Blisworth railway station was a junction station on the London and North Western Railway (today, the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

), the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway, and the

Northampton and Peterborough Railway The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the lin ...

. As well as providing interchange between the lines, the station served the village of

Blisworth Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

and its environs. The station was opened by the

London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...

(L&BR) in 1838.

History

The station was opened on 17 September 1838. In 1845 the L&BR opened its Northampton and Peterborough Railway, a line which connected Peterborough East and Northampton Bridge Street from a junction nearby. The station was rebuilt to the north in 1853, closer to the junction, to facilitate changing trains. In 1846 the line, along with the L&BR, became part of the London and North Western Railway. In 1866 a line was opened to

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...

by the Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway.J M Dunn, ''The Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway'', Oakwood Press, South Godstone, 1952 This railway built a small corrugated iron

motive power depot The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine she ...

at the station in 1882, together with a turntable and other servicing facilities. This was closed in 1929, but locomotives continued to be serviced in the yard until the closure of the station. At

grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

in 1923 it became part of the

London Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

. During the 1950s the morning express from to stopped at Blisworth for a connection to Northampton and to make use of the water tower on the up platform. The station closed on 4 January 1960, and was demolished soon afterward. The Blisworth Hotel facing the station, now The Walnut Tree Inn, remains in business.

Routes

References

Disused railway stations in Northamptonshire Former London and Birmingham Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1838 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1960 1838 establishments in England 1960 disestablishments in England West Northamptonshire District {{EastMidlands-railstation-stub