Hurn was a railway station in the county of

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

(now

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

), opened on 13 November 1862 by the

Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway The Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway was a railway company to link Christchurch and Bournemouth, England, to the London and South Western Railway's Southampton and Dorchester line at Ringwood. The RC&BR opened in 1862 from Christch ...

. Becoming part 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 ...

, it was taken into the Southern Railway in the

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 ...

of 1923 and closed on 30 September 1935.

History

Construction

The route adopted by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway passed through several miles of land owned by

Lord Malmesbury Earl of Malmesbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1800 for the diplomat James Harris, 1st Baron Malmesbury. The son of the grammarian and politician James Harris, he served as Ambassador to Spain, Prussia, Russia ...

who, as a condition of the sale of his land to the railway, required that two private halts be provided: the first to serve his Heron Court (later Hurn Court) residence and the second for his tenants and staff at Avon Cottage. The requirement for Avon Lodge Halt was written into the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway Act 1859 (c.xcv) which authorised the line. The station was initially an untimetabled private halt, but later was opened to the public and appeared on timetables from 15 January 1863. It changed its name to "Hurn" from July 1897, having originally opened as "Herne".

Decline

Closure of the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth line was first considered in 1920 due to dwindling passenger numbers. The opening in 1888 of a more direct route to London via

New Milton New Milton is a market town in southwest Hampshire, England. To the north is in the New Forest and to the south the coast at Barton-on-Sea. The town is equidistant between Lymington and Christchurch, 6 miles (10 km) away. History ...

left the Ringwood line as somewhat of a backwater. At beginning of the 1920s Hurn averaged just 22 ticket sales per day, this number dropping to only 7 by the end of the decade. Neighbouring Avon Lodge Halt was faring little better and generated some £50 in annual revenue. After the closure of the line's signalbox in 1927, Hurn was manned by a single stationmaster for the remaining eight years of its life. The final train ran on 28 September 1935, the line officially closing two days later.

The site today

Having remained derelict for many years, the station building and part of the platform were redeveloped into a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

with restaurant, the "Avon Causeway Hotel". The establishment has a railway-theme and a Pullman Carriage together with a shunting locomotive stands on a short section of track at the restored platform and is used for additional dining facilities. The Pullman (No. 340) was delivered to the Hotel at Easter 1979.

Gallery

Image:Hurn Railway Station 1.jpg, The Avon Causeway Hotel Image:Hurn Railway Station 3.jpg, 1881 timetable displayed on platform

References

External links

{{Christchurch, Dorset Disused railway stations in Christchurch, Dorset Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1935 Private railway stations 1862 establishments in England 1935 disestablishments in England