Finmere railway station
Encyclopedia
Finmere was a railway station on the former Great Central Main Line
which ran between and London Marylebone. It was opened in 1899 and served the nearby village of Finmere
. The station was closed 1963 and the line through it was closed in 1966.
, the last English main line to be built in 1899 and the first to be closed in 1966. The section of the line between Brackley
and Quainton Road
was to be constructed by Walter Scott & Co., civil engineer
s from Newcastle-upon-Tyne at a cost of £420,000. The construction of the section through Finmere necessitated considerable earthworks, the remains of which can still be seen today. To the north, a cutting of 180,000 cubic yards had to be excavated, while to the south the railway crossed an embankment
which required the excavation of nearly 200,000 cubic yards. The earthworks were required as a consequence of the Great Central's policy to eliminate level crossing
s on the London Extension, regarding them as a source of danger, inconvenience and cost. This resulted in the construction of bridges for crossings both large and small, including a timber overbridge to the north of Finmere for the convenience of the local Grafton Hunt.
Opened in March 1899, Finmere typified the Great Central's style of station which was reached via a flight of steps leading up from the centre of a road underbridge, each track having a separate bridge span. A house was provided for the stationmaster and land set aside for the future provision of railway cottages. At a distance of 54.5 miles (87.7 km) from Marylebone and 0.75 miles (1.2 km) from Finmere village, the station had a small goods yard with a cattle pen, coal staithes and a goods store. The station was originally named "Finmere for Buckingham", but as Buckingham
was 5 miles (8 km) away and served by the LNWR
's Buckingham station
, it was hardly convenient to alight at Finmere in order to reach the historic county town. Traps waited under the shelter of the road underbridge to ferry passengers to their destinations. Local entrepreneurs soon took advantage of the railway's presence to launch new ventures - a livestock market was opened on land adjacent to the station by Paxton & Holiday, while construction of the Shelswell Inn began in May 1900. A further bonus for the railway was the opening of Stowe School
in 1923; situated a short distance across the nearby fields, the school's nearest station was Finmere and it provided a useful form of transportation for staff and pupils alike.
service to Buckingham was introduced in 1923 to take advantage of the wealthy and prominent commuters who were now living in the area; these included Admiral Roger Keyes and Captain Ferrass Loftus who both lived at Tingewick
, the banker L. Fleischmann of Chetwode Manor and Charles William Trotter, a director of the LNER who lived at Barton Hartshorn Manor. A slip coach on the 18.20 from Marylebone reached Finmere at 19.28, the guard releasing the last carriage as the service approached the station and this carriage braking as it entered Finmere which enabled expresses to continue without stopping. After setting down at Finmere, slip coaches were worked forward to Woodford
. The fastest service to Marylebone from Finmere in 1922 took one hour and nine minutes on an express which only stopped at Aylesbury
, although the first service of the day took slightly longer, departing at 07.59 and not arriving in Marylebone until 09.48.
in 1961 and Finmere Parish Council joined with Oxfordshire County Council
in objecting to closure. It subsequently closed to passenger traffic in March 1963, goods facilities being withdrawn a year later.. After the station closed trains continue to pass through it until closure of the Great Central Main Line in September 1966.
It may be possible in the future to re-open Finmere to rail traffic as there are government plans to reinstate the Great Central Railway to meet a need for additional fast rail connections between London and Birmingham.
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
which ran between and London Marylebone. It was opened in 1899 and served the nearby village of Finmere
Finmere
Finmere is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, south of the River Great Ouse. It is almost west of Buckingham in Buckinghamshire and just over east of Brackley in Northamptonshire.-Archaeology:...
. The station was closed 1963 and the line through it was closed in 1966.
Construction and opening
Finmere station was on the Great Central RailwayGreat Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
, the last English main line to be built in 1899 and the first to be closed in 1966. The section of the line between Brackley
Brackley Central railway station
Brackley Central was a railway station on the former Great Central Main Line which ran from Manchester Piccadilly to London Marylebone, the last main line to be built from the north of England to London.- History :...
and Quainton Road
Quainton Road railway station
Quainton Road railway station was opened in 1868 in undeveloped countryside near Quainton, Buckinghamshire, from London. Built by the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway, it was the result of pressure from the 3rd Duke of Buckingham to route the railway near his home at Wotton House and to open a...
was to be constructed by Walter Scott & Co., civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
s from Newcastle-upon-Tyne at a cost of £420,000. The construction of the section through Finmere necessitated considerable earthworks, the remains of which can still be seen today. To the north, a cutting of 180,000 cubic yards had to be excavated, while to the south the railway crossed an embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
which required the excavation of nearly 200,000 cubic yards. The earthworks were required as a consequence of the Great Central's policy to eliminate level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s on the London Extension, regarding them as a source of danger, inconvenience and cost. This resulted in the construction of bridges for crossings both large and small, including a timber overbridge to the north of Finmere for the convenience of the local Grafton Hunt.
