Changes

From January to Easter 2011 the SVR's winter works dealt with severe damage at Arley due to ground movement caused by failed drainage, in turn occasioning track twist. The Up platform was rebuilt, drainage installed and track relaid at a cost of £367,000.<ref>Railway Magazine September 2010</ref><ref>SVR(H) Report and Accounts for year ensding 31 December 2011, page 3.</ref> In February 2017 the waiting room at Arley Station became licensed to hold civil marriages and partnerships, with space for up to 21 people. Further information on packages may be found on the [http://www.svr.co.uk/Weddings_Day_Package.aspx SVR website Wedding Day Packages page]. Arley was until 2018 also the site of [[Santa's Grotto]] for the [[Christmas services|Santa Special services]].  The village itself is named Upper Arley(also historically Over Arley<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17612/17612-h/17612-h.htm Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, by J. Randall 1863]</ref><ref>[http://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/05/03/the-first-ever-map-of-shropshire-up-for-sale/ 1579 map of Shropshire on the Shropshire Star web site]</ref>), which differentiates it from the similarly named, but differently spelled Areley Kings less than six miles away near Stourport. Until 1895 Arley, including the railway, was part of a narrow neck of Staffordshire bounded on three sides by Shropshire and Worcestershire until it was moved to Worcestershire<ref>[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/worcs/vol3/pp5-10 "Parishes: Upper Arley", British History Online] (Retrieved 12 December 2019)</ref><ref>[https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/UpperArley Upper Arley, UK and Ireland Geneology)] (Retrieved 12 December 2019)</ref>.

Arley station does not have a public car park. There is a small cafe café building behind the station which serves hot and cold drinks and snacks.  ==Film and TV productions filmed at Arley== ===Oh, Doctor Beeching!===(See ''[[Oh, Doctor Beeching!|main article]]'')<br>A BBC TV sitcom ran from 1995 to 1997, set in the small fictional branch line railway station of Hatley. Filming took place at Arley.  A row of Victorian railway cottages was built in the yard as a film prop. After final filming the cottages were dismantled and retained, but despite reminders to the BBC about what they wanted with them they gave no response. Ultimately they were broken up with the assistance of the [[SVR Apprentices|Junior Club]]. The garden on the main platform by the Gents WC was created by the BBC and is known today as the BBC garden.  The signalbox had a name plate above the door. <gallery>File:Hatley1.jpg | Hatley (Arley) signal boxFile:Hatley2.jpg | Film prop cottages at ArleyFile:Hatley3.jpg | Film prop cottages at ArleyFile:Hatley4.jpg | Film prop cottages at Arley</gallery>

The main station building at Arley dates from the opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862. Extensions were later added, consisting of a Ladies ' waiting room authorised in 1892 and an additional bedroom in the Station Master’s house added in 1901.

The café building behind the station was built during the summer of 1992 on the site of the former weighbridge. It replaced a similar building known as 'Tom’s Cabin' that had become dangerous.  In 2016, a number of stone sills, coping stones and quoins were replaced. <gallery>File:Arley SVR Station, northbound platform - geograph.org.uk - 699616.jpg | Shelter on Platform 2 (Wikimedia Commons)File:Arley kiosk.jpg | Refreshment kioskFile:Arley stone1.jpg | Stone lintel on refreshment kioskFile:Arley stone2.jpg | Stonemason at work in 2016</gallery> In 2018 an [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA raffle]] raised over £7,000 for new facilities including a workshop and storage for Santa equipment to replace a small corrugated metal shed next to the gift shop.<ref>SVR News 200</ref> In late 2019 construction started on the new building at the north end of the station, with the roof coming from part of the old [[Bewdley]] platform canopy. It was also partly funded by the [[Arley Station Fund]]<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/epfeb20 Express Points, February 2020] (Retrieved 4 February 2020)]</ref>.

