Bedworth Station

LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

The first Bedworth station was built by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and opened on 12th September 1850 together with the other stations on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line. The station had from the outset a small goods yard with goods shed built which remained more or less the same over the next one hundred years. The station was accessed from Bulkington Road, via a ramped pathway to the down (Nuneaton) platform and via a roadway to the up (Coventry) Platform, the latter also serving as access to the goods yard. At some point at the turn of the 20th century a siding was constructed at the rear of the yard in parallel with a siding constructed for Bedworth Brick Works. This siding was primarily used by coal merchants to serve the local population. The Bedworth Brick Works siding was used both to provide coal for the ovens as well as to transport the bricks to clients outside of Bedworth. The goods shed, which was opened at the same time as the passenger station, remained in place for over one hundred years but at some point in the 1950s was demolished as is evident in most of the photographs seen below. The initial two sidings ran parallel with the main running line, one through the goods shed the other between this siding and the running lines. This siding was later shortened apparently undertaken to accommodate a loading dock. When the goods shed was built a small booking clerk's office was also provided (see 'lnwrb3258'). The structure was built as a 'lean-to' against the goods shed. Business was obviously good as it later enlarged (see 'lnwrb3269'). The shortening of the siding (compare 'lnwrb3274' with 'lnwrb3275') was apparently undertaken to accommodate a loading dock.

The passenger building was completely rebuilt sometime between 1912 and 1923 as indicated by examining the 1912 edition of the OS map of the station (see 'lnwrb3274') and the 1923 edition of the OS map (see 'lnwrb3275'). The original building was an attractive structure similar in basic concept to many others within Warwickshire (but not on the Coventry to Nuneaton line). Whereas the original structure was built using timber the replacement station was built with brick and was, in the authors opinion, a more utilitarian structure but because of its large windows it wasn't too unattractive. The second structure was built on the site of the first but slightly nearer to Nuneaton. On 18th January 1965 British Railways (BR) withdrew passenger services from the line and closed Bedworth station, along with all of the other intermediate stations on the line. The Handbook of Railway Stations records that the station was accessible to both LNWR and MR clients, with the former having the full range of services available. These are recorded as: Goods traffic; Passenger and Parcels traffic; Furniture Vans, Carriages, Portable Engines, and Machines on Wheels; Live Stock; Horse boxes and Prize Cattle Vans; Carriages by Passenger Trains (GPFLHC). A 1 ton 5 Cwt crane was available at the goods yard (probably inside the goods shed). A client of the Midland Railway could make use of the services offered to LNWR clients with the exception of Horse boxes and Prize Cattle Vans and Carriages by Passenger Trains.

Reg Kimber writes, 'Bedworth Station will perhaps be best remembered as the station which was being modernised at the time its closure was being announced. When the local press carried the first news of British Railways' plans to end passenger services on the line, workmen were rebuilding the platforms. On the Nuneaton side of the station was a yard which not only handled freight for the town itself but which also served a near by brickworks. The local pits were the main source of employment in the area in the 19th century and miner's excursions were frequently run from Bedworth. On Whit Tuesday in 1883, for instance, the owners of Charity Colliery ran an excursion for their employees and friends, the destination being London and the fare four shillings (20 New Pence). Whilst on the subject of fares, on the opening day of the railway the fare from Bedworth to Coventry was sixpence (2½ New Pence) First Class, fourpence Second Class and threepence (thruppence) Third Class'.

BR resumed passenger services on the line in 1987 and reopened Bedworth station in 1988. The official opening was on 10th May 1988 and normal passenger services operated from 16th May 1988. The rebuilt station, now the third incarnation, was constructed on the site of the original two buildings, and was built with platforms long enough to hold a three coach train. The construction cost in 1988 was £200,000 with half of the cost being met by Warwickshire County Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Council.

Reg Instone of the LNWR Society writes, 'as you imply, in the RCH Handbook it had the full range of facilities, coded GPFLHC, with a crane for 1 ton 5 cwt, and this was the same in every issue from 1904 to 1938. According to the Railway Clearing House (RCH) minutes, w.e.f. 1st June 1908 the MR were allowed to stop their goods trains at Foleshill and Bedworth for attaching and detaching, and accordingly "GFL" was added to the Handbook against the name of the MR. They didn't benefit from this for long, though, because the Traffic Agreement between LNWR and MR was sealed in September the same year. As a result, MR goods trains ceased to work between Nuneaton and Coventry, and all MR traffic between those points was worked by the LNWR on their behalf. The CD Working Time Table for February 1909 shows no MR trains over the line.