Opened in March 1899, Finmere typified the Great Central's style of station which was reached via a flight of steps leading up from the centre of a road underbridge, each track having a separate bridge span. A house was provided for the stationmaster and land set aside for the future provision of railway cottages. At a distance of 54.5 miles (87.7 km) from Marylebone and 0.75 miles (1.2 km) from Finmere village, the station had a small goods yard with a cattle pen, coal staithes and a goods store. The station was originally named "Finmere for Buckingham", but as Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
was 5 miles (8 km) away and served by the LNWR
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
's Buckingham station
Buckingham railway station
Buckingham was a railway station which served Buckingham, the former county town of Buckinghamshire, England, between 1850 and 1966.- Opening :...
, it was hardly convenient to alight at Finmere in order to reach the historic county town. Traps waited under the shelter of the road underbridge to ferry passengers to their destinations. Local entrepreneurs soon took advantage of the railway's presence to launch new ventures - a livestock market was opened on land adjacent to the station by Paxton & Holiday, while construction of the Shelswell Inn began in May 1900. A further bonus for the railway was the opening of Stowe School
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
in 1923; situated a short distance across the nearby fields, the school's nearest station was Finmere and it provided a useful form of transportation for staff and pupils alike.
Operations
The station became a popular alighting place for day-trippers from London and two or three special services ran on Sundays bringing as many as fifty or sixty excursionists to the area who often found they had to walk the four miles to Buckingham in the absence of local conveyances. A slip coachSlip coach
A slip coach or slip carriage is a British and Irish railway term for passenger rolling stock that is uncoupled from an express train while the train is in motion, then slowed by a guard in the coach using a hand brake, bringing it to a stop at the next station. The coach was thus said to be...
service to Buckingham was introduced in 1923 to take advantage of the wealthy and prominent commuters who were now living in the area; these included Admiral Roger Keyes and Captain Ferrass Loftus who both lived at Tingewick
Tingewick
Tingewick is a village and civil parish about west of Buckingham in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is bounded to the north by the River Great Ouse, to the east by a tributary of the Great Ouse, to the west by the county boundary with Oxfordshire and to the...
, the banker L. Fleischmann of Chetwode Manor and Charles William Trotter, a director of the LNER who lived at Barton Hartshorn Manor. A slip coach on the 18.20 from Marylebone reached Finmere at 19.28, the guard releasing the last carriage as the service approached the station and this carriage braking as it entered Finmere which enabled expresses to continue without stopping. After setting down at Finmere, slip coaches were worked forward to Woodford
Woodford Halse railway station
Woodford Halse railway station stood on the Great Central Railway main line, the last main line to be built from the north of England to London. The station opened with the line on 15 March 1899 under the name Woodford and Hinton and served the adjacent villages of Woodford Halse to the east and...
. The fastest service to Marylebone from Finmere in 1922 took one hour and nine minutes on an express which only stopped at Aylesbury
Aylesbury railway station
Aylesbury railway station is a railway station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England and is a major stop on the London to Aylesbury Line from Marylebone station via Amersham. It is 37.75 miles from Aylesbury Station to Marylebone Station...
, although the first service of the day took slightly longer, departing at 07.59 and not arriving in Marylebone until 09.48.
Decline and closure
Although the station saw regular use during the Second World War due to its proximity to military camps and airfields, patronage began to decline after the war in the face of increased competition from buses and the private motorcar. Eventually, the only really busy periods came at the start and end of the school terms at Stowe. Proposals to close the station circulated by the British Transport CommissionBritish Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
in 1961 and Finmere Parish Council joined with Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
in objecting to closure. It subsequently closed to passenger traffic in March 1963, goods facilities being withdrawn a year later.. After the station closed trains continue to pass through it until closure of the Great Central Main Line in September 1966.
Present day
The twin road overbridge has survived, although in an overgrown state.It may be possible in the future to re-open Finmere to rail traffic as there are government plans to reinstate the Great Central Railway to meet a need for additional fast rail connections between London and Birmingham.