Stations with names not from that location

[Donny Dave]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Thirsk yet ....

 

[andchafri]

Farningham Road in Kent is around 1 mile from the village of Farningham, serving the villages of South Darenth and Horton Kirby more locally, and Pluckley in Kent is around 2 miles from the village of Pluckley, while the station is in the middle of nowhere.

Pluckley Station is in the village of Chambers Green
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Hollingbourne station is in the village of Eyhorne Street

 

[Mojo]

I have just suddenly wandered why Audley End, (on the Liverpool Street to Cambridge NX line) is not called Wendons Ambo which is the villiage it is in. Audley End is a couple of miles down the road. Does anybody know why this is, and I'm sure there are other stations in the country with the same thing.

Probably because the actual location name is so stupid it would get laughed at.
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Kings Norton station is in Cotteridge.

Patchway station is in Stoke Gifford (although to be fair is quite close to Patchway too).

 

[RichmondCommu]

Clapham junction station is actually in Battersea and not Clapham itself :P

You beat me to it! I used to live close to the station many years a go; in fact the shop below my old flat was fire bombed during the riots. I guess the station took the name because its the junction for Clapham?

 

[12CSVT]

Dent station is a good four to five miles away from the village of Dent (and a few hundred feet higher up too)

Dent station is actually closer to Garsdale village than it is to Dent village.

 

[Scouseinmanc]

Sandhills in Liverpool. The area doesn't exist. It takes it's name from Sandhills Lane - not sure if this counts?!?

 

[Schnellzug]

Probably because the actual location name is so stupid it would get laughed at.
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Kings Norton station is in Cotteridge.

Patchway station is in Stoke Gifford (although to be fair is quite close to Patchway too).

For that matter, Bristol Parkway isn't actually in Bristol, is it?

 

[Oracle]

Swanwick on the Southampton-Fareham line is really in Park Gate.

Micheldever is actually in a community that is known locally as 'Micheldever Station' as against Micheldever, once England's largest village.

 

[Swr28]

Morfa Mawddach on the Cambrian Coast is in the village of Arthog.

The station was previously named Barmouth Junction although not actually in Barmouth.

And can't forget Dyfi/Dovey Junction nearest village and only access is Glandyfi around a mile away

 

[ChrisCooper]

Although it's been "corrected" now, Hoveton and Wroxham station was for many years just called Wroxham (for many it still is, and actually the nearby Bure Valley Railway station is Wroxham too). This is depite is actually being in the neighbouring village of Hoveton. The story was because when the line was planned, the station was intended to be in the larger and more significant village of Wroxham, on the south bank of the river. Due to access reasons it was decided to instead build the station north of the river, just outside Hoveton, but by that time the signs, timetables and publicity all said Wroxham, so the name stuck. Interestingly this lead to Hoveton, which had the station, growing in significants, including becoming the main shopping centre and housing many of the boatyards, but due to the name of the station, the area tends to be refered to as Wroxham. Go into the cente of Hoveton and almost every shop will be "Wroxham..." and much of the place is taken up with the various shops of the large department store "Roys of Wroxham". All the boatyards too refer to themselves as being in Wroxham (known as "The Heart of the Broads") even though most are on the Hoveton side of the river. As far as touristy things go, Hoveton only really gets a mention in Hoveton Hall, which was there well before the railway (and incidently is right next to Wroxham Barns, again far closer to Hoveton than Wroxham).

 

[manaichain]

People do seem to forget a few things, firstly, naming something after a bigger place than a smaller place is better (ie naming Heathrow "London Heathrow" as opposed to "Staines Heathrow".

Railway lines couldn't easily reach the centre of each town and village, they had to both serve as many places as possible, and also be straight enough to get good speed, diverting a line to reach the town hall or village hall would both be expensive, increase journey time, and have a high chance of being opposed (railways were a new thing at the time). a good example are the towns Abingdon and Kingston. Abingdon, so opposed to the building of a line from GWR mainline to Oxford that GWR had to build it 5 miles east. Abingdon had to make do with "Abingdon Road" station, 4 miles from Abingdon, but best they could do. Took another 40 years before it got it's own branch line after they changed their mind, and Abingdon Road became a "Culham". Similar story to Kingston-upon-Thames, the original Kingston is now Surbiton.

