Hampton Row Halt railway station explained

Hampton Row Halt
Status:Disused
Borough:Bathwick, Bath and North East Somerset
Country:England
Coordinates:51.3906°N -2.3458°W
Platforms:2
Pregroup:Great Western Railway
Years:1907
Events:Station opened
Years1:1917
Events1:Station closed
Mapframe:yes

Hampton Row Halt railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England.

Description

The station was built as a halt for the eastern suburbs of Bath, and named after the street that leads eastwards from Sydney Gardens. It opened in 1907 for Great Western Railway stopping train services from Bristol, Swindon and Westbury, Wiltshire.

The station had two platforms, linked by an iron foot bridge which still exists. Its site is on the south side of the River Avon, and to the north of the Kennet and Avon Canal which had to be diverted to the south when the railway was built.

Accidents and incidents

On 15 August 1876 a freight train was derailed at Hampton Row after a bale of cotton fell off a wagon and derailed the one behind it.[1]

Closure

The station was open for only a short period, as at the same time trams and motor transport were becoming more commonplace. As a street, Hampton Row leads only on to the canal towpath, which limited the station's accessibility.

The station was closed on 25 April 1917 as an economy measure during the First World War, as was Twerton station, which served the west of the city. Neither station reopened when peace came.

Present day

The station has been entirely dismantled, leaving a vacant space between the railway lines and the road or canal embankment. A section of rail forms a barrier between a turning/parking area at the end of Hampton Row and railway property. Numbers 9-14 Hampton Row became derelict after Buchanan's Plan for Bath was released in the 1960s, with a new road intended to pass through the site. The houses were compulsorily purchased, but the plan never came to fruition.

References

Notes and References

  1. Railway Accidents . 16 August 1876 . 11 . 28709 . C-D .