Hammersmith & Chiswick railway station
Encyclopedia
Hammersmith & Chiswick railway station was in west London
. Originally named "Hammersmith" it became "Hammersmith & Chiswick" in 1880.
and Chiswick
, and was intended to serve both.
The station was at the end of a 1½-mile (2.5 km) branch line which went northward from the North London Railway
line at South Acton
and turned sharply to run south into Hammersmith & Chiswick.
The station was not purpose built but was a converted private house. In 1904, a writer described it as "abounding with flowers, and resembling rather the terminus of some far distant country branch line than what one might expect to find at a place bearing the dual distinction of the names of two west London suburbs".
at South Acton
was opened in 1880, the line employed an unusual mode of operation. Southbound North London Railway trains to Kew (which was on the western chord to the Hounslow Loop
near the present Kew Bridge station
) included a carriage for passengers travelling to Hammersmith & Chiswick. This carriage was uncoupled from the train immediately south of the junction. The N&SWJR's sole locomotive would then reverse on to the mainline, attach the carriage and take it down the branch.
In 1880 an additional platform was built at South Acton, and from then on passengers would change at South Acton to access the branch.
For such an isolated station, train service was good. Before the interchange at South Acton opened one train per hour served the branch, while thereafter until closure there was train every half hour.
station at Stamford Brook
, three intermediate halts were built in 1909, at Rugby Road, Woodstock Road, and Bath Road. These were little-used, and trains stopped only on request. All three halts were closed only eight years after opening.
the demand for coal ceased, and the station and the branch were permanently closed on 3 May 1965. The station site was redeveloped in the 1980s and no trace remains.
Former Services
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Originally named "Hammersmith" it became "Hammersmith & Chiswick" in 1880.
History
The station was opened on 8 April 1858 by the North & South Western Junction Railway (N&SWJR) on the site of a goods yard which had opened on 1 May 1857 on Chiswick High Road in what was then a rural area. It was in neither town but midway between HammersmithHammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
and Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, and was intended to serve both.
The station was at the end of a 1½-mile (2.5 km) branch line which went northward from the North London Railway
North London Railway
The North London Railway was a railway company that opened lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks. The main east to west route is now part the North London Line. Other lines operated by the company fell into disuse, but were later revived as part of the Docklands...
line at South Acton
South Acton railway station
South Acton railway station is in the London Borough of Ealing in South Acton, west London. It is on the North London Line, and the station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
and turned sharply to run south into Hammersmith & Chiswick.
The station was not purpose built but was a converted private house. In 1904, a writer described it as "abounding with flowers, and resembling rather the terminus of some far distant country branch line than what one might expect to find at a place bearing the dual distinction of the names of two west London suburbs".
Operation
Until the interchange stationInterchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system, and allows passengers to change from one route to another. Transfer may occur within the same mode, or between rail modes, or to buses...
at South Acton
South Acton railway station
South Acton railway station is in the London Borough of Ealing in South Acton, west London. It is on the North London Line, and the station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
was opened in 1880, the line employed an unusual mode of operation. Southbound North London Railway trains to Kew (which was on the western chord to the Hounslow Loop
Hounslow Loop Line
The Hounslow Loop Line is a railway line in southwest London which was opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1850. It leaves the Waterloo to Reading Line at Barnes Junction and after some seven and a half miles rejoins it at a triangular junction between and...
near the present Kew Bridge station
Kew Bridge railway station
Kew Bridge railway station is in the London Borough of Hounslow, in west London, and is in Travelcard Zone 3. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains....
) included a carriage for passengers travelling to Hammersmith & Chiswick. This carriage was uncoupled from the train immediately south of the junction. The N&SWJR's sole locomotive would then reverse on to the mainline, attach the carriage and take it down the branch.
In 1880 an additional platform was built at South Acton, and from then on passengers would change at South Acton to access the branch.
For such an isolated station, train service was good. Before the interchange at South Acton opened one train per hour served the branch, while thereafter until closure there was train every half hour.
Other stations on the branch
In an effort to boost passenger numbers, which had been badly affected by the opening of the nearby District lineDistrict Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
station at Stamford Brook
Stamford Brook tube station
Stamford Brook is a London Underground station on the eastern edge of Chiswick in west London. The station is served by the District Line and is between Ravenscourt Park and Turnham Green stations. The main entrance is located on Goldhawk Road with a secondary entrance on Prebend Gardens. It is in...
, three intermediate halts were built in 1909, at Rugby Road, Woodstock Road, and Bath Road. These were little-used, and trains stopped only on request. All three halts were closed only eight years after opening.
Closure
In 1917 all passenger services on the branch were suspended as a wartime economy measure and were never resumed. Hammersmith & Chiswick station remained in use as a goods station, primarily to serve a large coal depot. Following the passage of the Clean Air Act 1956Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health for Scotland.The Act introduced a number of...
the demand for coal ceased, and the station and the branch were permanently closed on 3 May 1965. The station site was redeveloped in the 1980s and no trace remains.
External links
- Subterranea Britannica entry on the station with photographs of the station in the last days of operation
- Disused Railways entry on the branch
- Photographs of the remaining structures on the route (2005)