Trivia: Temporally anomalous station names.

[najaB]

As per the Geographically anomalous station names thread, can you think of stations whose name made sense at the time but no longer does and why.

Examples from that thread:

• Kirkstall Forge - the forge is closed
• St Helens Junction - no longer a junction
• Georgemas Junction - the Georgemas fair isn't held any more.

 

[IanXC]

Bradford Forster Square? I believe the "square" is long since gone.

 

[73001]

Burscough Junction, also no longer a junction. Interestingly, just down the road, Rainford Junction was renamed Rainford after it ceased to be a junction. The pub next door is now named The Junction.

 

[Merseysider]

Salford Central - it certainly isn't central - it's a good few miles away from the shopping centre, university, quays, mediacity, football club etc

Flowery Field - the area's an absolute dump

 

[najaB]

Flowery Field - the area's an absolute dump

But was it flowery in the past? (Or maybe it will be in the future? )

 

[NSEFAN]

Theobalds Grove was accidentally spelt as "Theobolds Grove" during the London Overground takeover. Link

 

[edwin_m]

Flowery Field - the area's an absolute dump

Rose Grove isn't much better.

Stratford International?

 

[najaB]

Stratford International?

Hmm... that's a good one. Technically it's still possible to board international services there - if any called there.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Hag Fold leaves much in the way of interpretation...

 

[AlterEgo]

Teesside Airport station.

The airport was renamed Durham Tees Valley over a decade ago.

 

[me123]

Coatbridge Sunnyside. In all fairness though, I highly doubt the name was ever appropriate.

Coatbridge Central - it may be centrally located, but it isn't the most useful rail station in the town as the name suggests. I've actually known quite a few people to travel to Central without realising that "Sunny"side has a much quicker and more frequent service (including someone who commuted from Glasgow via Hamilton for a month!).

Burscough Junction and Mitcham Junction both lack junctions today.

 

[PHILIPE]

Copy Pit - No pit, closed in 1964

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Singer, Clydebank. The Singer sewing machine factory which it is named for was demolished 25+ years ago.

 

[greaterwest]

Penychain was still announced as "Butlin's Penychain" at Birmingham New Street up until 2011 when the Phil Sayer announcement system was replaced.

 

[takno]

Birmingham New Street isn't in New Street

 

[greatkingrat]

The IBM offices at IBM Halt have closed.

 

[najaB]

Birmingham New Street isn't in New Street

That would be a geographical anomaly - unless there used to be a New Street?

 

[takno]

That would be a geographical anomaly - unless there used to be a New Street?

Sorry, confused the two virtually identical threads

 

[sk688]

No park near Northolt Park

 

[Coolzac]

Dartmouth railway station? It obviously isn't temporarily anomalous as it has never been served by trains but I can't help but include it
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also British Steel Redcar is no longer owned by British Steel as they no longer exist!

 

[AlterEgo]

IBM.

IBM no longer have any presence in Greenock, I don't think.

 

[najaB]

IBM no longer have any presence in Greenock, I don't think.

I thought there was still a small presence there these days, could be wrong though. Certainly not enough to merit a station named for them to be true.

 

[randyrippley]

Waterloo stations (both of them) are nowhere near the site of the battle of Waterloo

 

[takno]

Newhaven Marine and Newhaven Harbour. You catch the ferry from Newhaven Town now.

 

[thenorthern]

Rhoose Cardiff International Airport, I don't think its every been Cardiff International Airport just Cardiff Airport.

Coventry Arena as the stadiums official name is the Ricoh Arena although I don't think a station would ever have a sponsored name.

Given that Flowery Field opened in 1985 I don't think the station was ever in a flowery field.

Wigan North Western as the London and North Western Railway went in 1923.

St Albans Abbey as its now St Albans Cathedral.

MetroCentre or Metro Centre as it keeps changing its spelling.

Stourbridge Junction, its not really much of a junction anymore.

Watford Junction, again a lot of lines meet but its not really much of a junction.

Interestingly Teesside Steel Works is now owned by a company called British Steel so its back to being correct again.

 

[Andyjs247]

That would be a geographical anomaly - unless there used to be a New Street?

There is a New Street but it isn't 'new'. And the station isn't in it (although not exactly far away)

The main entrance is off Smallbrook Queensway. Officially it is Queens Drive, but you would probably not recognise it. 50 years ago Queens Drive was the road between the LNWR and Midland parts of the station. Now it's basically just the station forecourt.

Also since the latest rebuilding there's not really an entrance onto New Street any more. The ramp is still there leading down from the GrandCentral shopping centre to New Street (so indirect). But you can exit directly to any of Stephenson St/Navigation Street, Hill Street/Station Street or Smallbrook Queensway all on the same level.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The ramp from Grand Central (shopping centre directly above New Street station) down to New Street is Stephenson Place. There are several businesses on it and they have postal addresses. /offtopic

 

[EM2]

There are no gates into the forest at Forest Gate any more.

 

[30907]

St Albans Abbey as its now St Albans Cathedral.

The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban (as per its website - with a twitter handle @StAlbansAbbey) - I doubt if many locals call it a Cathedral.
(same goes for The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, which is rarely known by that name!)

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Both current Woolwich stations fall into this category:

Woolwich Dockyard station - so far as I can tell from Googling - opened in 1849, but the actual dockyard closed in 1869.

Woolwich Arsenal station also opened in 1849, but the Royal Arsenal - after which it appears to be have been named - closed in 1994. You could argue that the station name is still sort-of accurate because the area once occupied by the Royal Arsenal is now a residential area/riverside walk and still tends to be known locally as the arsenal or more formally as the Royal Arsenal Riverside area. However even that is going to become a little odd when the new Woolwich crossrail station opens in 2018 - since the new station is actually inside the arsenal residential area, and Woolwich Arsenal station isn't (it's a couple of minutes walk away)!