Trivia - named stations that were located outside their towns etc.

[Bantamzen]

Dent on the S&C - Is several miles from the village of Dent, and is closer to the village of Cowgill.

 

[urbophile]

The line from Pickering to Scarborough closed in the very early 50s, but the village of Brompton was served by a station named Sawdon, after a tiny hamlet several miles in the other direction.

 

[Brian M]

Many thanks to all who have contributed so far. Many fascinating instances have turned up and nearly all with interesting and intriguing detail as well. I am keeping an updated list which perhaps I can post at the end when contributions fizzle out.

Like many of the other 'trivia' threads, possible revisions to the base are suggested once data starts to emerge. There has been more than one reference to 'Parkway' suffixes - I feel that they are similar to the 'road' suffix criteria and perhaps should be ignored. I think two-name stations perhaps automatically exclude themselves as the station can only be resident in one place, e.g. Hayes and Harlington, although there may be some remote instances where the physical building straddles the boundary between two townships. ( but Cark and Cartmel, mentioned by 'thenorthern', is valid by ref.
to Flookbrough )

My favourite listing to date is Knighton, where contributor '61653 HTAFC' simply states -

".....Knighton station is in a different country to the town it serves". (My bold)

 

[Trackman]

Possibly we should exclude Parkways too as, like 'Road' the very name suggests they are not in the eponymous towns

Horwich Parkway is one, it was built in Lostock but they changed the boundary to include it in Horwich.

 

[Dai Corner]

Horwich Parkway is one, it was built in Lostock but they changed the boundary to include it in Horwich.

On the other hand, Port Talbot Parkway is close to the town centre

 

[Ash Bridge]

If closed stations are allowed? Then the former North Cornwall Line station of Tresmeer was actually located in a nearby village named Splatt.

 

[theageofthetra]

Beckenham Hill is not located in the former borough of Beckenham (now part of Bromley) -it's in Lewisham.

 

[Thebaz]

My local station Sanderstead is not in Sanderstead. The actual 'village' of the same name is 1 mile away up a very steep hill. Sanderstead Road would have been a more appropriate name, but I guess it's always been named thus because of a lack of other alternatives. South Croydon South anyone? Whilst in the area just to the north there is the now closed Selsdon which is also 2 miles downhill from Selsdon centre. Strangely enough the original station was called Selsdon Road, but was renamed Selsdon in 1935 apparently in a bid to lure more passengers (so says Wikipedia) away from South Croydon which was 700 metres away.

 

[70014IronDuke]

On the other hand, Port Talbot Parkway is close to the town centre

Yes. I had to laugh when I first heard of this piece of branding-gone-mad. I mean, you'd think it was an April Fool's joke that some manager hadn't cottoned onto and gone and taken up the idea. Sir - we've noticed that passenger numbers go up if you label a station "Parkway".
On that basis, you might as well add parkway to every station with more than two-dozen parking spaces. You could have Birmingham New Street Parkway. Or even Birmingham International Parkway.
But back on topic, sort of.

Montgomery, in Wales, was more than a mile from the town. I'm suprised the GWR didn't rename it Montgomery Road - presumably they couldn't be bothered.

 

[PeterC]

... and pushing the point a bit Harwich International is in Parkeston.

Originally Harwich (Parkeston Quay).

 

[AlterEgo]

Leighton Buzzard is actually in Linslade.

 

[benc]

Walton-on-Thames station is a mile out of its town. Oddly Hersham town is SSE of Walton-on-Thames town, yet Hersham station is ENE of Walton-on-Thames station. And Walton-on-Thames station seems to be nearer to the Hersham town than either town is to its namesake station.

This makes more sense after learning that Walton-on-Thames initially opened as "Walton for Hersham" in 1838 and Hersham opened later in 1936.

 

[30907]

[

Beckenham Hill is not located in the former borough of Beckenham (now part of Bromley) -it's in Lewisham.

But it is on Beckenham Hill Road

QUOTE="Lockwood, post: 3165201, member: 19973"]Portsmouth Arms is not near Portsmouth.[/QUOTE]
But it's near the Portsmouth Arms (assuming it still exists)

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Menai Bridge station was the other side of the Menai Straits to Menai bridge town. Although the station could arguably be said to be named after the bridge, not the town.

 

[341o2]

If closed stations are allowed? Then the former North Cornwall Line station of Tresmeer was actually located in a nearby village named Splatt.

I was going to mention that, along with

Maddaford Moor for Thorndon Cross
Ashbury for North Lew
Halwill for Beaworthy
Hole for Black Torrington
Whitstone and Bridgerule was in the middle of nowhere and more of a passing place than serving either hamlet.
Lynton is several hundred feet above the seaside town of that name.

The New Forest, like the Lake District did not welcome the railway, the Brockenhurst - Ringwood line was known as Castleman's corkscrew due to the route it was forced to take. I am aware that the op has disallowed "road" and "parkway" stations, but Ashurst and Beaulieu rd are as a result of this.

