Swaythling railway station is on the

South West Main Line The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south we ...

on the northern edge of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, serving the area of

Swaythling Swaythling is a suburb and electoral ward of the city of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,664. Swaythling is predominantly residential in character, and noted for its large student population due to its proxi ...

. It is down the line from .

History

Swaythling railway station (1) - geograph

Swaythling station was initially constructed in 1883 in an elaborate Neo-Flemish style and is a grade II

listed building 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 I ...

. The left side has a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

gable with central pediment and ball finials and includes a date tablet. The station building was set back to the east of the down platform - and connected to the platform canopy structure by a passageway - so that it would not have to be rebuilt in the event of the double track being widened to quadruple tracking, which was envisaged in 1883 but has never taken place. On 19 January 1941, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, a bomb fell on the station, through both the roof and floor of the booking office. The bomb did not explode, but the impact killed the leading porter's dog (who was asleep in a cupboard) and scattered burning coals from the hearth, causing a fire. The fire led officials to believe the bomb had exploded and the station was declared safe for reoccupation the next day, until the landlord of the nearby Mason's Arms pub raised the alarm since he had not heard the bomb explode. The bomb was then dug up and made safe.

Train services

Currently operated by South Western Railway, it is served by the hourly

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a historic market town in the county of Hampshire, England. Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist William Petty and the 19th-century British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, whose statue has stood in the ...

via

and Eastleigh service. There are additional services at peak times to

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station o ...

and

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

Facilities

Step-free access is available only to the down platform (usually for trains to Salisbury via Southampton Central and Romsey). This platform has the ticket office (open weekday mornings only), a ticket vending machine and step-free access to a footbridge crossing the railway. The up platform contains steps to the footbridge and steps down to Stoneham Way.

Friends of Swaythling Station

A community group, the Friends of Swaythling Station, was formed in October 2009 and won first prize in the Best Station Adoption Group category at the 2011 Association of Community Rail Partnerships awards.

References

External links

Local Rail Information
{{Buildings in Southampton Railway stations in Southampton DfT Category E stations Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1883 Railway stations served by South Western Railway Grade II listed buildings in Hampshire