Speech House Road railway station is a disused railway station opened by the former

Severn and Wye Railway The Severn and Wye Railway began as an early tramroad network established in the Forest of Dean to facilitate the carriage of minerals to watercourses for onward conveyance. It was based on Lydney, where a small harbour was constructed, and open ...

in 1875, it remained open for 88 years until the line, north of Parkend, closed to freight in 1963. Passenger trains on the Severn and Wye Railway, north of Lydney, were withdrawn from 1929.Stanley C Jenkins, ''The Ross, Monmouth and Pontypool Road Line'', revised second edition 2009,

History

Bilson, Cinderford, Coleford, Lydbrook & Lydney RJD 86

The station was built by the

which ran from Berkeley Road, over the

Severn Railway Bridge The Severn Railway Bridge (historically called the Severn Bridge) was a bridge carrying the railway across the River Severn between Sharpness and Lydney in Gloucestershire, England. It was built in the 1870s by the Severn Bridge Railway Co ...

between Sharpness and Lydney, following the route of the River Lyd to

Parkend Parkend is a village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley, in the Royal Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England, and has a history dating back to the early 17th century. During the 19th century it was a busy industrial village with se ...

and finally onto

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of Cind ...

. The station was situated on the south side of the Speech House Road (now the B4226). The station consisted of one platform with a small building, a passing loop, a signal box opposite the platform building, next to the road crossing. It also had a small goods yard with a facilities for coal, timber and general freight, the station being home to a wooden derrick crane. The Seven and Wye Railway opened the station as a halt in 1875. The facilities were then expanded by 1878. Cannop Colliery closed in 1960, removing most of the freight traffic that passed through the facilities. In 1963 the line was closed north of Coleford Junction.

Current usage

Nothing remains of the station except the track bed (which is in use as a cycle track). A rail and sleeper name board marks the location of the platform (and the altitude at 78 m / 256 feet) and a pair of false wooden crossing gates - marking where the cycle track crosses the B4226. The

Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the former Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that ope ...

(based at Norchard) plans to eventually extend a further 2½ miles to the site at Speech House Road, (bringing the line up to total of 6¾ miles in length). This could also include a station at Bicslade Wharf, as part of this proposed forthcoming project.

Services

References

External links

Station on 1952 OS Map
{{Transport in Gloucestershire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1875 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1929 Former Severn and Wye Railway stations Disused railway stations in Gloucestershire Forest of Dean