How many stations are there called "Witton"?

[Elecman]

Are there still trains which stop at both?

No but would be possible. But certainly open to confusion for booking tickets

 

[Bodiam]

Cowden often called Cowden (Kent), on tickets at least - why? I can only think of Cooden Beach (Sussex) or Cowdenbeath, hardly likely to cause confusion surely.

I believe local pronunciation of Cowden is Cow-den, with the emphasis on the den.

 

[Gloster]

I used to have problems with people thinking I wanted to go to Leamington, not Lymington.

There is a small place called Swindon somewhere I believe, possibly Gloucestershire? Doesn't have a station though.

Swindon is outer district on the north-west side of Cheltenham. Swindon Road in Cheltenham runs north-west out of the town centre…as it is going to Swindon.

 

[Falcon1200]

I seem to recall that locals in Fife pronounce it Coo-denbeath !

Good point! I do not live, and never have lived, in Fife....

Given the examples above it is perhaps surprising that there is no distinguishing suffix for Queens Park London and Queens Park Glasgow, especially as the same train can pass through (although not stop at) both.

 

[pdeaves]

Cowden often called Cowden (Kent), on tickets at least - why? I can only think of Cooden Beach (Sussex) or Cowdenbeath, hardly likely to cause confusion surely.

As well as minimising confusion with asking for tickets, the 'explanation' part of the name helps to prevent (or minimise!) the ability to adjust the name (fraudulently). Many stations only one letter changed to look like another.

 

[W-on-Sea]

You could also have Rye to Leigh via Wye, which would be possible but would involve a loop round East Kent.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Feb 2026 ==



There is a small place called Swindon somewhere I believe, possibly Gloucestershire? Doesn't have a station though.

There is Swindon Village in the outskirts of Cheltenham, but I suspect the two Swinton stations in the North are the reason for the "Wilts"

 

[nw1]

I believe local pronunciation of Cowden is Cow-den, with the emphasis on the den.

I believe that is the case, I remember East Croydon announcements in the 80s pronouncing it as such.

 

[izvor]

Three Oaks to Four Oaks could take you through Sevenoaks...

Ashford, Earlswood, Sutton, Stratford, Shoreham - plenty of other duplicated names to play with.

I remember reading (on here?) of one person travelling from the north-east to Berwick, and had a job persuading the guard that there was a Berwick in Sussex, he was on the correct train and wasn't going to Berwick-on-Tweed!

 

[Rescars]

I believe that is the case, I remember East Croydon announcements in the 80s pronouncing it as such.

The same applies to Horsmonden. And Tenterden too perhaps.

Separately, how many stations called Newport have there been on the network?

 

[Statto]

Chester & Chester Road, then you have Chesterfield, Chester - Le - Street, & Colchester.

Favourite one is Hope Flintshire, & Hope Derbyshire.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I’ve often wondered if any passengers have ever boarded a train at St Pancras and ended up on a Thameslink service towards Loughborough Junction instead of an East Midlands Railway one to Loughborough (or vice versa).

 

[norbitonflyer]

Ashford and Gillingham in Kent both have direct services from Waterloo East, and both have namesakes served by trains from the main station. Best Beloved is probably not the only one to have bought a ticket to one and travelled to the other (I forget now whoch one she was suppsoed to be going to)

People occasionally turn up at Cobham & Stoke D-Abernon station in Surrey (where else could it be with a name like that!) who should have gone to Sole Street, which is in the Kentish village of Cobham. Others turn up there who should be in Chobham (nearest station for which is Woking)

 

[nw1]

The same applies to Horsmonden. And Tenterden too perhaps.

Separately, how many stations called Newport have there been on the network?

Newport (Gwent) and the former Newport (IoW) are perhaps the most obvious.

Presumably Newport (Shropshire) had a station once, seems big enough, and there's a still-extant Newport (Essex) (wasn't that the station for Stansted Airport at one point?)

Isn't there a Newport (Pembrokeshire) as well? Not sure if that ever had a station, though.

Changing focus, in the days of Waterloo International you could in theory get trains, with a change or two, to either Beaulieu Road or Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

 

[Rescars]

Sometimes spelling errors catch folk out. It is not unknown for young families to alight at Carshalton Beeches, fully equipped with buckets and spades and looking for the quickest route to the seaside.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Witton Gilbert, on the now-closed Lanchester branch.