LNWR Passenger Traffic Committee minute 12976 of the meeting on 19th November 1913 approved the rebuilding of the station buildings at an estimated cost of £5,200. The reasoning is explained in the attached extract. The contract was awarded by the PW, Works & Estates Committee to Kelley & Sons of Coventry, at their meeting in July 1914 (minute 42464). Their contract price was £4,237 9s 10d as against an estimate of £4,663. We deduce, therefore, that the other £537 was for non-contract work. The progress of the work, and its completion, would have been reported to the PW, W&E Committee but I have not (yet) followed this through in the minutes.

The "track plans" shown in the photographs are LNWR Private Siding Diagrams Nos. 818 & 819. The brickworks siding at the back of the goods yard on the Up side (PSD 818) was originally the Bedworth Brick, Tile & Timber Co's siding, listed since before 1899. It was transferred to Exhall Colliery & Brick Works in 1907 - as shown by the Agreement date on the PSD. Exhall Colliery itself was at Hawkesbury lane. It was closed on 1st July 1919 [RCH minutes]. A siding for Daimler Co was opened in either 1925 or 1926, and is assumed to have been on the same site, as shown by the pencil note on the PSD.

Charity Colliery had its own sidings and signalbox a few hundred yards towards Nuneaton. Perhaps it has its own page on this site. The sidings were listed as Stanley Bros' Charity Colliery but were deleted in 1925 or 1926. Also in the same area was Hawkesbury & Bedworth Brick & Tile Co's Blockley's Siding. which was amended to Blockley's Ltd Siding at some time between 1928 and 1938. (I have yet to obtain copies of the RCH Appendices and Leaflets issued between these dates). Charity Sidings SB was abolished on 12th June 1949 and replaced by a ground frame released from Bedworth Station SB, with new track circuits at the remote signals. The MR were allowed access to each of these private sidings in connection with their running powers over the line.

Interlocked signalboxes at Bedworth Station and Charity Sidings were erected in 1876, not quite the first on the line, but almost. Details of the Board of Trade inspection of the new works will be in file MT6/169/20 at The National Archives. The Station cabin was of type 4 design, size D, with a tumbler frame for 18 levers. Not much is known about the 1876 cabin at Charity Sidings, but it is presumed to also have been to type 4. It was replaced in 1898 with an all-timber type 4 which possibly had 20 levers. The Crewe Works order for the new lever frame has not been traced, but many of the "B" pages are missing from the book, and if it was ordered as "Bedworth Charity Sidings" that might account for its absence. No signalling diagram for this cabin has yet been traced.

Staffing

In 1860 the staff consisted of a Stationmaster, two porters, a junior porter, a policeman, a night watchman and a gateman. At various times in the 1860s the policeman, the night watchman and the second porter were all dispensed with. The Stationmaster was a salaried post, unlike some minor stations where it was a wages grade.

So by 1870 there was a Stationmaster, a porter, a junior porter and a gateman. The gateman must have looked after the level crossing of the Bedworth Coal & Iron Co's tramway. From April 1872 the level crossing was removed, replaced by a line passing through an underbridge. As a result the gateman was dispensed with, and replaced by an additional junior porter. A second (adult) porter was allocated from May 1874 (TCM 24385), but from 15th May 1875 both porter's posts were dispensed with, when two PCs were appointed for the new Station Box (TCM 26212). There was apparently no PC appointed to the Charity Sidings Box, so this could only have been opened by the junior porters as required. Alternatively it might be an error in the records. When a new book was started in 1878, though, with the same two men, one post was shown as Station Box and the other as Charity Sidings.

