Little Stretton Halt railway station
Encyclopedia
Little Stretton Halt was a minor railway station on the Welsh Marches Line
between Craven Arms
and Church Stretton
in the English
county of Shropshire
.
in 1852–53, the line through Little Stretton
became the joint property of the Great Western Railway
and the London and North Western Railway
(LNWR) in 1870; the LNWR interest passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. Little Stretton Halt was opened on that line on 18 April 1935; it closed temporarily between 4 January 1943 and 6 May 1946. The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. The station was closed by the British Transport Commission
on 9 June 1958.
, a mile to the north.
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
between Craven Arms
Craven Arms railway station
Craven Arms railway station serves the small town of Craven Arms in Shropshire, England. Until 1974 it was known as "Craven Arms and Stokesay", named after the nearby coaching inn and the historic settlement of Stokesay to the south...
and Church Stretton
Church Stretton railway station
Church Stretton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Church Stretton in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the Welsh Marches Line, 12¾ miles south of Shrewsbury railway station, while trains on the Heart of Wales Line also serve the station...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
History
Opened by the independent Shrewsbury and Hereford RailwayShrewsbury and Hereford Railway
The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway was an independently developed English railway, the first to run train services in Herefordshire.Built between 1850 and 1853, it crossed a number of services by both the Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway companies, became a joint...
in 1852–53, the line through Little Stretton
Little Stretton, Shropshire
Little Stretton is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies on the B5477 to the south of the town of Church Stretton ; similarly, the small village of All Stretton lies to the north of Church Stretton on the same road...
became the joint property of 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...
and the London and North Western Railway
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...
(LNWR) in 1870; the LNWR interest passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
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. Little Stretton Halt was opened on that line on 18 April 1935; it closed temporarily between 4 January 1943 and 6 May 1946. The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on nationalisation in 1948. The station was closed by the British Transport Commission
British 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...
on 9 June 1958.
The site today
Trains continue to run on the Welsh Marches Line. Nothing remains of the halt. The nearest station to Little Stretton is now at Church StrettonChurch Stretton
Church Stretton is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the town was recorded as 2,789 in 2001, whilst the population of the wider parish was recorded as 4,186...
, a mile to the north.