Piddington railway station
Encyclopedia
Piddington was a railway station on the former Bedford to Northampton Line
. Despite its name, the station was located close to the village of Horton
in Northamptonshire
, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village of Piddington
.
, known as the "SMJR" , with a station at Salcey Forest
to the West of Horton
village. This part of the line ran from Towcester
to Bedford
via Blisworth
and Stoke Bruerne
with a connection to Northampton and the West Coast Main Line
. It closed to passengers in 1951, and was later shut completely as part of the 1960s Beeching cuts
.
Bedford to Northampton Line
The Bedford to Northampton Line was a branch of the Midland Railway which served stations in three counties: Northampton and Horton in Northamptonshire, Olney in Buckinghamshire and Turvey and Bedford in Bedfordshire, England...
. Despite its name, the station was located close to the village of Horton
Horton, Northamptonshire
Horton is named from the Old English meaning "muddy farmstead" and lies in the English county of Northamptonshire. It was originally an estate village, serving the now demolished Horton House and it is close to its neighbouring village Hackleton...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village of Piddington
Piddington, Northamptonshire
Piddington is a village in the south of the English shire county of Northamptonshire. known as Northants in the district of South Northamptonshire, just north of Buckinghamshire. It is south of Northampton town centre, in a cul-de-sac off the main road, at the War Memorial in the village of...
.
History
By the 1870s, Piddington was linked to the national rail network by the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction RailwayStratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
, known as the "SMJR" , with a station at Salcey Forest
Salcey Forest
Salcey Forest is a former medieval hunting forest in the south of the county of Northamptonshire in England.It lies to the east of the village of Hartwell, between Northampton and Newport Pagnell...
to the West of Horton
Horton, Northamptonshire
Horton is named from the Old English meaning "muddy farmstead" and lies in the English county of Northamptonshire. It was originally an estate village, serving the now demolished Horton House and it is close to its neighbouring village Hackleton...
village. This part of the line ran from Towcester
Towcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
to Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
via Blisworth
Blisworth
Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the South Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment...
and Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne is a small village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England about north of Milton Keynes and south of Northampton.-History:...
with a connection to Northampton and the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. It closed to passengers in 1951, and was later shut completely as part of the 1960s Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.