Trustworthy, administrator
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Station master information supplied by Chris Haynes
==Facilities==
The station has a small kiosk serving snacks and hot and cold drinks. There is also a [[The Highley Station Fund shop | station fund second hand bookshop]] in the [[GWR 542 Horse Box (body only) | the grounded body of GWR Horse Box 542]] on the platform. A picnic area is located next to the signal box, opposite the platform.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
GW_542_20150426.jpg|Station fund bookshop
</gallery>
[[The Engine House | The Engine House]] is situated approximately 200 yards from Highley Station, on the opposite side of the line from the platform. This can be reached via a [[Highley Station Footbridge |footbridge]] which is located at the south end of the station. There is also a [[Highley Station foot crossing | foot crossing]] which the public may use, except when a train is approaching or standing in the station.
==Highley history before preservationStation Fund==*1862: Highley station opened with the rest of the Severn Valley Line on 1 February, with only one platform and no facility for crossing trains. At the time the population of Highley village was only 407.*1869: The GWR approved the installation of a cattle dock.*1870s: [[Collieries served Fund raises funds by the Severn Valley Railway#Highley Colliery | Highley Colliery]] came into production. This resulted in a growth of both passenger and goods traffic at Highley.*1882-1883: Approval was given for the platform to be extended and additional sidings installed, resulting in the present layout. A new signal box and interlocking was installed; the Board of Trade approved these works in June 1883. Evidence of the platform extension can be seen as a change in the platform face and surface between operating the [[The Highley Station Fund shop | Highley Station Fund shop]] and the end of the platform.*1908: The General Manager recommended that additional sidings and a passing loop should be provided. It owns shares In the event the work was not undertaken, as a result of which it was never possible to pass passenger trains at Highley.*1912-1915: Approval was given for construction of a footbridge, which was a steel lattice-girder structure of two spans. The bridge was reluctantly deemed beyond economic repair [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC]] and demolished by the SVR in 1974. It was situated in the same location as the current footbridge which dates from 2009.*1921: The population of Highley had reached 1,985, with at least 500 employed at the colliery. Over the following years passenger numbers remained high while beginning to fall elsewhere on the line; during the 1930s Highley averaged 20,000 ticket sales per year which exceeded both Stourport also owns [[BR 891054 Cattle Van]] and Bridgnorth.*1963: Through passenger services ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November[[GWR 3429 Fruit D Van]].
==Points of interest==
For the next month, Highley was the southern terminus of the SVR while repair work to the [[Underbridge on Station Road, Highley | underbridge]] south of the station was completed. In Mid-May 1974, through services to Arley and Bewdley began.
===Platform extension===
Highley only has a short platform. In winter 1974-75, at the end of the first year of reopening, volunteers extended the southern end of the platform by around 30 feet using platform edge coping stones and diagonal blue brick pattern surface slabs recovered from the former GWR station at Halesowen.<ref>SVR News 34</ref> The platform now stretches all the way to the [[Highley Station foot crossing|barrow crossing]], which is accessed by a ramp behind the footbridge. The original layout, with a shorter platform and a ramp in front of the old footbridge, can be clearly seen in this photograph.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
File:Highley old bridge.jpg|Station and original footbridge pre-preservation
</gallery>
===Visitor Centre===
In [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2000-2009#2001|2001]] a new 'visitor centre' opened at [[Highley]], housed in [[BR 80300 Post Office Sorting Van|TPO 80300]]<ref>SVR News 137</ref>. This continued in use until replaced by The [[Engine House]].
===The line north of Highley===
===Water tower===
The water tower came from the ex-LNWR station at Whitchurch in Shropshire and was installed by the SVR on the site of the original cattle dock during . After the cattle dock was dismantled in autumn 1979 and , a hole 8’ by 6’ by 6’ was dug for the foundation block which was cast on 29 May 1980using 8 cubic metres of concrete. The tower complete with 2, being 500 gallon tank was lifted into place on 9 May 1981 using [[Cowans Sheldon 30-ton steam crane RS 1091|30 ton steam crane RS 1091]]. Appropriately [[3205]] became the first used in locomotive to take water on Saturday 20 June 1981during the GW Weekend.<ref name = "SVR61">SVR News 61</ref>. Unlike at Bridgnorth and Kidderminster, the water supply at Highley is not specially treated, and so the column is only used on rare occasions such as galas.
===Cattle dock===
In December 1869 the GWR Board approved the erection of a cattle pen at a cost of £15.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 99.</ref> The cattle dock now at Highley is situated broadly in the original 1869 location, although it is an SVR re-construction. The original cattle dock became unsafe and was dismantled in the autumn of 1979; the fill used by the GWR during its original construction was found to consist mainly of old broken tiles!<ref name = "SVR61" /> The new cattle dock was temporarily removed restored during the repair work following the [[2007_Storm_Damage | 2007 storm damage]]2004. <ref>SVR News 148</ref> The photograph below shows the view in 2005, two years before the storm damage. The new cattle dock and water tower can both be seen; construction of The Engine House had not yet begun. Also notable is the absence of lineside fencing at that time. <gallerymode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">File: S0633 Highley 1970.jpg | The remains of the original cattle dock in 1970 (David Cooke)Highley station 2005, looking south - geograph.org.uk - 804842.jpg | Highley station 2005, looking south (Wikimedia Commons)
</gallery>
The new cattle dock was temporarily removed during the repair work following the [[2007_Storm_Damage | 2007 storm damage]]. A major refurbishment of its wooden structure began in May 2017.