Both in County Durham

I used to deliver School dinners there, not fun in the snow

 

[stadler]

Appledore (Kent) is another really odd one that has a county suffix even though there are no other stations with similar names.

 

[Ian Hardy]

There was a station at Appledore in Devon but that closed in 1917.

 

[Andy1978]

It is perhaps luckly that there was never a railway line built to serve the RAF station at Wyton in Cambridgeshire.

That makes Wyton relatively unusual as it was usual practice to name RAF stations after the nearest rail station, to make movement orders easier.

 

[duffield]

Appledore (Kent) is another really odd one that has a county suffix even though there are no other stations with similar names.

Appledore in Devon is both larger than the one in Kent and a definite holiday destination, so perhaps a fairly likely candidate for an uninformed traveller from far afield. If they were unaware that the one in Kent both existed and had a station (which is highly likely), and that the one in Devon no longer had a station, the "Kent" suffix would hopefully prevent them from ending up there by mistake.

 

[Gloster]

That makes Wyton relatively unusual as it was usual practice to name RAF stations after the nearest rail station, to make movement orders easier.

I believe that the original practice with RAF stations was to name them after the parish in which the main entrance lay. This was fine prewar, but with the building of large numbers of stations during World War II anomalies were thrown up. For example, Church Stanton at the south-western tip of Somerset was renamed Culmhead to avoid confusion with Church Fenton. Bobbington near Wolverhampton was renamed to Halfpenny Green to avoid confusion with Bovingdon and possibly Boddington. Other possible sources of confusion were picked up before a name was allocated.

 

[Haywain]

Appledore (Kent) is another really odd one that has a county suffix even though there are no other stations with similar names.

I think Appleford comes into the equation for confusion with Appledore.

 

[moogal]

When I lived there, tickets to/from Hinckley were marked "Hinckley (Leics)" and I was never sure what they were differentiating from, unless it was some long-defunct station elsewhere in the country?

 

[Gloster]

When I lived there, tickets to/from Hinckley were marked "Hinckley (Leics)" and I was never sure what they were differentiating from, unless it was some long-defunct station elsewhere in the country?

Possibly to avoid confusion with Hinchley Wood or Hindley. There was a station at Himley, but it closed in 1932 after only seven years.

 

[QueensCurve]

And, for what its worth, Witton Albion FC are based on the outskirts of Northwich

I was going to mention Northwich but it never had a Witton station.

 

[The exile]

Newport (Gwent) and the former Newport (IoW) are perhaps the most obvious.

Presumably Newport (Shropshire) had a station once, seems big enough, and there's a still-extant Newport (Essex) (wasn't that the station for Stansted Airport at one point?)

Isn't there a Newport (Pembrokeshire) as well? Not sure if that ever had a station, though.

Changing focus, in the days of Waterloo International you could in theory get trains, with a change or two, to either Beaulieu Road or Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

Newport-on-Tay as well.

 

[wimbledonpete]

I'm almost sure that the announcements at St Pancras for trains to Medway say Gillingham with a hard G - ie the one in Dorset, rather than with the correct soft G - can anyone corroborate or am I just cloth-eared?

 

[Haywain]

I'm almost sure that the announcements at St Pancras for trains to Medway say Gillingham with a hard G - ie the one in Dorset, rather than with the correct soft G - can anyone corroborate or am I just cloth-eared?

Which part of St Pancras? There are trains to Gillingham from both Thameslink and Southeastern platforms.

 

[chrisjo]

Isn't there a Newport (Pembrokeshire) as well? Not sure if that ever had a station, though.

There is. It would be Trefdraeth on a station sign now, but it never had a railway. The end of the narrow gauge part of the Trecwn branch was probably the closest that rail ever got.

 

[Mojo]

Yes, but when you go to a ticket office and ask for a return to Witton, Whitton or Wyton, how does the ticket clerk know which one you require a ticket to, without needing some clarification.

I once went to the ticket office at Surrey Quays and asked for a ticket to “Witham,” [which doesn’t have a suffix on the ticketing system] and the clerk actually issued me a ticket to Witton (West Midlands).

 

[wimbledonpete]

Which part of St Pancras? There are trains to Gillingham from both Thameslink and Southeastern platforms.

Southeastern.