Hockley railway station (West Midlands) explained

Hockley
Status:Disused
Borough:Hockley, Birmingham
Country:England
Coordinates:52.4907°N -1.9177°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:4
Pregroup:Great Western Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Years1:1854
Events1:Opened[1]
Years2:1972
Events2:Closed
Years4:1995
Events4:Jewellery Quarter station opened a short distance east

Hockley was an intermediate station on the Great Western Railway's London Paddington to Birkenhead via Birmingham Snow Hill line, England, serving the Hockley area of Birmingham. It was around one mile from Snow Hill station.[2] Opened in 1854, it lasted for the duration of the line's original life, eventually closing with the line in 1972.[3]

The station had two bay and one island platform, with the only pedestrian access for passengers to the latter being from below.

Replacement

When the line was reopened in 1995, Hockley station was not reopened. However a new station; Jewellery Quarter station was opened around 100yards to the east, at the mouth of Hockley No 2 Tunnel. On the other side of Icknield Street.[4]

Little trace now remains of the original station, as the site was cleared in the 1990s when the line was reopened.

Hockley goods depot

Between 1854 and 1967, a large goods depot was situated alongside the station. It was the Great Western Railway's principal goods depot for the Birmingham area.[5] The depot measured three-quarters of a mile long by two to three hundred yards wide. At the western end it had a transshipment interchange with barges on the Soho Loop of the Birmingham Canal. In the 1920s the depot employed over one thousand permanent staff.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hockley Station. Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. 1 April 2017.
  2. Web site: Hockley Station. Warwickshire Railways. 1 April 2017.
  3. Book: Bartholomew's Pocket Atlas and Guide to Birmingham. John Bartholomew' & Son Ltd. Edinburgh. 1949. 20.
  4. Web site: Jewellery Quarter station. railaroundbirmingham. Rail around Birmingham. 12 October 2013.
  5. Web site: Hockley Goods Depot. Warwickshire Railways. 5 May 2014.