Bath Green Park railway station
Bath Green Park | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Bath, Bath and North East Somerset England |
Coordinates | 51°22′53″N 2°22′01″W / 51.3815°N 2.367°W |
Grid reference | ST745647 |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Midland Railway |
Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
7 May 1870 | Station opened as Bath |
18 June 1951 | Renamed Bath Green Park |
7 March 1966 | Station closed |
Green Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England. For most of its life, it was known as Bath Queen Square.
Architecture and opening
Green Park station was opened in 1870 as the terminus of
It was built in an elegant style which blends well with the Georgian buildings around it and includes a vaulted glass roof in a single-span wrought iron arch structure.
The platform accommodation in the station was modest, having an arrival platform and a departure platform, with two sidings between them. The siding adjacent to the arrival platform was equipped with ground frame points to release an arriving train engine.
The station is on the north bank of the River Avon. The locomotive shed was about half a mile from the station to the north side of the main tracks. The goods yard was on the opposite side of the tracks from this. Access to the goods yard from central Bath was via the newly constructed Midland Bridge.
The Midland Railway's Bath branch had opened in 1869, but the river Avon bridge and the new station were not ready, so for a year the terminus was at a temporary station to the west of the river.
The Avon Bridge
Immediately outside the station, trains crossed a bridge over the Avon. This bridge is a
The Somerset & Dorset Railway
When the
Motive power depots
Both the Midland Railway and the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway opened locomotive depots near the station on the west side of the
Subsequent history
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It was operated by the Midland Railway. At the grouping it passed to the
Parts of the distinctive glass roof were damaged during bombing raids in April 1942, and the glazing was not re-instated during railway usage after the war[citation needed].
The atmosphere of the station was always powerfully nostalgic, and at most times of the day a short local train could be seen simmering in the platform waiting for departure time. On summer Saturdays the station became very busy, passing numerous holiday trains between northern towns and Bournemouth; all of them had to be reversed in the station[
Ordinary services were local Midland trains to
Stationmasters
- S. Halford 1870 - 1873[1]
- C.W. Radway 1873[1] - 1876[2]
- H. Martin 1877 - 1883[2]
- James W. Yaxley 1883 - 1900[2]
- H.L. Bailey 1900[2] - 1908 (afterwards station master at Gloucester)
- James Perry 1908 - 1922[3]
- J. Davies 1922[4] - 1927 (formerly station master at Bulwell, afterwards station master at Gloucester)
- A. Exton 1927 - 1936
- Arthur Jones 1936[5] - 1942 (formerly station master at Clitheroe)
- F.C. Cooper 1942 - 1953[6] (formerly station master at Harpenden)
Closure
Following the
Current uses
A Grade II listed building,[7] Green Park Station has become an active retail and events space.
Run for many years by Envolve Partnership, a local sustainability enterprise, The Ethical Property Company took over management in November 2008, and now manage all activity on the site, beyond the car park and the Sainsbury's supermarket. The former booking hall is now Green Park Brasserie. Since September 2019, the upstairs function rooms have been used every Sunday evening by Bath Vineyard Church for services.[8] The old station concourses are used as a covered market and events space, with a farmers' market, and other regular Saturday traders operating in the market square. Local events and performances are scheduled throughout the year as well, and have included performances for the Bath Fringe Festival. Green Park Station also includes office space in the converted vaults of the station's lower floor, now the base to several local charities and social businesses.
Since the early months of 2021, significant parts of the station have been cordoned off to allow restorative works to take place on the roof. During and before these works took place, large glass panels came loose from the main structure, falling to the floor below. These repairs are scheduled to finish for summer 2022.
In April 2023, the station was damaged by a fire. It started in one of the wooden sheds housing local businesses, and spread to the roof.[9]
Services
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Weston (Bath) Line and station closed |
Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line
|
Terminus | ||
Midford Line and station closed |
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways |
See also
- List of lattice truss bridges in the United Kingdom
References
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
- ^ a b "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 361. 1871. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "1876-1908 Gloucester, Bath, Bristol". Midland Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 100. 1899. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Death of Mr. James Perry". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. England. 11 February 1939. Retrieved 14 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Midland Railway (Passenger Dept) Staff Changes". Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 13 September 1922. Retrieved 14 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Ailing World". Clitheroe Advertiser and Times. England. 6 March 1936. Retrieved 14 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "50 Years' Service". Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle. England. 12 February 1953. Retrieved 14 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Green Park Railway Station". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
- ^ "Sundays". Vineyard Bath. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "Green Park Station fire: Bath community space damaged in blaze". BBC News. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.