if these were required then a portable rail mounted crane would need to be brought in by train. Sometime prior to 1937 but after 1923, the weighbridge was installed which would allow goods to be weighed either for dispatch or arrival at the station. It was normal practice that these weighbridges were made available, subject to a small fee, to the public.

'Cam' Camwell noted in his book on the West Midlands 'that trains in the early years of the line stopped at a number of locations including Tile Hill for passengers to alight prior to a station being built. This is not as impossible as it sounds as early railway carriages were modelled on stage coaches and had steps down to near road level. It was only the advent of longer coaching stock which required strong underframes and later bogies which led to the increase in floor height of coaches we know today. The evolution of the carriage can in part be seen in the increase in height of station platforms as they were raised to assist passengers to enter the carriage. Tile Hill station's platforms were low in relation to the rolling stock introduced from the late 19th century which is why you will see in in some photographs a small set of steps which could be placed to assist passengers entering and exiting carriages. Records show that amongst early railway staff were a William Moss and William Sawkins. Initially services were more limited with five up and seven down services each day. The fare from Coventry to Tile Hill was initially 3½d in pre-decimal money (written as -/3½d), just under 1½ new pence, which was just under a third of the 10d charge (written as -/10d), a fraction under 4 new pence, being charged in the 1950s as can be seen on the in image 'blackboard' at Coventry station'.

Ref: lnwrth1287 J Alsop Looking down Cromwell Lane towards the station with the original L&BR gate keeper's house on the right

Ref: lnwrth1287a J Alsop Side elevation of Tile Hill station's Signal Cabin sited to the side of the up line to the north of the level crossing

Ref: lnwrth1287b J Alsop Close up showing the entrance to Tile Hill station's goods yard and the horse and carriage landing

Ref: lnwrth1286 Coventry Local Studies Tile Hill Level Crossing with the gates now closed with Duggins Lane in the distance marked by the line of trees

Ref: lnwrth1285 Coventry Local Studies View of Tile Hill level crossing looking towards Tile Hill Village from the down side of the gates

Ref: lnwrth709 Coventry Local Studies Tile Hill Station signal cabin viewed from the top of the cattle dock later the site of the 1960s built signal box

Ref: lnwrth711 J Hyde Looking towards Birmingham from the sidings which lay at the Coventry end of the down side of the station

Ref: lnwrth711a J Hyde Close up showing the buffer stop sited near to Cromwell Lane and opposite the main building on the up platform

Ref: lnwrth711b J Hyde Close up showing the station's main building on the up platform complete with single-storey booking office

Ref: lnwrth711c J Hyde Close up of the side elevation of the up platform's British Railways built waiting room and new gentlemen's toilet

Ref: lnwrth712 J Hyde Looking towards the station from the goods yard with the British Railways built waiting room on the up platform

Ref: lnwrth712a J Hyde Close up showing the up platform's British Railways built waiting room and new gentlemen's toilet

Ref: lnwrth2395 P Kingston View of the entrance to Tile Hill station's booking office accessed from Station Road as seen on 31st August 1956

Ref: lnwrth1302b L&GRP Close up showing the single storey building built by the LNWR and which formed Tile Hill station's booking office

Ref: lnwrth2411 R Powell Hendry View looking towards Coventry in 1956 showing the LNWR Tile Hill station nameboard above the ladies waiting room

Ref: lnwrth2099 Lens of Sutton Looking towards Coventry from the cattle dock and along the down line with the up platform on the left

Ref: lnwrth1302 GJ Biddle A signalman's view of both the station and the yard land showing the reason for the cantilevered signal cabin

Ref: lnwrth1302a GJ Biddle Close up showing the cattle dock and the grounded former LNWR carriage body sited on the timber staging

Ref: lnwrth2098 Lens of Sutton Looking to Coventry from the Birmingham end of the down platform with the passenger waiting room on the right

Ref: lnwrth2396 J Alsop View of Tile Hill station's down platform and passenger waiting room as seen on 22nd September 1951

