Rickmansworth (Church Street) railway station was a

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

(LNWR) station in Rickmansworth,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, UK. Opened in 1862, it was the terminus of a branch line which used to run from Watford. The station closed to passengers in 1952, although the line continued to be used as a goods line until 1967. Church Street station has since been demolished. Rickmansworth station is about northwest of the site of Church Street station. Opening on 1 September 1887, it continues to serve both the London Underground

Metropolitan line The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between in the City of London and and in Buckinghamshire, with branches to in Hertfordshire and in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the line i ...

and

Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Railw ...

between and via . Church Street station was the terminus of the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR), a business venture of the Whig politician, Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury (1801–1893). It opened on 1 October 1862. The line ran from Watford Junction to with many small freight branches, the most notable of which ran to Croxley Green. Lord Ebury's plan was to extend the line south and to open a new railway to on the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

's Uxbridge branch. However, the GWR withdrew its funding for the scheme and line was never extended. The line failed to operate at a profit, the W&RR ran into financial difficulties, and eventually the operation was taken over by the

in 1881. In 1923, under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the Rickmansworth line and the service from Watford Junction to London Euston was converted to fourth-rail electric trains. The station was renamed Rickmansworth (Church Street) on 25 September 1950. It continued to be operated as a branch line from Watford by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

until the passenger service was withdrawn on 3 March 1952. The station and tracks continued to be used for goods services until the line was cut back to one of the intermediate freight sidings. The track to Watford has since been removed; the trackbed to Watford is now the Ebury Way

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

. The platforms and station buildings have been demolished; the site is now occupied by social housing. A new hotel now stands between the old station site and the canal.

References

External links

Subterranea Britannica - Details and pictures of Rickmansworth (Church Street)
{{Closed stations Hertfordshire Disused railway stations in Three Rivers District Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1952 Rickmansworth 1862 establishments in England