Stroud Wallgate railway station
Encyclopedia
Stroud railway station (unofficially known as Stroud Wallgate) served the town of Stroud
, in Gloucestershire
, England
. The station was on a short 2 km-long branch from Dudbridge
on the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway
, part of the Midland Railway
. It was not connected to the earlier and still used Stroud railway station
on the Great Western Railway
.
Dudbridge had opened as "Dudbridge for Stroud" with the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway in 1867. The railway was quickly taken over by the Midland, whose main line between Bristol and Gloucester it joined at Stonehouse
. In 1885, the Midland Railway built a short branch line from Dudbridge to a new station at Stroud. The new line opened for goods traffic in 1885 and for passengers on 1 July 1886.
The station at Stroud was perched on a high embankment above the Thames and Severn Canal
. The building was wooden and was described at the opening to passenger traffic as "temporary", though it lasted throughout the station's life and beyond. Goods traffic was always more important than passenger traffic at the station, and there was a large goods yard to the east of the passenger platforms.
The station was always officially known simply as "Stroud", but to distinguish it from the nearby GWR station, various publications referred to it as either "Stroud Wallgate" or "Stroud Cheapside"; the latter name is used in the April 1910 edition of Bradshaw's Railway Guide. That 1910 timetable shows the journey between Dudbridge and Stroud taking an average of five minutes, with fewer than 10 trains a day, a few of them directly running to or from Stonehouse. The station closed temporarily on 1 January 1917, reopening four weeks later on 29 January.
The Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway, along with the rest of the Midland Railway, became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 Grouping
. Passenger services were suspended on the line as an economy measure to save fuel in June 1947, and were officially withdrawn from 8 June 1949. The station remained open for goods traffic until 1966, though much of the freight had transferred to the former Great Western station. The station buildings have now been demolished and are covered by the town's ring road.
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
, in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
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...
. The station was on a short 2 km-long branch from Dudbridge
Dudbridge railway station
Dudbridge railway station served the Stroud suburb of Dudbridge and the village of Selsley, little more than a mile from Stroud, in Gloucestershire, England. The station was on the 9.3 km-long Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway, later part of the Midland Railway.The station opened as "Dudbridge...
on the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway
Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway
The Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway was a short railway line in the county of Gloucestershire, England, which brought the Cotswold town of Nailsworth into the UK national rail network....
, part of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
. It was not connected to the earlier and still used Stroud railway station
Stroud railway station
Stroud railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Stroud in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located on the Swindon-Gloucester "Golden Valley" line.-History:...
on 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...
.
Dudbridge had opened as "Dudbridge for Stroud" with the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway in 1867. The railway was quickly taken over by the Midland, whose main line between Bristol and Gloucester it joined at Stonehouse
Stonehouse (Bristol Road) railway station
Stonehouse railway station was a station in Stonehouse, England, on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway between Haresfield and Frocester.-History:...
. In 1885, the Midland Railway built a short branch line from Dudbridge to a new station at Stroud. The new line opened for goods traffic in 1885 and for passengers on 1 July 1886.
The station at Stroud was perched on a high embankment above the Thames and Severn Canal
Thames and Severn Canal
The Thames and Severn Canal is a canal in Gloucestershire in the south of England, which was completed in 1789. It was conceived as part of a canal route from Bristol to London. At its eastern end, it connects to the River Thames at Inglesham Lock near Lechlade, while at its western end, it...
. The building was wooden and was described at the opening to passenger traffic as "temporary", though it lasted throughout the station's life and beyond. Goods traffic was always more important than passenger traffic at the station, and there was a large goods yard to the east of the passenger platforms.
The station was always officially known simply as "Stroud", but to distinguish it from the nearby GWR station, various publications referred to it as either "Stroud Wallgate" or "Stroud Cheapside"; the latter name is used in the April 1910 edition of Bradshaw's Railway Guide. That 1910 timetable shows the journey between Dudbridge and Stroud taking an average of five minutes, with fewer than 10 trains a day, a few of them directly running to or from Stonehouse. The station closed temporarily on 1 January 1917, reopening four weeks later on 29 January.
The Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway, along with the rest of the Midland Railway, became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 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...
. Passenger services were suspended on the line as an economy measure to save fuel in June 1947, and were officially withdrawn from 8 June 1949. The station remained open for goods traffic until 1966, though much of the freight had transferred to the former Great Western station. The station buildings have now been demolished and are covered by the town's ring road.