Lewknor Bridge Halt railway station
Encyclopedia
Lewknor Bridge Halt railway station was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
which the Great Western Railway
opened in 1906 to serve the Oxfordshire
village of Lewknor
. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
, on the western side of a bridge carrying the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
over a lane
known as "Shiftcutts". The bridge (no. 6m 74c), which had 19 inches (48.3 cm) wrought iron
girders, spanned 20 feet (6.1 m) and was supported by brick
and flint
abutments; it had a minimum headroom of 15 in 8 in (4.78 m). A single platform was provided on which stood a wooden passenger waiting shelter and the running-in board. The halt was unstaffed and in winter two hurricane lamps lit the platform at night, both being lit and extinguished by the late-turn guard. Access to the station was via a kissing gate
and a flight of steps from the roadside on the south side of the bridge. In the long term the GWR's halt strategy did little to dissuade people from more convenient bus services. In 1957 British Rail
ways closed the halt and withdrew passenger services from the line.
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
which the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
opened in 1906 to serve the Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
village of Lewknor
Lewknor
Lewknor is a village and civil parish south of Thame in Oxfordshire. The civil parish includes the village of Postcombe.-Iron Age and Roman periods:...
. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
History
The halt was one of three that the GWR opened on the line in September 1906 to try to encourage passenger traffic in the face of increased competition from buses. It was south-east of LewknorLewknor
Lewknor is a village and civil parish south of Thame in Oxfordshire. The civil parish includes the village of Postcombe.-Iron Age and Roman periods:...
, on the western side of a bridge carrying the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
over a lane
Lane
A lane is a part of the roadway within a road marked out for use by a single line of vehicles in such a way as to control and guide drivers for the purpose of reducing traffic conflicts. Most public roads have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by Lane markings...
known as "Shiftcutts". The bridge (no. 6m 74c), which had 19 inches (48.3 cm) wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
girders, spanned 20 feet (6.1 m) and was supported by brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
abutments; it had a minimum headroom of 15 in 8 in (4.78 m). A single platform was provided on which stood a wooden passenger waiting shelter and the running-in board. The halt was unstaffed and in winter two hurricane lamps lit the platform at night, both being lit and extinguished by the late-turn guard. Access to the station was via a kissing gate
Kissing gate
A kissing gate is a type of gate which allows people to pass through, but not livestock.The normal construction is a half-round, rectangular, trapezial or V-shaped enclosure with a hinged gate trapped between its arms. When the gate is parked at either side of the enclosure, there is no gap to pass...
and a flight of steps from the roadside on the south side of the bridge. In the long term the GWR's halt strategy did little to dissuade people from more convenient bus services. In 1957 British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the halt and withdrew passenger services from the line.