Wickham (Hants) railway station served the village of Wickham in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. It was on the Meon Valley line of the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...

. The station opened in 1903 and closed to passengers in 1955 and to goods in 1962. The main building was to a design by the architect

T. P. Figgis T. P. (Thomas Phillips) Figgis (1858–1948) was a British architect working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work included private houses as well as public buildings. T. Phillips Figgis was the second son of Thomas Gilbert Figgi ...

History

Opening

The station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 June 1903. It was on the Meon Valley line between and ; , between Wickham and Fareham, opened in 1907. The Meon Valley line had been authorised on 3 June 1897, and opened on 1 June 1903.

Closure

The station closed to passengers on 7 February 1955 and to goods traffic on 30 April 1962. The prospect was raised of Wickham becoming part of a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

in the 1960s after closure of the line. Indeed, the line was leased by Charles Ashby from West Meon to Droxford, through Wickham and the line used for testing of his Sadler Pacerailer. Several locomotives arrived, including a Terrier now based on the Isle of Wight. However it was not to be. Hopes were dashed when the connection with the

Eastleigh to Fareham line Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...

was lifted. This left the line isolated and the last train to run was a USA tank loco up the line. After this date the line was lifted by BR and some sections purchased by Hampshire County Council. The section between Mislingford and Knowle, through Wickham, is owned by Rookesbury Estates limited who lease the former line out to Hampshire County Council as a footpath.

The site today

The station was demolished after closure and the site is now part of a woodland path.

Route

References

External links

Wickham Station on navigable 1945 O.S. map
Disused railway stations in Hampshire Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1903 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1955 {{SouthEastEngland-railstation-stub