Louth railway station was a station in

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, England. It served as a junction for several different now closed lines which converged on the town. The closure of the station has left Louth which has over 16,000 residents the largest town in Lincolnshire without a railway station.

History

The foundation stone of Louth railway station was formally laid on 8 July 1847 by Miss Charlotte Alington Pye, a popular ballad writer of the time (who used the pseudonym "Claribel" from a Tennyson poem). The architects of the station buildings were

John Grey Weightman John Grey Weightman (29 March 1809 – 9 December 1872) was a British architect based in Sheffield. Career He was born on 29 March 1809 in Bawtry, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Robert Weightman and Mary Gray. He trained in the offices of ...

and

Matthew Ellison Hadfield Matthew Ellison Hadfield (8 September 1812 – 9 March 1885) was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield. Trai ...

of Sheffield. The station was damaged by bombing on 19 February 1941 killing a local man, George Bradley, who was the fireman of an engine shunting in the goods yard. Louth Station was closed to passengers in 1970. The line northwards to Grimsby remained open for freight until 1980. A 5-car

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

formed a special into Louth on 20 December 1980; at the time, the only remaining track was into the bay platform No. 1. The station building was saved from demolition and converted into flats. It is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building.

Preservation future

The

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway (LWR) is a heritage railway based at Ludborough station, near Louth, Lincolnshire, England and the only standard gauge steam railway in Lincolnshire open to the public. The line is part of the original Great Nor ...

plans to eventually extend their running line to Louth, however the original station building and the surrounding area cannot be reused as the terminus of the LWR, as it has been converted for residential use, and the former goods yard is now a mix of housing and industrial/retail outlets. A proposed new station will be built approx. 3/4 mile to the north of the original station. Louth North signalbox still stands in its original position by the adjacent level crossing. This has now been converted to a house. Louth North Signal Box

Route

References

External links

Louth station on navigable 1946 O. S. map

Louth station on Subterranea BritannicaStation in 1954
{{Closed stations Lincolnshire Disused railway stations in Lincolnshire Former Great Northern Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1980 Louth, Lincolnshire Beeching closures in England John Grey Weightman railway stations Matthew Ellison Hadfield railway stations Grade II listed buildings in Lincolnshire