1963: The Shutting Down of a Longtime Railway Station in England

September 9, 1963

More than a century after it had first gone into service, Linley Hall station on the Severn Valley Railway line in England’s West Midlands region was permanently closed. This railway station was opened on February 1, 1862. It had been built at the behest of Thomas C. Whitmore (1807-1865), a prominent local resident who was a member of the House of Commons (the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom) from 1832 to 1852. The installment of the station at that site was one of Whitmore’s key conditions for agreeing to have the Severn Valley Railway Company construct a line in the area.

This small station stands on the opposite bank of the River Severn to Whitmore’s still-existing estate Apley Park. Regular access to the estate from the station was initially provided via a ferry and later by a suspension bridge. The station was originally known as Linley; it was renamed Linley Halt in 1951.

This facility was ultimately one of several stations to be shut down as part of a planned closure of the northern portion of the Severn Valley Railway line. Linley Halt station is now a private residence. Other than the removal of a canopy that once provided shelter for passengers waiting on the platform, the outside of this building has remained largely unchanged. The attached photo of the structure was taken in 2007.

Photo Credit: Gordon Griffiths / Linley Railway Station / CC BY-SA 2.0

For more information on Linley Halt railway station, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linley_Halt_railway_station