Salisbury to Exeter, where traffic between the two cities was more important, and intermediate stations often remote, Crewkerne nearer Misterton, Yeovil Junction some 2 miles outside the town

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Yes. I had to laugh when I first heard of this piece of branding-gone-mad. I mean, you'd think it was an April Fool's joke that some manager hadn't cottoned onto and gone and taken up the idea. Sir - we've noticed that passenger numbers go up if you label a station "Parkway".
On that basis, you might as well add parkway to every station with more than two-dozen parking spaces. You could have Birmingham New Street Parkway. Or even Birmingham International Parkway.
But back on topic, sort of.

Montgomery, in Wales, was more than a mile from the town. I'm suprised the GWR didn't rename it Montgomery Road - presumably they couldn't be bothered.

There is of course Montgomery Terminus which still sees regular steel-wheel on steel-rail traffic... however it is a tram terminus located in the South of Brussels and named after Field-Marshall Montgomery!

 

[xotGD]

Bolton Abbey station is closer to Bolton Bridge than Bolton Abbey. However, I think the Abbey is more of a tourist draw than the bridge.

 

[Bevan Price]

Lea Green is in the Marshalls Cross district of Sutton (St. Helens) - and (OT) although St. Helens Junction is within the boundary of St. Helens, it is actually located in Sutton Village.

Due to boundary changes, Widnes station is now inside that town, but it was originally part of (and named after) Farnworth Village. It is over one mile from Widnes town centre.

Allerton (now rebuilt & renamed Liverpool South Parkway) is in Garston, not Allerton.

 

[InOban]

Hope station (Sheffield) is well away from the village.

 

[50010 Monarch]

Berkswell is actually in Balsall Heath, Rowley Regis is in Blackheath (and formally called Rowley Regis and Blackheath).

Berkswell is in Balsall Common not Balsall Heath.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

Berkswell is in Balsall Common not Balsall Heath.

Quite right

 

[dcsprior]

Clapham Junction is in Battersea

But you wouldn't expect a station named Xxxx Junction to be in Xxxx? Llandudno Junction certainly isn't in Llandudno.

 

[johntea]

New Pudsey is in Farsley, if you want to get to Pudsey town centre enjoy the mile or so walk!

There is a decent Asda and a few other bits next to the station though to compensate slightly!

 

[jopsuk]

Audley End isn't even a settlement as such, it's a stately home about a mile or so from the village of Wendens Ambo, where the railway station is located.

Of course the big house has another station all of it's own, but you can't get anwhere from it.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I was going to mention that, along with

Maddaford Moor for Thorndon Cross
Ashbury for North Lew
Halwill for Beaworthy
Hole for Black Torrington
Whitstone and Bridgerule was in the middle of nowhere and more of a passing place than serving either hamlet.
Lynton is several hundred feet above the seaside town of that name.

The New Forest, like the Lake District did not welcome the railway, the Brockenhurst - Ringwood line was known as Castleman's corkscrew due to the route it was forced to take. I am aware that the op has disallowed "road" and "parkway" stations, but Ashurst and Beaulieu rd are as a result of this.

Salisbury to Exeter, where traffic between the two cities was more important, and intermediate stations often remote, Crewkerne nearer Misterton, Yeovil Junction some 2 miles outside the town

I think we also could add Camelford to the list being as it was approximately 1.25 miles distant from the town?

 

[Bromley boy]

Kemsing, in Kent, is a mile from Kemsing village, and it is on the other side of the M26 motorway.

EDIT: from Google maps the station appears to be equidistant getween Kemsing and Styants Bottom .

 

[Dhassell]

Nailsea and Backwell? Not really in both. Sort of in the middle.

 

[kieron]

Buckley station is in Little Mountain. The original Buckley station (which was closed when the current one was still called Buckley Junction) was in Drury. Buckley's a bit too hilly for trains to get near the town centre.

 

[Calthrop]

Montgomery, in Wales, was more than a mile from the town. I'm suprised the GWR didn't rename it Montgomery Road - presumably they couldn't be bothered.

If the original plans of that celebrated rail non-success-story the Bishop's Castle Railway (1866 -- 1935), had prospered rather more; presumably Montgomery town would have had a station, properly on that railway; which would have continued north-westward thence, to join the Cambrian Railways at their Montgomery station as mentioned above. As things worked out, the BCR was able to open and run only Craven Arms -- Lydham Heath, reversing there for its final leg to Bishop's Castle (originally intended just to be a short branch off the main route).


Though stations named "So-and-So Road" are considered -- thoroughly logically -- not appropriate material for this thread; there's one, mention of which I feel to be justifiable, as part of an amusing "located outside" situation, involving a station active today on a preserved line. Wansford station -- now on the Nene Valley Railway; in times past, on the "shared trunk" of the LNWR's routes between Peterborough, and Northampton and Rugby -- is a mile and a half north-west of the eponymous village.

Later than the LNW line's advent, the Great Northern opened its branch southward from Stamford, to join the LNW at Wansford; at the point where the branch intersected with the Peterborough -- Leicester main road (A47), a station was opened, with the name of Wansford Road. This station was a mile east of Wansford village -- thus, the "Road" establishment closer to the named place, than that with the "unadorned" name ! (The Stamford -- Wansford branch was abandoned by the LNER in 1929; Wansford [ex-LNW] station itself, lost its passenger service a few decades later, in 1957: its line Peterborough -- Rugby survived for passenger until 1966.)

 

[bnm]

Crewkerne station is in Misterton.