When the SVR first re-opened the line between Hampton Loade and Bewdley in [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979 #1974 | 1974]], there was no facility to pass trains, the Up loop (the running line nearer the station building) having been removed by BR in the 1960s. This was re-laid over the next year and re-opened on [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979 #1974 | 25 May 1975]]. <gallery>File:S0635 Arley Station 1972.jpg | Rebuilding platform 2 in 1972 (David Cooke)File: S6842 Arley Station 1973.jpg | Relaying the Up line (David Cooke)</gallery> ===Telephone Kiosk===The telephone kiosk on Platform 1, which can be seen in the main picture above, was acquired from the P.O. in Birmingham circa late 1981, having been vandalised ‘beyond economic repair’<ref>SVR News 62</ref>. Once at Arley it was duly repaired, and within a year had been returned to full working order<ref>SVR News 66</ref>. <gallery>File:Arley phone box.jpg</gallery> ===Anderson Shelter===An Anderson Shelter was erected in the picnic garden in 2018, where it could be seen during that year’s ‘Step Back to the 1940s’ weekends. More than 3.5 million of these shelters were issued to the public before and during World War II to provide shelter from bombs and shrapnel. This particular example was originally installed at a house in Weoley Castle, Birmingham, and was donated to the SVR by Lisa Priest of Birmingham City Council and Mrs Dorothy Sigures of Weoley Castle.<ref>Information board next to the shelter</ref><ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_shelter#Anderson_shelter Anderson shelter on Wikipedia]</ref>  <gallery>Arley_Anderson_Shelter_20180705.jpg|Anderson Shelter</gallery> ===GWR 446 6Ton Hand Crane===[[GWR 446 6Ton Hand Crane]] is stabled with [[BR 707261 Crane Runner | Crane Runner 707261]], which will be swapped with [[GWR 2501 'Rotank' 6-Wheeled Road Milk Tank Flat Wagon]] that will better suit the crane.<ref>SVR Wagons Facebook 13 January 2019</ref> The crane and flat wagon will undergo cosmetic restoration. <gallery>GWR_446_and_B707261_20190506.jpg|GWR Crane 446 and crane runner 707621 at Arley in May 2019GWR446.16.01.88.jpg|GWR Crane 446 in use at Bewdley in 1988</gallery>

*1883: A second platform , authorised in August 1882, was brought into use in June 1883. Installation of a signal box and interlocking of points and signals were completed around this time.*1891: ‘Train staff and ticket’ working in conjunction with a single-needle block telegraph was introduced throughout the line, replacing the earlier simple telegraph working arrangements. Henceforth drivers could not enter a section without possession of a physical staff , or a paper ticket stating the staff would follow on a succeeding train. Those used at Arley were for Arley to [[Bewdley North signal box|Bewdley North]] (hexagonal staff, yellow ticket) and Arley to [[Hampton Loade ]] (square staff, red ticket).*1894: ‘Electric staff’ working replaced staff and ticket working. [[Highley ]] also became a staff station, breaking the long section to Hampton Loade.

*1938: A GWR [[Arley Camp Coach|camping coach ]] was based at Arley.

*1964: The signal box closed on 28th June. The up line and sidings were lifted, and the edge of the down platform was removed to give greater clearance for coal trains from Alverley[[Alveley Sidings|Alveley]]. The original signal box was later demolished. {| class="wikitable"|+ [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Traffic statistics|GWR Traffic statistics]] for Arley, selected years prior to 1939<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 54.</ref>|-! !! colspan="3" | Passenger Traffic !! colspan="2" | Freight Traffic !! |-! Year !! Tickets issued !! Parcels despatched !! Revenue (&pound;) !! Tons received &amp; despatched !! Revenue (&pound;) !! Total revenue (&pound;)|-|1903||style="text-align:right"|17,295||style="text-align:right"|2,453||style="text-align:right"|914||style="text-align:right"|881||style="text-align:right"|178||style="text-align:right"|1,092|-|1913||style="text-align:right"|15,796||style="text-align:right"|3,219||style="text-align:right"|761||style="text-align:right"|1,399||style="text-align:right"|301||style="text-align:right"|1,062|-|1923||style="text-align:right"|12,898||style="text-align:right"|1,341||style="text-align:right"|862||style="text-align:right"|1,828||style="text-align:right"|996||style="text-align:right"|1,858|-|1933||style="text-align:right"|8,663||style="text-align:right"|997||style="text-align:right"|477||style="text-align:right"|54||style="text-align:right"|47||style="text-align:right"|524|-|1938||style="text-align:right"|11,623||style="text-align:right"|926||style="text-align:right"|526||style="text-align:right"|44||style="text-align:right"|24||style="text-align:right"|550|-|} ==Historic maps of Arley Station==

== See Also also ==*[[List of stations]]*[[Christmas services|Santa Special services]]*[[Santa's Grotto]]*[[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway]]

*[http://www.arleystationsvr.orgco.uk/ Arley Station web siteWeddings_Day_Package.aspx SVR Wedding Day Packages]  {{#coordinates:52.416955|-2.348406|[primary|][dim:1000]}}{{StationNavbox}}[[Category:Featured articles]][[Category:SVR fundraising lotteries]]