Hampton in Arden Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton

The first station at Hampton was opened in April 1838 when the London & Birmingham Railway's (L&BR) line to Rugby came into operation. The Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway (B&DJR) opened their station at Hampton the following year in order to provide passengers from the north with a route to London via Whitacre. However other lines opened by constituent companies of what became the Midland Railway (MR) soon relegated the Whitacre to Hampton line no more than a single branch line. Despite the limited MR service from Whitacre the London North Western Railway (LNWR), the successor to the L&BR, continued to use their station first known both as Hampton as well as 'Derby Junction' followed by Hampton Junction and then later back to Hampton. The LNWR's Hampton in Arden station was opened by the LNWR on 1st September 1884. The LNWR station at Hampton was allegedly closed on the same day but photographic evidence would appear to show a new LNWR down platform structure built after 1884 but before 1890 when the LNWR erected a new signal cabin. its not known when the LNWR down platform was demolished. The road leading to the original station was subsequently name Old Station Road whilst the road adjacent to the new road side station building leading off the High Street to the goods yard was named Station Road.

The new station was built in a cutting beneath the road bridge carrying the High Street over the railway, its platforms being confined at each end; by the High Street bridge at the Birmingham end of the station and an occupation bridge at the Coventry end. The main station building providing accommodation for the station master and the parcels and booking office. The station building was built to a mock medieval style with an ornate porch, the uppermost window of which was to the quatrefoil pattern. At platform level the up and down platforms were provided with identical passenger facilities which included a general waiting room, a ladies waiting room which included a toilet and a gentlemen's toilet. As the gentlemen's toilets on both platforms were located at the Coventry end of the station they were mirror images of each other. The platform buildings conformed to the general style of LNWR timber structures, but with the medieval theme adopted for the road level building being superimposed on their design, particularly in the design of the window frames. The station serves a high class residential area, popular with both London and Birmingham businessmen, resulting in a number of semi-fast and express services calling at the station from LNWR days up to the time when British Rail opened Birmingham International.

The Midland Railway's goods yard continued to be used by the LNWR after the opening of the LNWR station. When this ceased and the LNWR Hampton in Arden's facilities opened is not certain but is thought to have been shortly afterwards. The goods yard provided by the LNWR at Hampton in Arden allowed for a complete range of services to be offered, the station and goods yard being noted in the period 1912 to 1920 to posses a 5 ton crane and could handle Goods traffic, Passenger and Parcels, Furniture vans etc, Live Stock, Horse Boxes and Carriages by Passenger Train. The goods accommodated a scrap yard at the Coventry end with a platform adjacent to the Workshop also noted as being within the yard's boundaries. The warehouse used to accommodate items of value was located on the rear of the two sidings provided. A landing dock used to cater for live stock and horses was located on the extended section of the first siding which, being in the form of a passing loop extending to the occupation bridge at the Coventry end of the station, enabled it to be used as a refuge siding for goods trains. The goods yard closed sometime in the 1960s with the extension to the down platform removing the passing loop siding and the electrification of the line coinciding with the removal of the yard.

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The following is an extract from one of Reg Kimber's scrapbooks compiled over 50 years.

HAMPTON-IN-ARDEN'S RAILWAY STATION

CHANGES IN A HUNDRED YEARS' -

A 'special article' appearing in the Coventry Standard in October 1938

The improvements to the bridge over the LMS railway at the northern exit of Hampton-in-Arden village have now been completed. Here the important roads to Birmingham and Coventry meet at what was formerly a bottle neck, and the view at this busy road junction was obscured by a lift tower on the east side and a high brick parapet opposite. All loading and unloading for the station had to be done on a roadway barely wide enough to carry two lines of traffic and having no through pavement for pedestrians. Now the width of the carriageway has been nearly doubled and a substantial pavement provided. The blind corner at the junction of Old Station Road has been rounded off so that there is a clear view of traffic coming from the direction of the village. A good deal of work was entailed in connection with sewers and water, gas and electric mains. Gas has been installed for the lighting of the station in place of the oil lamps which had been the method of illumination for one hundred years.

It is interesting to note that this part of the village has seen more changes than any other. The coming of the railway was the first. Until then the road to Birmingham forked left by the present Engine Hotel, which was formerly a farmhouse. After passing the old timber-framed cottages, which are soon to be demolished, and the turn to Bickenhill, the road continued due north through the Scout Field and linked up with the present Birmingham road near the old station. This road, which is marked on old maps at Knutsford Green Road, was blocked when the railway was made. A new road to Birmingham was constructed on the other side of the bridge and parallel with the railway, thus creating road conditions which became a problem for a future generation to solve.