===Crane===
A (non-operational) hand powered crane is located on a small platform in the goods yard. The winding gear appears identical to that on the wooden crane in [[Bewdley Goods Shed]]. The refurbished crane was erected in August 1992<ref>SVR News 105</ref>.
<gallerymode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
File:HighleyCrane.jpg | The crane at Highley
</gallery>
===Token changing equipment===
The 2005 photograph above shows token changing equipment, similar to that at [[Bewdley#Token catcher | Bewdley]], to the left of the line. SVR News 45 includes a picture of this being used in 1977, with the driver of a southbound train in the process of placing the Hampton Loade to Highley token on the nearer pole while the Highley-Arley token awaits collection on the further pole. Photographic evidence suggests it survived the 2007 washout<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Sowden (2012), P19]]</ref>, but was removed as part of , dismantled and stored, during the subsequent reinforcement of the ground on which it stood<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Sowden (2012), P23]]</ref>. {{As ===Refreshment kiosk===The refreshment kiosk stands on the site of|2015}} the equipment has been dismantled and storedoriginal GWR porter's hut which was demolished in 1974 during the early days of preservation at Highley. During 1981, volunteers began construction of a replacement kiosk in the style of the original hut but with larger windows to act as a serving hatch. It was officially opened by Avril Rowlands, the author of [[God's Wonderful Railway]], on Sunday 25 April 1982 during the Spring Gala.<ref>SVR News 64</ref>
===Awards===
When first taken over by the SVR, Highley Station was in a very dilapidated condition. The standard of restoration has won a number of [[awards]], including the ‘Best Preserved Station’ award in 1982. Plaques commemorating these awards can be seen in the waiting room.<gallerymode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">File:The waiting room at Highley Station - geograph.org.uk - 1454335.jpg | Waiting room (Wikimedia Commons)
</gallery>
==Highley history before preservation==
[[File:Highley-3601-1959-10-07.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Ex-GWR Pannier 3601 calls at Highley in October 1959 ([[Sellick Collection]])]]
*1862: Highley station opened with the rest of the Severn Valley Line on 1 February, with only one platform and no facility for crossing trains. At the time the population of Highley village was only 407<ref>Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, John Marius Wilson, 1870-72</ref>.
*1869: The GWR approved the installation of a cattle dock.
*1870s: [[Collieries served by the Severn Valley Railway#Highley Colliery | Highley Colliery]] came into production. This resulted in a growth of both passenger and goods traffic at Highley.
*1880: A [[Stone quarry siding opposite Highley Station|siding was provided for a stone quarry]] opposite the station worked by Mr Baker of Kidderminster. It became disused following his death in about 1881.
*1882-1883: Approval was given for the platform to be extended and additional sidings installed, resulting in the present layout. A new signal box and interlocking was installed; the Board of Trade approved these works in June 1883. Evidence of the platform extension can be seen as a change in the platform face and surface between the [[The Highley Station Fund shop | Highley Station Fund shop]] and the end of the platform.
*1908: The General Manager recommended that additional sidings and a passing loop should be provided. In the event the work was not undertaken, as a result of which it was never possible to pass passenger trains at Highley.
*1912-1915: Approval was given for construction of a footbridge, which was a steel lattice-girder structure of two spans. The bridge was reluctantly deemed beyond economic repair and demolished by the SVR in 1974. It was situated in the same location as the current footbridge which dates from 2009.
*1927: It was announced that "At Highley...the track is to be lifted at various points where subsidences have occurred owing to mining operations".<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, March 1927</ref>
*1921: The population of Highley had reached 1,985, with at least 500 employed at the colliery. Over the following years passenger numbers remained high while beginning to fall elsewhere on the line; during the 1930s Highley averaged 20,000 ticket sales per year which exceeded both Stourport and Bridgnorth.
*1922: [[SVR staff in 1922#Severn Valley Railway (Kidderminster to Bridgnorth)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 12, including those working at [[Kinlet and Billingsley Sidings signal box|Kinlet Sidings]].
*1963: Through passenger services ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November.
