Leicester Campbell Street railway station

Leicester Campbell Street railway station was the first proper railway station in Leicester, opened in 1840 by the Midland Counties Railway. (Although the Leicester and Swannington Railway had opened in 1832 with a terminus at West Bridge, there was no dedicated station there until 1893.)

As was normal in those days with a through station, the original plan was to build it to the side of the main line, but instead it was finally built on the main line with a single platform 165 yards long to handle both northbound and southbound trains. The station was designed by William Parsons in the Grecian Revival style, with a two storey main building which was embellished with a central pediment set forward on fluted columns in front. This was flanked by short single-storey wings. It was the headquarters of the Midland Counties Railway until that railway was amalgamated into the Midland Railway in 1844. Upstairs were the company offices and boardroom, while downstairs was the booking hall, waiting and refreshment rooms.^[1]

The opening of new routes to Leicester led to steadily increasing traffic, and by 1858 a second platform had been built to handle southbound traffic, so leaving the original platform to handle northbound traffic.^[2]

In 1868 it was decided to turn the southbound platform into an island platform to further increase capacity, but this was not possible with the northbound platform due to the presence of the main buildings and station entrance.

Further expansion was contemplated for some time, but it was not until 1890 that the go ahead was given for Campbell Street station to be replaced by the present station on London Road. With buildings designed by Charles Trubshaw, the new station was built with the platforms largely in the previous positions, but with the entrance and main buildings fronting onto London Road. The new booking office was opened by the mayor in June 1892 when it was renamed Leicester London Road. The station was completed in 1894.^[2]

The offices for Royal Mail now occupy some of the site of the old station buildings on Campbell Street.

References

↑ Billson, P., (1996) Derby and the Midland Railway Derby: Breedon Books
1 2 >Gough, J., (1980) Leicester (London Road) Station, in Williams, D. (ed.) The Adaption of Change: Essays upon the History of 19th Century Leicester and Leicestershire Leicester: Leicestershire Museums

Closed railway stations in Leicestershire and Rutland

Leicester and Swannington Railway	Coalville Town Bardon Hill Bagworth and Ellistown Incline House Thornton Lane Merry Lees Desford Ratby Glenfield (Leicestershire) Leicester West Bridge

Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway	Overseal Donisthorpe Measham Snarestone Hugglescote Heather and Ibstock Stoke Golding Higham-on-the-Hill

Charnwood Forest Railway	Loughborough Derby Road Snells Nook Shepshed Grace Dieu Thringstone Whitwick Coalville East

Melbourne Line	Tonge and Breedon Worthington

Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line	Moira Ashby de la Zouch Swannington Kirby Muxloe Braunston (Leicester)

GNR & LNWR Joint Rly	Harby and Stathern Long Clawson and Hose Scalford Melton Mowbray North Great Dalby John O'Gaunt Leicester Belgrave Road Humberstone Thurnby and Scraptoft Ingarsby Lowesby Tilton East Norton Hallaton Medbourne

Midland Counties Railway	Cossington Gate Wigston South Countesthorpe Broughton Astley Leire Halt Ullesthorpe

Nottingham and Melton Railway	Old Dalby Grimston

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway	Saxby Edmondthorpe and Wymondham

Syston and Peterborough Railway	Rearsby Brooksby Frisby Asfordby Whissendine Ashwell Manton Ketton and Collyweston

Rugby and Stamford Railway	Welford and Kilworth Theddingworth Lubenham Rockingham Seaton Morcott Wakerley and Barrowden

Midland Main Line	Humberstone Road Leicester Campbell Street Welford Road Wigston Magna Great Glen Kibworth East Langton

South Leicestershire Railway	Elmesthorpe Croft Blaby Glen Parva

Great Central Main Line	Belgrave and Birstall Leicester Central Whetstone Ashby Magna Lutterworth

Stamford and Essendine Railway	Essendine Ryhall

Other	Uppingham Waltham-on-the-Wolds

Coordinates: 52°37′56″N 1°07′29″W / 52.6323°N 1.1246°W / 52.6323; -1.1246

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 07, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.