Ref: lnwrth714 RS Carpenter The down line being renewed through the station with the old ballast being loaded on to wagons on the up line

Ref: lnwrth714a RS Carpenter Close up showing the permanent way gang taking a few minutes of rest to enjoy their 'snap'

Ref: lnwrth714b RS Carpenter Close up showing the 'Drott' in action taking over the labour intensive process of loading ballast in to the wagons

Ref: pa02 Pete Annable GRA Tile Hill station with gates closed to road traffic as the train spotters waiting for a Birmingham to Coventry train

Ref: lnwrth710 J Hyde Looking towards Coventry from the down platform with the cantilevered signal cabin on the left

Ref: lnwrth710a J Hyde Close up showing the juxtaposition of the level crossing gates, the booking office and the up platform

Ref: lnwrth4472 J Alsop A late 1950s view of Tile Hill Signal cabin showing the coal bunker on the left and the gates on the right

Ref: lnwrth716 J Hyde Looking towards Coventry from the station's down platform with the signal box on the right

Ref: lnwrth2414 R Powell Hendry View of the booking office prior to its demolition and after the crossing keeper's house has been demolished

Ref: lnwrth2397 Coventry Evening Telegraph Looking towards Coventry with the new signal box on the right and the former LNWR signal cabin on the left

Ref: lnwrth4473 J Alsop Looking towards New Street with the up platform on the right being raised higher with timber sleepers

Ref: lnwrth4471 Anon A mid-1960s view of a Type 2 Diesel locomotive passing the yet to be commissioned the station's BR signal cabin

Ref: lnwrth713 J Hyde The replacement signal box at Tile Hill which came into operation when the line was upgraded for electrification

Ref: lnwrth4476 P Rivitt William Rivitt’s family are seen standing on the up platform of Tile Hill station sometime in the early 1910s

Ref: lnwrth4477 P Rivitt Isobel Rivitt, William's wife is seen standing on the up platform with the single siding behind her

Locomotives seen at or near Tile Hill station

Ref: Ref: lnwrth1301 Coventry Local Studies An unidentified ex-LNWR 4P 4-6-0 Prince of Wales class passes the goods yard on an express to Birmingham

Ref: lnwrth2339 P Horsfall An unidentified ex-LMS 5MT 4-6-0 gets a special working under way after being stopped at a signal at Tile Hill

Ref: lnwrth715 J Hyde LMS 5XP 4-6-0 Patriot class No 5523 passes north of Tile Hill station with an down express

Ref: lnwrth2341 P Horsfall An unidentified ex-LMS 4-6-0 'Black Five' brings the 4:30pm local from Birmingham to Coventry to a stop at Tile Hill

Ref: lnwrth2343 P Horsfall Ex-LMS 4-6-0 Royal Scot class No 46168 'The Girl Guide' hurtles through Tile Hill with an express for London

Ref: lnwrth2340 P Horsfall An unidentified ex-LMS Stanier 4P 2-6-4T on a Coventry-bound empty stock train past Tile Hill signal cabin

Ref: lnwrth2342 P Horsfall An unidentified ex-LMS 4-6-0 'Black 5' approaches Tile Hill with a London-bound express during 1958

Ordnance Survey Maps, Schematics and Plans

Ref: lnwrth2413 R Powell Hendry Survey plan showing Tile Hill station's staggered platforms configuration and the single siding goods yard

Ref: lnwrth2412 R Powell Hendry Diagram of the new shunting frame provided by British Railways to control the crossing gates

Ref: lnwrth4468 National Library of Scotland A 1903 25 inch to the Mile Ordnance Survey map showing both the station and the single siding goods yard

Ref: lnwrth4469 National Library of Scotland A 1923 25 inch to the Mile Ordnance Survey map showing both the station and the single siding goods yard

Ref: lnwrth4470 National Library of Scotland A 1937 25 inch to the Mile Ordnance Survey map showing both the station and the single siding goods yard

Ref: lnwrth4474 R Burridge An updated version of an 1841 map of Allesley Lane Gates showing a 'Police Box' and two railway cottages