A HUGE UNDERTAKING

The depth of the cutting through this part of the village necessitated the removal of large quantities of earth to form the embankment which was built south of Hampton-in-Arden Station across Bradnock's Marsh and Balsall Common, which had recently been enclosed. Many local men were engaged in this tremendous undertaking, and it is not surprising, that there were casualties, one of whom was William Limpitt, of Packington, who was buried by a fall of earth and seriously injured.

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Hampton in Arden Station

Ref: lnwrberk1288 P Hopkins The road side station building housing the booking office, and the goods yard access road which ran alongside

Ref: lnwrhia687 Preston Hendry The modified station booking hall showing the cantilevered roof over the main entrance now much reduced in depth

Ref: lnwrhia2979 DJ Norton Hampton in Arden's 1884 main station building which housed the booking office, sited on the High Street

Ref: lnwrhia1559 M Bryant A colour view of Hampton in Arden station looking towards Birmingham taken sometime at the turn of the 19th century

Ref: lnwrhia700 Postcard View of the station looking towards Birmingham with the down platform on the left and the up platform on the right

Ref: lnwrhia700b Postcard Close up of the down platform building containing the waiting room, ladies waiting room & toilet and gentlemen's toilet

Ref: lnwrhia700a Postcard Close up of the up platform building showing how the building was recessed into the embankment

Ref: lnwrberk1289 Anon Looking towards Birmingham showing the glazed passenger footbridge which ran alongside the road bridge

Ref: lnwrhia2982 J Alsop Victorian view of Hampton in Arden station looking towards Birmingham with a P&W working on the down line

Ref: lnwrhia702 Anon Looking towards Birmingham in the 1950s with the station looking little different to when it first opened in 1884

Ref: lnwrhia702a Anon Another close up view of Hampton in Arden station's of the passenger building located on the down platform

Ref: lnwrhia702b Anon Close up of the up platform building, the passenger footbridge and gas lights suspended from the canopy

Ref: lnwrhia686 P Hopkins Looking West in 1930s, a view showing the station had not changed significantly since it was first opened in 1884

Ref: lnwrhia686a P Hopkins Close up showing the original 'Derby Junction' station ¼ mile down the line and its LNWR replacement

Ref: lnwrhia688 Anon The rear of the roadside station building and the footbridge which allowed passengers to cross the line

Ref: lnwrhia688a Anon Close up showing the oil storage structure located on the down platform and the passenger footbridge

Ref: lnwrhia689 RS Carpenter Looking towards Birmingham with the station 'sandwiched' between the farm bridge and High Street road bridge

Ref: lnwrhia689a RS Carpenter Close up showing how compact the original 1884 Hampton in Arden station was compared to the 1964 rebuild

Ref: lnwrhia701 Anon Looking towards Coventry with an ex-LMS 2-6-4T running bunker first arriving on a down local passenger train

Ref: lnwrhia701a Anon Close up of some of the non-standard LNWR details incorporated into Hampton in Arden's platform buildings

Ref: lnwrhia2096 Lens of Sutton Looking East from the station's up platform showing the passenger waiting rooms located on both platforms

Ref: lnwrhia2970 DJ Norton Looking from the up platform towards Hampton Junction and Marston Green station on 23rd May 1955

Ref: lnwrhia2967a M Mensing Close up showing the pathway which led from the road on the up side of the railway down to the platform

Ref: lnwrhia2981 DJ Norton Looking north to Hampton in Arden's down platform from the up side of the occupation bridge on 27th June 1961

Ref: lnwrhia683a P Hopkins Close up showing the goods yard structures and lineside Permanent Way hut sited to the south of the goods yard

Ref: lnwrhia2976a DJ Norton Close up showing the trailing crossover from the up line into Hampton in Arden's goods sidings

Ref: lnwrhia2962 C Gorton Looking north from the occupation bridge towards the rebuilt road bridge on 21st August 1965

Ref: lnwrhia2992 C Gorton View looking south towards Coventry showing the station's platforms being extended for use by express services

Ref: lnwrhia2992a C Gorton Close up showing the position of Hampton in Arden Signal Cabin in relation to the length of the extended platforms

Ref: lnwrhia2977 J Powell Hendry View of Hampton in Arden station's up platform building after the removal of the roof in March 1966

Hampton in Arden Signal Cabin and signals

Ref: lnwrhia698 RS Carpenter Hampton in Arden signal cabin sited mid-way between the up and down connections to the south of the station

Ref: lnwrhia1557 M Bryant View of a Drott being used to remove stone ballast from the up line adjacent to Hampton in Arden signal cabin

Ref: lnwrhia2968 DJ Norton The lower quadrant signal gives right of way to a 3 Car DMU to pass Hampton in Arden Signal Cabin