One of the junior porters was dispensed with in March 1879 (TCM 31368) but after then the staff level remained constant for nearly 30 years. From 28th May 1889 the single remaining junior porter became a porter signalman from 28th May 1889. This post was transferred to Chilvers Coton 8/8/96. From 1st May 1898 the signalmen's hours were reduced by the appointment of an extra man who worked several hours each day in each cabin (PTCM 4697). In July 1898, April and October 1899 the Station Cabin was open six days a week from 6.45am until 9.30pm, or after the passing of the 9.3 from Nuneaton. Charity Sidings was open daily from 11am to 9.30pm. How the shifts were arranged is open to speculation! In May 1903 the opening times of the Station Cabin were unaltered, but Charity was only open from 11.30am to 5.0pm, a shift of just 5 1/2 hours, and in May 1905 from 11.15am to 5.0pm. Bedworth once again got a junior porter from October 1894, only to become a porter signalman again from 9.12.07 to 23.5.08. These changes much relate to altered opening hours of the two signalboxes, but details are yet to be ascertained. From November 1909 there was an "extra signalmen" in addition to the existing ones. The wages grade staff records finish in 1911 when they were transferred to a card index system.

The men appointed to the post of LNWR Agent at Bedworth, with new title of Stationmaster from about 1870, can be listed as follows:

Chas Nicholson
G. Archer - March 1865 from Longford
W. Guest - from Sept 1865
F.J. Garmston - from March 1868
J. U. Viney - from October 1870
A. Walkins - 20 Jan 1872 from Goods Dept Coventry
H. Needham - March 1876 from Goods Dept
S. Castle - January 1877 from Birmingham
R. Millington - 12 Dec 1881 from Camden Goods
T. Benton - 21 Feb 1882 from Counden Road
J. Hadley - 1 Mar 1884 from Darlaston
C.Wells - 11 Jan 1898 from Southern Division
Henry Stafford - 14 Aug 1899 from Kendal
W. Revitt - 1 June 1900 from Brandon
Harry Smith - 16 Nov 1902 from Aston
Charles Watson - 14 Aug 1905 from Soho
Joseph Augustus Cotterrell - 28/3/07 from relief clerk Birmingham
Henry James Price - 28/9/08 from Marton
A. Faulks - c1910 from Elmesthorpe Goods

References:

[RAIL410/1805 p10], [RAIL410/1806 p6], [RAIL410/1807 p16], [RAIL410/1808 p13], [RAIL410/1803 p13], [RAIL410/1804 p20] and [RAIL410/1847 p39].

Reg Instone

Picking up where Reg left off regarding Bedworth Station Mike Hollick writes, 'the work authorised in 1913 did not take place as other wartime projects took priority. The plans were dusted off by the L.M.S. in 1923, as follows:

LMS Traffic Committee 26th April 1923

The Chief General Superintendant reported that under Minute 12976 of the L.N.W.R. Passenger Traffic Committee of the 19th November 1913, authority was given for an expenditure of £5,200 for carrying out certain alterations at Bedworth Station, but owing to the War, this work had been defered. The General Manager had now agreed to the work being carried out, as shewn on plan No. 19625a, at an estimated cost of £11,508, and authority was asked for the additional expenditure of £6,308. The Chairman stated that since authority had been given for the original expenditure in connection with this matter, the cost of the work had been increased, and the amount involved seemend very large for a wayside station of the character of Bedworth, without any probability of a commensurate return. The General Manager assured him tha tif the work were now being commenced, he would certainly hesitate to recommend it, but under the circumstances, he hoped the Directors would approve of the additional expenditure.

Approved

The work appears to have started in April 1923 as I have seen an L.M.S. notice which reads April 1923 UFN Carriage Traffic - owing to rebuilding of Bedworth Station it is not possible to use the Carriage Dock. All concerned to note that carriages, show vans, motors etc. cannot until further notice be dealt with at Bedworth Station, and the nearest places at which such traffic can be unloaded are Coventry and Nuneaton. Horse boxes and cattle wagons can still be dealt with at Bedworth. No doubt the local paper will have more info but I have not had chance to research that yet.

The Bedworth Brick & Tile Co Siding was authorised by the Goods Traffic Committee on 13th October 1897 but due to further negotiations over the cost the P.S.A. was not signed until 30th June 1900 and the siding opened in October. The siding was recorded as transfered to the Daimler Co. on 25th March 1925. I believe Daimler used the disused marl hole as a tip for refuse from the Radford Works (in the same way Austin used their siding at Princes End), but that is just a theory for which I would be pleased to get confirmation?'

Mike Hollick