Warwick Station

GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Warwick station was opened in 1852 as one of the original stations on the Broad Gauge route between Oxford and Birmingham and is located approximately half a mile from the town centre. The station was also used by the GWR in steam days for holding the banking locomotive required to assist heavy trains up Hatton Bank. The goods yard was located on the up side the other side of the bridge carrying the railway over the Coventry Road. The goods yard was accessed off Coventry Road and was equipped with both a goods shed and six-ton crane. Towards Birmingham there was a second goods yard which Mitchell and Smith in their book 'Banbury to Birmingham' state was opened in 1892 as the Cape Yard and initially provided two sidings for a Royal Agricultural Show. The gasworks sidings which lay a little beyond from the Cape Yard was opened circa 1890.

Over the first half of the twentieth century the sidings carried an increasing amount of coal from 5,750 tons in 1900 to 14,250 tons in 1947 although this rapidly decreased as the gasworks closed in 1952. Cape Yard closed on 11th November 1963 whilst the main goods yard lasted a little longer being closed on 31st January 1969. The main access to the station was off Coventry Road with a long drive up to the down platform which had the contained the main accommodation. Access could also be achieved via Woodcote Road to the up platform. Whilst both platforms are on the level with the surrounding area the land is lower towards Leamington allowing the two platforms to be connected by an underpass. The up platform for London is numbered platform two and the down platform for Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon is numbered platform two.

Select an image below to view the larger version with accompanying text:

Ref: gwrw943 P Kingston Looking towards Leamington from the up platform across towards the down platform with the main offices on the right

Ref: gwrw943a P Kingston Close up showing the down platform buildings at the Birmingham end of the station with the bay for the Hatton banker out of view on the left

Ref: gwrw943b P Kingston Close up showing the down platform buildings at the Leamington end of the station with the access to the short spur siding out of view on the left

Ref: gwrw385 P Hopkins Looking towards Leamington from the up platform across towards the down platform with the main offices on the right

Ref: gwrw385a P Hopkins Close up view of Warwick Station's down platform, the station's main buildings and the short spur siding at the far of the platform

Ref: gwrw389 Anon Looking towards Leamington along the down platform with the 1909 signal box on the left and the goods yard in the distance

Ref: gwrw389a Anon Close up of the down platform which shows the short spur once at the Leamington end of the down platform has been removed

Ref: gwrw393 P Hopkins Looking towards Leamington from the Birmingham end of the down platform with the Hatton banker's bay on the right

Ref: gwrw393a P Hopkins Close up showing the up platform buildings, the 52-lever frame signal box and in the distance Warwick's goods shed and yard

Ref: gwrw400 Anon Looking towards Birmingham from the up platform towards the down platform with the headshunt of the spur siding on the left

Ref: gwrw400a Anon Close up of the down platform and main station buildings with the entrance in the middle of the building and a telephone box to its right

Ref: gwrw379a G Coltas Close up of the twin spur siding which was installed to facilitate the loading and unloading of horses and horse drawn road vehicles

Ref: gwrw374 G Coltas Looking towards Leamington as No 4912 'Berrington Hall' passes over Coventry Road bridge whilst to the right the spur siding has been reduced to one siding

Ref: gwrw399 RS Carpenter View looking towards Leamington mid-way between the latter and Warwick with the centre bridge of the three carrying the Grand Union canal

Ref: gwrw938 PJ Garland Looking towards Birmingham along the down platform with the Hatton banker's bay on the left and the up refuge siding on the right

Ref: gwrw375a G Coltas Close up showing Cape Yard sidings with the station in the distance whilst in the yard a locomotive can be seen shunting

Ref: gwrw378a G Coltas Close up showing Cape Yard sidings which is full of both oil and mineral wagons whilst the six-ton crane is evident

Ref: gwrw384a G Coltas Another close up of Cape Yard sidings which has several coal staithes in view by the yard advertising hoarding

Ref: gwrw396a G Coltas Close up showing the two short sidings, one private the other on railway property, utilised by coal traffic for the Warwick Corporation Gas Works

Ref: gwrw940 OS Maps Map of the station with Birmingham to the left and Leamington to the right of the diagram

Ref: gwrw940a OS Maps Map of the original goods yard which was located across the Coventry Road over bridge on the Leamington side of the station.

Ref: gwrw940 OS Maps Map of the station with Birmingham to the left and Leamington to the right of the diagram