Ref: lnwrhia2975 Powell Hendry View of Hampton in Arden Signal Cabin viewed from the end of the newly extended down platform

Ref: lnwrhia2969 DJ Norton Looking towards Berkswell station with Hampton in Arden goods yard seen in the distance on the right

Ref: lnwrhia2980 DJ Norton Hampton in Arden's up starter signal, a combination of pre-grouping and grouping equipment on 27th June 1961

Ref: lnwrhia2978 DJ Norton Down platform starter signal located at the West end of the down platform beneath the road bridge

Maps and signal diagram of the station and goods yard

Ref: lnwrhia2973 Ordnance Survey Map of the station showing the passenger facilities on both platforms together with the main station building

Ref: lnwrhia2972 Ordnance Survey Map of Hampton in Arden's goods yard and shed which was located to the East and the down side of the station

Ref: lnwrhia2974 Powell Hendry Schematic of Hampton in Arden Signal Cabin's diagram showing the signals controlling the up and down lines

Locomotives seen at or near Hampton in Arden

Ref: lnwrhia684 WL Good LMS 4-4-0 Compound No 1162 is seen at the head of a down express approaching Hampton in Arden station

Ref: lnwrhia683 P Hopkins LMS 4P 4-4-0 Compound No 1076 heads an up express train just to the south of Hampton in Arden goods yard

Ref: lnwrhia678 WL Good LMS 4P 4-4-0 No 1053 is blowing off steam whilst on an up two-hour express service near Hampton in Arden

Ref: lnwrhia679 WL Good LMS 4P 4-4-0 No 1111 heads one of Birmingham's famed two-hour down express trains from Euston

Ref: lnwrhia680 WL Good An LNWR 0-6-0 18" Goods Engine works an all stations passenger service nr Hampton in Arden in July 1921

Ref: lnwrhia681 WL Good LNWR 3P George V class No 228 'E Nettlefild' heads an up Birmingham to Euston express service in July 1921

Ref: lnwrhia685 WL Good LMS 4P 4-4-0 Compound No 1134 heads a down 4 coach express train near Hampton in Arden in April 1927

Ref: lnwrhia691 P Hopkins Pair of LMS 4P 4-4-0 Compounds No 1106 & No 1163 head a Birmingham to Euston express service

Ref: lnwrhia692 P Hopkins LNWR 3P 4-4-0 No 811 'Express' heads a down Wolverhampton express near Hampton in Arden

Ref: lnwrhia693 WL Good Ex-LNWR 5XP 4-6-0 Claughton class No 6019 'Lewellyn' heading an up local passenger train to Rugby

Ref: lnwrhia694 WL Good Ex-LNWR 3P 4-4-0 Precursor class No 303 'Himalaya' is seen in April 1927.at the head of a local passenger train

Ref: lnwrhia695 WL Good Ex-LNWR 2F 0-6-0 Cauliflower No 8613 is seen on a local service near Hampton in Arden in April 1927

Ref: lnwrhia696 WL Good LNWR 2F 0-6-0 Cauliflower No 422 is seen at the head of an up Birmingham to Rugby local passenger service

Ref: lnwrhia690 WL Good LMS 5XP 4-6-0 No 5902 'Sir Frank Ree' is seen at the head of a 2-hour Birmingham and Euston express

Ref: lnwrhia697 P Hopkins LMS 5XP 4-6-0 No 5588 'Kashmir' passes through the station at speed at the head of an up express train

Ref: lnwrhia682 WL Good A LNWR 0-8-0 G1 class goods locomotive heads an up local goods train as it approaches Hampton station

Ref: lnwrhia2971 DJ Norton BR built 4-6-0 5MT No 44713 on an up express thought to be the 3:55pm New Street to Peterborough service

Ref: lnwrhia2976 DJ Norton Ex-LMS 4-6-0 5MT No 44867 passes the goods yard on the 3:55pm Birmingham to Peterborough service

Ref: lnwrhia1561 M Mensing Ex-LMS 4-6-0 Rebuilt Scot class No 46162 'Queens Westminster Riflemen' on the Down Mid-day Scot

Ref: lnwrhia1562 M Mensing Ex-LMS 4-6-0 Rebuilt Royal Scot class No 45735 'Comet' heads the 4:30pm New Street to Euston express service

Ref: lnwrhia2966 M Mensing BR built 4-6-0 5MT No 44715 passes over the River Blythe on a New Street to Rugby service on 27th June 1963

Ref: lnwrhia2967 M Mensing Newly introduced three-car Metro-Cammell DMU stands at Hampton in Arden's up platform on 15th June 1958

Ref: lnwrhia1558 M Bryant An ex-LMS 2-6-0 Stanier Mogul leaves the goods yard on an up local freight with the yard seen in the distance