Northam railway station (Southampton)
| Northam | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Northam |
| Area | City of Southampton |
| Coordinates | 50°54′24″N 1°23′32″W / 50.9068°N 1.3923°WCoordinates: 50°54′24″N 1°23′32″W / 50.9068°N 1.3923°W |
| Grid reference | SU428121 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | London and South Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 10 June 1839 | first station opened as Northam Road |
| 11 May 1840 | Closed |
| 1 December 1872 | second station on different site opened as Northam |
| 5 September 1966 | Closed |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
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Northam railway station served the suburb of Northam in Southampton, England.
The London and Southampton Railway (L&SR) was opened in stages. Most of the portion south of Winchester was opened on 10 June 1839, to a temporary terminus in Southampton called Northam Road. Not long before the opening, on 4 June 1839, the L&SR was renamed the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). The temporary station was closed when the line was completed and the permanent Southampton Terminus was opened on 11 May 1840.
The need to open a temporary station at Northam Road arose because of a dispute during construction of the line. There was an disagreement between the L&SR and the Northam Bridge Company (NBC), owners of the Northam Bridge, concerning how the railway would cross Northam Road, which connected the bridge with the centre of Southampton. The plans for the railway specified that there would be a level crossing, but the NBC requested that the Northam Road be carried over the railway on a bridge. The NBC began legal proceedings on 13 March 1839, and the L&SR took legal advice which recommended that the road bridge not be built, but even so the L&SR acceded to the NBC's demands and built the bridge over the railway.
During the 1860s, Northam residents campaigned for a local intermediate station, but the LSWR was not in favour because Northam would be only a short distance away from the main terminus, which would become known as Southampton Terminus. Nevertheless, a site was investigated between, what is now, Mount Pleasant level crossing and the current South West Trains train depot. Eventually the station was built on the south side of Northam Road bridge, not far from where the temporary terminus once stood.
The new Northam station opened on 1 December 1872. It was built by a company called Joseph Bull & Sons, which at the time had its own tramway system from its premises at Belvidere Wharf on the River Itchen to areas north of the location. As well as building Northam railway station, the company was associated with much of the early railway construction in Southampton and near-by areas.
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