"xxxx Road" means it's on the road to the town, sometimes as much as 10 miles away, many Road stations had a large car park built there in the 1980s, thus becoming "Parkways", examples include Bodmin and Tiverton, Tiverton Parkway is the old Tiverton Road, near Sampford Peverell, yet it is the Parkway station FOR Tiverton.

Also villages and towns grow at different rates, so Didcot was once the smallest parish population wise in Berkshire/Oxfordshire, now one of the larger towns in the county, had they named it after the biggest village at the time, it'd not made sense then, but would now, the opposite is true.

In my experience, a rural station was either named
1)after a large village or town, if that is the closest station to it
2)after the village it is in
3)after a nearby village if the name has been taken on that same company (Woolhampton renamed Midgham to avoid confusion with Wolverhampton, yet Rainham in Kent and Rainham in Essex same name and the 2 towns within 10 miles of each other over the Thames, most probably as they only considered their network, i expect they presumed their clientele would never travel another companies rails)
4)a station in the middle of nowhere named for the nearest village, or if the villages are equal distance and equal size and equal importance, then the name of the villages civil parish council it is in (Culham as opposed to Clifton Hampden for example)
5)many stations were simply named for a local farm (Verney Junction, Surbiton, Churn Halt), villages and towns grew up around the station, to the point there is a village called Micheldever Station, that grew up around Micheldever railway station, as Micheldever was a few miles westwards

 

[LE Greys]

Welwyn North was just called Welwyn for many years, despite actually being on the other side of the valley in Digswell. Welwyn Garden City effectively corrected the mistake, but they never got round to renaming Welwyn North properly. At one point, a local poll suggesting a renaming to Digswell was rejected by about 70/30.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Dent station is actually closer to Garsdale village than it is to Dent village.

In fact Dent station should really be called Cowgill, which is the name of the hamlet at the bottom of the Coal Road.

 

[DarloRich]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Thirsk yet ....

being as it is in Carlton Miniott

 

[Zoe]

Overton station is in Quidhampton.

 

[ChrisCooper]

A few more East Anglian ones. Haddiscoe is in the middle of nowhere, but nearer to St Olaves than Haddiscoe. Probably to distinguish it from St Olaves station on the former Yarmouth to Beccles line. Worstead station is actually part of Sloley. Gunton isn't even a place, but the station is named after Gunton Hall, about 2 miles away. Most of the stations on the line towards Ely are at the place they are named after. Harling Road is on the road to Harling. Lakenheath though is a good couple of miles out of Lakenheath and slightly closer to Hockwold cum Wilton. Shippea Hill would probably be in Shippea Hill if it had actually grown.

 

[Oracle]

I note the point about being on the road to ... Ashurst NF was previously called of course Lyndhurst Road, and it still is on the A35 Lyndhurst Road but woe betide anyone thinking that the station is near Lyndhurst as it's a three-mile walk..I know! Next station down, Beaulieu Road is miles from Beaulieu village and nearer Lyndhurst. There is no way to get to Beaulieu by public transport either. Beaulieu visitors are advised to go to Brockenhurst instead.

 

[HSTEd]

Clapham Junction isn't in Clapham? Or at least wasn't at the time

 

[A0]

Any takers for Hemel Hempstead?

It's ended up in Hemel by virtue of the town's growth, but before then it was technically in Boxmoor.

 

[GM078]

In Ireland you have Sallins & Naas which is a good bit away from Naas itself.

 

[Welshman]

I note the point about being on the road to ...

My favourite example of this was South Molton Rd, opened in 1854 by the North Devon Railway from Cowley Bridge Junction to Bideford, in its intention to compete for traffic to South Molton, then served by the Devon and Somerset Railway on its line between Taunton and Barnstaple.

For the unwary, it appeared a nice little afternoon's stroll, but what the North Devon Railway somehow forgot to publicise was it was a full 8 miles from their station into South Molton!

South Molton Rd was renamed King's Nympton in 1951, and is now on the Tarka Line.

