Stourport

Revision as of 11:44, 26 September 2016 by Robin (talk | contribs) (Info on the town)
1948 aerial photograph of Stourport. The station is at top centre, the SVR passing from left (Bewdley) to right (Hartlebury). The River Severn, Stourport Power Station (plus sidings), and canal basins on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal are also visible. Image from Britain from Above
Extract from 1951 OS Map showing Stourport
Next stations pre-closure
Towards Hartlebury Towards Shrewsbury
Hartlebury (3 miles) Bewdley (2½ miles)
via Burlish Halt (from 1930)

Contents

Stourport Station

Stourport Station was located 3 miles from Hartlebury and 37¾ miles from Shrewsbury. It was considered one of the principal stations on the line, with two platforms and a passing loop from opening in 1862 as well as a small goods yard and goods shed. The station building was almost identical to those at Bewdley and Buildwas. The location of the station just a short way north of the town made it perhaps the most convenient of the Severn Valley Railway’s stations relative to the town it served.

Stourport station was officially renamed 'Stourport-on-Severn' in 1934, possibly to avoid confusion with nearby Stourbridge.

The Shropshire & Worcestershire Electric Power Co built a power station at Stourport after the First World War. However a direct rail connection to the Severn Valley Railway was only opened in 1940, coal deliveries before then being mainly via the River Severn or the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. Once opened, the rail connection remained until January 1981, prolonging the life of the southern end of the Severn Valley Railway.

The extract from Ordnance Survey Map SO87, surveyed 1938 - 1949, published 1951, shows the branch line between Stourport Power Station (bottom) and Stourport Station (marked ‘Sta’). The line continues northwards towards Burlish Halt (top).

The area formerly occupied by the station is now part of a housing estate.

The town of Stourport

The origins of the Worcestershire town of Stourport date back to the completion of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal in 1771. In that year John Wesley described Stourport as a "well-built village", but following the opening of the canal for trade in 1772 the village quickly grew into a town based around the large canal basins that served as the ‘port’, reaching a population of 1,300 by 1795.[1]

The early growth of Stourport saw a corresponding decline in the fortunes of Bewdley as a port.[2] However further significant growth of Stourport was effectively ended by the opening of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal in 1816. This provided a direct link between the two towns.


Gallery

See also

References

The Severn Valley Railway, John Marshall
Severn Valley Railway, A View from the Past, MA Vanns

  1. Stourport on Wikipedia
  2. | Marshall (1989) p.12.
SVR Wiki

Main Page

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Trimpley Reservoir can be seen to the west of the line between Bewdley and Arley. The reservoir, which is managed by Severn Trent Water, was opened in 1968 and covers 29 acres. It is open to the public and is used by the Trimpley Sailing Club, while other activities include angling, wildlife watching and walking. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

Adding to this Wiki

This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


Navigation menu