Leicester West Bridge railway station
| Leicester West Bridge | |
|---|---|
|
West Bridge Station in 1832 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Leicester |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Leicester and Swannington Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland & Scottish Railway |
| History | |
| 18 July 1832 | Station opens as Leicester |
| Before 26 April 1833 | Renamed Leicester West Bridge |
| 13 March1893 | Replaced by new station |
| 24 September 1928 | Station closes [1] |
| 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 | |
| UK Railways portal | |
Leicester West Bridge is a former railway station in Leicester, Leicestershire. It was the terminus of the Leicester and Swannington Railway until 1928.
Being one of the earliest public railways, and intended for the transport of coal, the idea of carrying passengers had not occurred to the line's promoters. Thus facilities for buying tickets were provided at local inns or from the keepers of various road crossings. Such was the case at West Bridge until 1893 when, belatedly, the Midland Railway built a new passenger station.
The line remained open until 1979, when the track was removed and the station buildings demolished. The station is thought to be the third oldest station in the world. Its site is now a public park, the Rally.
The first mention of the term "railway" in a newspaper was in the Times in 1799, when it was mentioned that there was an urgent need to build a "railway" from Loughborough to Swannington.
References
- ↑ Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
Coordinates: 52°38′06″N 1°08′46″W / 52.6349°N 1.1461°W
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