Wood Green (Old Bescot) railway station explained

Wood Green (Old Bescot)
Status:Disused
Borough:Bescot, Walsall
Country:England
Coordinates:52.5668°N -2.0041°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Grand Junction Railway
Pregroup:London and North Western Railway
Postgroup:London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Years1:4 July 1837
Events1:Opened as Bescot Bridge
Years2:1 August 1850
Events2:Closed
Years3:1 February 1881
Events3:Re-opened as Wood Green (Old Bescot)
Years4:5 May 1941
Events4:Closed
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13

Wood Green (Old Bescot) railway station was a railway station that opened on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837. It served the Wood Green area of Wednesbury and Walsall. It closed in 1941. It was located near to where junction 9 of the M6 motorway has been located since the late 1960s.

First station

It opened as Bescot Bridge on 4 July 1837, and was the Grand Junction Railway's main station for Walsall and Wednesbury being located between the two towns. The station was also known as Walsall station and this is how it was initially called in Bradshaw's guides. There is some confusion as to the station name and on what dates it changed. Neele (1904) recalls that it was originally Bescot Bridge, became Walsall and reverted to the original Bescot Bridge in 1847 when the South Staffordshire Railway opened the line between and .

The station was a second class station and therefore not all the trains stopped there, in 1837 there were two trains in each direction, by 1839 there were four trains in each direction that stopped.

Bescot Bridge station closed on 1 August 1850 when it was effectively replaced by .

The station was located approximately 9¼ miles from in a shallow cutting that was crossed by the Walsall to Wednesbury turnpike road, the station was slightly north of the boundary between the two towns.[1] It would appear that Walsall provided the most passengers as a light van ran between the station and the town.

Second station

Wood Green (Old Bescot) station was opened by the London and North Western Railway on the same site on 1 February 1881.

The station had two platforms, one either side of the double running line, both platforms were access from the road overbridge, there were no goods facilities, the station only dealt with passengers and parcels.[1]

The station closed on 5 May 1941. The line remains open.[2]

References

Bibliography

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wood Green Station on OS 25 inch map Staffordshire LXIII.14 (Walsall; Wednesbury; West Bromwich) . National Library of Scotland . 26 October 2020.
  2. Web site: Network Rail . Table CC04-Stetchford to Bushbury Jn via Bescot . Network Rail . 26 October 2020.