Boscombe railway station

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Boscombe
The site of the station, October 2007.
Location
Location Boscombe
Area Bournemouth, Dorset
Operations
Pre-grouping London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Platforms 2
History
1897 Opened
4 October 1965 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-Z  

Portal:Boscombe railway station
UK Railways Portal


Boscombe railway station was a station in Bournemouth, now in the county of Dorset, England. It was opened in 1897 at which time the previous station with the name was renamed Pokesdown. The station served the Royal Victoria Hospital and the centre of Boscombe around the Royal Arcade. It was also the closest station to Dean Court, the home of the football club known during the station's life as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic FC. The station had a goods yard which received traffic from a large area of Bournemouth, and a large coal depot with sidings. It also had substantial brick buildings which were demolished a few years after closure, for which it was recommended in the Beeching Report because of its proximity to Pokesdown station. (So close that the accompanying image has a distant view of Gloucester Road bridge, as does the article on Pokesdown). Closure took place, just before the electrification of the line through it, on 4 October 1965.

[edit] The Site Today

The area of the station yard is now occupied by a small industrial estate and the old coal yard awaits redevelopment. Trains pass on what is now known as the South Western Main Line, through the piles of gravel that are all that remain of the platforms. These can still be seen alongside the line from the bridge that carries the Ashley Road over the line just to the west of the site.

There have been calls for the re-opening of the station by the Dorset Area Rail Transport System[1], as well as by the Bournemouth Liberal Democrats.[2].

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Pokesdown   British Rail
Southern Region

South Western Main Line
  Bournemouth

[edit] References


[edit] Further reading

  • R.V.J.Butt, (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd.  ISBN 1 85260 508 1