{| class="wikitable
|+ Station Masters at Highley
|-
!Name!!Born !! From !! To !! Comments
|-
|Samuel Mantle Edwards||1831|| August 1863|| April 1864||Joined West Midland Railway January 1852. Resigned April 1864.
|-
|Thomas Randle||1838 Nuneaton, Warwickshire||July 1864||July 1866||Formerly employed by the West Midland Railway. Railway Clerk at Stourport, 1863. Died 1909.
|-
|John Evans||1838/9? Church Stretton, Shropshire||July 1866||June 1870||Previously employed by the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway from 1855?.
|-
|William Farmer||14 June 1846 Hartlebury, Worcestershire||June 1870||August 1871||Previously employed by the West Midlands Railway and GWR as a Booking Clerk at Hartlebury. Resigned September 1900. Died 14 March 1937.
|-
|G Watts|| 1848 Blockley, Worcestershire ||August 1871|| January 1873 ||
|-
|J Wilkinson|| ||13 January 1873||December 1875||Resigned December 1875
|-
|Isaac Batts||14 August 1850 South Leigh, Oxfordshire||9 May 1878||November 1882||Previously Switchman at Hartlebury. Resigned 1 October 1910.
|-
|William Henry Cole||17 February 1855 Northfield, Worcestershire||13 November 1882||December 1913||Previously employed as a Porter and Switchman at Kidderminster, and as a Booking Porter and Station Inspector at Highley. Off sick December 1913, retired 1916. Died 4 February 1932.
|-
|William Thomas Gingell|| 25 March 1861 Rodmarton, Gloucestershire||January 1916||Before April 1926||Previously Station Master at Cleobury Mortimer. Died 22 August 1949.
|-
|Thomas Lewis ||16 August 1869 Lower Oddington, Glos.||April 1926 || 2 June 1930||Died
|-
|Albert Higgs || 25 May 1874 Mortimer Berkshire ||July 1930 || 1934 || Retired
|-
|Sydney James Prothero || 10 January 1878 Ewyas Harold, Herefordshire ||March 1935 || 10 January 1938 || Retired
|-
|Joseph William Simmonds || 2 January 1892 Paxford, Worcestershire ||March 1938 || ||
|-
|Frederick William Peachey || 29 March 1891 Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire || 1940s || || Previously station master at [[Ironbridge and Broseley]] and subsequently at [[Hampton Loade]]
|-
|George Austin || January 1899 Worcester ||June 1943 || ||
|-
|Harold Victor Hook || 28 October 1912 Worcestershire ||1950s || ||
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"|+ [[Traffic statistics in commercial service]] for Highley, selected years 1903 to 1951|-! !! colspan="3" | Passenger Traffic !! colspan="2" | Freight Traffic !! |-! Year !! Tickets issued !! Parcels despatched !! Revenue (£) !! Tons received & despatched !! Revenue (£) !! Total revenue (£)|-|1903||style="text-align:right"|17,559||style="text-align:right"|3,247||style="text-align:right"|1,185||style="text-align:right"|140,939||style="text-align:right"|24,372||style="text-align:right"|25,557|-|1913||style="text-align:right"|29,030||style="text-align:right"|7,308||style="text-align:right"|2,515||style="text-align:right"|219,271||style="text-align:right"|32,774||style="text-align:right"|35,289|-|1923||style="text-align:right"|22,234||style="text-align:right"|4,873||style="text-align:right"|2,838||style="text-align:right"|175,115||style="text-align:right"|41,695||style="text-align:right"|44,533|-|1933||style="text-align:right"|21,548||style="text-align:right"|6,237||style="text-align:right"|1,877||style="text-align:right"|177,543||style="text-align:right"|24,932||style="text-align:right"|26,809|-|1938||style="text-align:right"|21,335||style="text-align:right"|6,584||style="text-align:right"|1,606||style="text-align:right"|154,202||style="text-align:right"|23,128||style="text-align:right"|24,734|-|1942||style="text-align:right"|30,906||style="text-align:right"|3,523||style="text-align:right"|2,446||style="text-align:right"|177,790||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X|-|1947||style="text-align:right"|18,415||style="text-align:right"|3,736||style="text-align:right"|2,273||style= Gallery "text-align:right"|209,501||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X<gallery>|-File|1951||style="text-align:Highleyright"|14,424||style="text-3601align:right"|4,285||style="text-1959align:right"|1,553||style="text-10align:right"|55,623||style="text-07.jpgalign:right"|ExX||style="text-GWR Pannier 3601 calls at Highley in October 1959 ([[Sellick Collection]])align:right"|X|-|}X: Information not recorded </gallerybr>(b): Information recorded under Bridgnorth
<gallery mode=packed heights= See Also =150px style="text-align:left">File:GWRplanHighley.jpg | c. 1880File:GWRplanHighleyQuarrySiding.jpg | Stone quarry sidingFile:Highley1884map.jpg | 1884File:Highley1903map.jpg | 1903File:Highley plan 1905.png | 1905</gallery>
== See also ==*[[Variant spellings of SVR station names]]*[[List of stations]]*[[Highley Station Footbridge]]*[[2007 Storm Damage]]*[[The Engine House]]*[[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway]]*[[Collieries served by the Severn Valley Railway#Highley Colliery | Highley Colliery Company]]*[[Shropshire Historic Environment Record]]
==References==
<references />
*[[Bibliography | Marshall (1989), pp. 99-100.]]
*[[Bibliography | Vanns (1998), p. 62.]]
==Links==
*[http://www.highleystation.co.uk/ Highley Station web site]
*[http://www.sharpos-world.co.uk/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=317 Sharpo's World photos at Highley, showing station buildings, signalbox etc. before the Engine House was built]
