Bridgnorth railway station
| Bridgnorth | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Place | Bridgnorth |
| Area | Shropshire |
| Coordinates | 52°31′50″N 2°25′15″W / 52.5305°N 2.4208°WCoordinates: 52°31′50″N 2°25′15″W / 52.5305°N 2.4208°W |
| Grid reference | SO715926 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Severn Valley Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Operated by | Severn Valley Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 1 February 1862 | Station opened |
| 9 September 1963 | Closed |
| 23 May 1970 | Reopened as preserved station |
| Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
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Bridgnorth railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line, serving the Shropshire town of Bridgnorth, England. It is currently the northern terminus of the SVR, home to the main engine shed and has a gift shop, station buffet and licensed refreshment room amongst other facilities.
Bridgnorth station was not the northern terminus when built, but the main intermediate station of the Severn Valley line being 18 1⁄4 miles from Hartlebury and 22 1⁄2 miles from Shrewsbury. Bridgnorth station was opened to the public on 1 February 1862, prompting great celebrations in the town. Originally under SVR Company ownership, it was passed to Great Western Railway (GWR), and eventually British Railways in 1948. It closed to passengers after 101 years on 9 September 1963, and to freight traffic on 30 November 1963.
The neo-Jacobean station is the only listed station on the Severn Valley Railway and is in process of restoration work by a team of dedicated volunteers.
The licensed refreshment room, these days known as The Railwaymans Arms, is situated on platform 1. It opened in 1861 and never closed, being extended twice by the SVR, and now needing further extension due to its unique character and deserved popularity.
After only two years of closure preservationists had plans for Bridgnorth, resulting in the formation of the Severn Valley Railway Society. Vegetation was cleared, railway bric-a-brac was collected and the station buildings were refurbished. Although the original signal box was substantially demolished (only three sides of the bottom brick part and interlocking are original, the brick base was originally somewhat longer), Bridgnorth station was never damaged through this demolition activity. From then on preservation gained momentum until the present day. Bridgnorth became the engineering centre of the new SVR because of the need to repair the growing numbers of rolling stock items and locomotives after opening to the public when the first train steamed from Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade in May 1970.
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