Amesbury railway station
Encyclopedia
Amesbury railway station was a station in the county of Wiltshire
in Southern England
. It was located on the Bulford Camp branch line
, which diverged from what is now known as the West of England Main Line
at a triangular junction between Grateley
and Idmiston Halt. When it was open Amesbury was the nearest station to Stonehenge
and carried a lot of traffic to the military areas in and around Salisbury Plain
, particularly during the Second World War in the run up to D-Day
.
, and becoming part of the London and South Western Railway
it was absorbed by the Southern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board
in 1952.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
. It was located on the Bulford Camp branch line
Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway
The Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was constructed under a light railway order dated 24 Sept 1898. It was opened for military traffic from Amesbury to the Newton Tony Junction on the 1st Oct 1901...
, which diverged from what is now known as the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
at a triangular junction between Grateley
Grateley railway station
Grateley station serves the village of Grateley in Hampshire, UK. The station is located in western portion of the village near the hamlet of Palestine approximately a mile from the eastern part of the village...
and Idmiston Halt. When it was open Amesbury was the nearest station to Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
and carried a lot of traffic to the military areas in and around Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, particularly during the Second World War in the run up to D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
History
Opened by the Amesbury and Military Camp Light RailwayAmesbury and Military Camp Light Railway
The Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was constructed under a light railway order dated 24 Sept 1898. It was opened for military traffic from Amesbury to the Newton Tony Junction on the 1st Oct 1901...
, and becoming part of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
it was absorbed by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board
British Railways Board
The British Railways Board was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail...
in 1952.