 

[fairysdad]

Kings Nympton on the Tarka line is at least 5 miles away from the (very small) village it gets it's name from.
My local station Tiverton Parkway is 7 miles away from it's namesake..

Used to be called South Molton Road, which is even further away! (Renamed when the GWR opened their Taunton-Barnstaple line which had its own South Molton station.) Next stop down is interesting too - officially there is no such place as 'Eggesford', even less so when the line and station was built!

Edit: Note to self - read entire thread before posting...

(Actually, I think that GWRs 'Tiverton Road' station was equally as far away from Tiverton as SMR was from SM... (renamed Junction and then replaced by Parkway))
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You beat me to it! I used to live close to the station many years a go; in fact the shop below my old flat was fire bombed during the riots. I guess the station took the name because its the junction for Clapham?

I heard that it was named Clapham Junction because either Battersea was too rough an area at the time, for the company (I assume LSWR?) to name the station after it, or the other way around - the people of Battersea were too posh and didn't want a station named after their area...

 

[EM2]

Wivelsfield, on the Brighton main line, is in neither Wivelsfield nor Wivelsfield Green. It was originally called Keymer Junction (it's even further away from Keymer than it is from Wivelsfield).
It's actually in an area of Burgess Hill known as 'World's End' and local legend says it was renamed after there was an accident there, and they felt no-one would travel to somewhere called World's End after that.
Interesting story, but it was never called World's End and the accident happened three years after it was renamed Wivelsfield.

 

[Poggs]

Any takers for Hemel Hempstead?

It's ended up in Hemel by virtue of the town's growth, but before then it was technically in Boxmoor.

It was opened as "Boxmoor" then renamed "Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead" or similar.

My contribution: Kiveton Park (outside Sheffield) is near the bridge over the river. Kiveton Bridge is in Kiveton Park.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

People do seem to forget a few things, firstly, naming something after a bigger place than a smaller place is better (ie naming Heathrow "London Heathrow" as opposed to "Staines Heathrow".

Railway lines couldn't easily reach the centre of each town and village, they had to both serve as many places as possible, and also be straight enough to get good speed

5)many stations were simply named for a local farm (Verney Junction, Surbiton, Churn Halt), villages and towns grew up around the station, to the point there is a village called Micheldever Station, that grew up around Micheldever railway station, as Micheldever was a few miles westwards

Interesting post, I have cut it down to avoid a massive quote, but your final point was reflected this year when Smitham station in Croydon was renamed Coulsdon Town, the station was built years before Coulsdon was a place, but the town built up around the station and the old name was rendered obsolete. (article)

 

[Trog]

It was opened as "Boxmoor" then renamed "Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead" or similar.

I think the groundframe for the sidings was still called Boxmoor GF until it was replaced in the recent resignalling.

 

[PaulLothian]

I seem to remember reading that in some cases this was done to appease/butter up local landowners whose land was being crossed - Audley End would appear an example.

Alternatively, naming it after a bigger town would encourage people wanting to get there by train (no Trades Description Act in those days!).

 

[zoneking]

Cowden station is in Mark Beech.
The tunnel is called the Mark Beech Tunnel.

Crowborough station is at Jarvis Brook.

 

[dvboy]

Sandwell & Dudley clearly can't be in both (it's in Oldbury which is part of Sandwell) and not terribly handy for travel to Dudley - there used to be one service but now there are no buses from SAD to Dudley. Both Smethwick stations, and Tipton have better direct connections.

It would be better named Oldbury.

According to the timetable I picked up in West Bromwich on Saturday, route 688 runs every 30 mins Mon - Sat daytimes from Sandwell & Dudley station to Dudley.

The fact that it's a 6xx number suggests it's a fully Centro subsidised service and wouldn't make any profit otherwise.

 

[Butts]

It would be better named Oldbury.



The fact that it's a 6xx number suggests it's a fully Centro subsidised service and wouldn't make any profit otherwise.

Who outside of the WM has heard of Oldbury ......

Dudley fair enough.....

Sandwell....normally top's any list related to urban deprivation etc.:cry:

ps I used to live in Old Hill (part of Sandwell)