Honeybourne railway station

Honeybourne was one of the original stations opened on 4 June 1853 by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWW) on the long section between Evesham and Wolvercot Junction (north of Oxford).[1][2] The OWW became the West Midland Railway in 1860,[3][4] which in turn amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863.[5][6] Initially single track, the line between Campden to Evesham, including Honeybourne, was doubled on 20 March 1855.[7][8] The station became a junction on 12 July 1859 with the opening of a 9.5-mile (15.3 km) link to Stratford-upon-Avon,[7][9] which was continued south to Cheltenham by 1 August 1906.[10][11][12] The single track from Honeybourne to Stratford was doubled on 9 February 1908,[7] shortly before the route took on main line status on 1 July 1908 with the routing of express passenger trains between Birmingham Snow Hill and Bristol Temple Meads via the newly opened North Warwickshire Line.[13][14]

The original station layout at Honeybourne was basic: a two platform station on the Oxford to Worcester line which was connected to the single track line to Stratford via a double junction from which an east to north curve forked to the northeast.[15][16][17][18] The curve, which was later known as the "East Loop",[15][16][17][18] was controlled by a single signalbox that was one of the first in the country to have an interlocking frame mechanically preventing conflicting signal and point levers being pulled.[19][20] North of the platforms was a small goods yard comprising two sidings and a small engine shed, which was used to stable engines that banked goods trains over the steep incline to Campden.[7]

A 40-foot (12 m) turntable was added after the opening of the link to Stratford, as it was a requirement of the Board of Trade to have one at both ends of a branch line.[9][21] This was probably taken up in 1870 with the construction of a new engine shed, which itself only lasted until 1907 when it was demolished to enlarge the goods yard.[22][21] Its replacement built in 1909 was burnt down on 13 September 1911 and was not rebuilt, with only a small coaling platform being provided.[21] A Brunel-designed "chalet" type station building was provided on the "Down" platform, but this only lasted until 1872.[9]

With the opening of the Cheltenham line as far as Broadway on 1 August 1904, the lines through Honeybourne were quadrupled and two loops were laid.[15] As at one or two other GWR locations, the direction naming here is semi-notional: the OWWR main line was considered to run south (London/Oxford) to north (Worcester), with Cheltenham to the west and Stratford-upon-Avon to the east, desipte the former actually running closer to E-W and the latter closer to N-S. The "West Loop" thus ran from the station to the Cheltenham line, whilst the "South Loop" connected the Stratford and Oxford lines.[15][16][17] Four signalboxes, one at each end of the loops, controlled traffic.[23][24][25] The new lines through the station were served by four platform faces: a "Down" main (567 ft or 173 m), an "Up" relief (500 ft or 150 m) and an island platform (also 500 ft or 150 m) which served the Worcester line.[15][26] The old "Up" platform building was replaced by large waiting facilities and a refreshment room; a waiting shelter was provided on the "Up" branch platform and a footbridge spanned the four tracks.[27] Two further signalboxes were provided: Station North box opened at the Worcester end on the north side of the Up main line in 1909 to control a goods loop which ran parallel with the main line, and Station South box was positioned south of the main line to control the London end of the station plus a siding and loop line behind the box.[28]

Honeybourne generated very little traffic of its own and the agricultural produce that it did handle was dwarfed by interchange returns.[29] Traffic picked up during the Second World War when the station's geographical location at the crossroads of several routes meant that it was very busy.[15][27] A new yard was opened at Honeybourne West Loop in 1960 to handle iron ore flows which were re-routed via the Stratford to Cheltenham line to relieve the Great Western Main Line.[15][30] In the same year, the Honeybourne to Cheltenham local service was withdrawn, although through express trains such as the Cornishman continued to use the line until 9 September 1962 after when they were worked via Bromsgrove.[15][31][32][33] A gradual rundown of goods facilities at Honeybourne began on 1 June 1964 with the closure of the station to freight,[34][19] after which the majority of the sidings were abolished and the goods loops were taken out of use.[35] Station North box was closed on 4 April 1965, with the south loop and South Loop box following on 13 October 1965.[36][37] The West Loop box was switched out on 31 January 1966 and only used when required until 1970, while the station became unstaffed from 16 January 1967.[36] The North Loop signalbox had already closed in March 1933, when its junction came under the control of Station South box.[38]

The station closed to passengers on 5 May 1969, the last day of regular passenger services between Stratford and Evesham via Honeybourne.[36][2] This rendered the east loop redundant and it was taken out of use on 3 November 1970.[36][39] East Loop box closed permanently, but West Loop box and three long sidings were brought back into use to enable goods trains from Worcester to reach Long Marston.[36] The layout was cut back further in 1971 with the rationalisation of the Oxford to Worcester line and singling of the section between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh on 20 September, after which Honeybourne (Station) South box became a ground frame controlling the junction between the main line and double track to West Loop box.[36][40] The Stratford-Cheltenham line was used for a modest amount of freight until 1976 when a derailment south of Toddington prompted the closure of the line except for a section between the West Loop sidings and Long Marston.[36][41][32] This section was singled on 24 March 1980 when West Loop box was also closed.[36] The following year a new chord was laid on the formation of the former east loop which allowed the reversal of trains at West Loop to be discontinued and the sidings there to be closed, followed by the replacement of Honeybourne (Station) South box with a 2-lever frame on 7 March 1983.[36][42][43]

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• Potts, C.R. (1985). A Historical Survey of selected Great Western Railway stations. 4. Poole: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-86093-191-1.
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