Humberstone Road station was a station to the north of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, opened in 1875 and closed in 1968. The line was originally opened by the

Midland Counties Railway The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR s ...

, which joined the

North Midland Railway The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840. At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what ...

and the

Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part of ...

to form the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

which opened Humberstone Road Station. The small village of Humberstone, situated some two miles further north-eastwards was noted for its

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

mine but, Humberstone Road station alongside what is now the A47, served the northern side of Leicester which was rapidly expanding. Although the line is still a major route (the present-day

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands. ...

), there is now very little trace of the station. The station building lay derelict for many years after being taken out of service as a passenger station. As a grade two listed building it had to be preserved, but British Rail did not have sufficient funds for such an operation. A buyer was looked for. Eventually it was sold to Leicestershire County Council for £1 plus VAT (15p at the time!). It was moved brick by brick to its new home at

Shenton Shenton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sutton Cheney, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England, situated south-west of Market Bosworth. Shenton was formerly a chapelry an ...

Station, on the

Battlefield Line Railway The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : It runs from Shackerstone (Grid ref ) to Shenton (), via Market Bosworth, a total of . Shenton is near Bosw ...

, where it would serve as an information point for Bosworth Battlefield and a southern terminus building for the railway. The next station northwards was at

Syston Syston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census. Overview There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,000 ...

between Leicester and Loughborough. A short distance away was the similarly named

Humberstone railway station Humberstone railway station was a railway station serving the eastern side of Leicester. It was on the Great Northern Railway Leicester branch. The station opened in 1882 and closed to regular traffic in 1953 but remained open for summer weeke ...

, which was on the Great Northern Railway's Leicester branch.British Railways Atlas.1947. p.16

References

External links

*http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/ Transport in Leicester Former Midland Railway stations Disused railway stations in Leicestershire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1875 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1968 Beeching closures in England {{EastMidlands-railstation-stub