Berkeley Road railway station

Berkeley Road railway station served the towns of Berkeley and Dursley in Gloucestershire, England.

Berkeley Road
Berkeley Road railway station in 1961
Location	Stinchcombe, Stroud England
Grid reference	SO718002
Platforms	4
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway / Severn and Wye Railway (joint)
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway / S&W (joint)
Key dates
8 July 1844	Opened as Dursley and Berkeley
1 June 1845	Renamed Berkeley Road
4 January 1965	Closed

History

A 1909 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Berkeley Road

The station was one of the first six stations built on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the Midland Railway and converted to standard gauge. It was two miles east of Berkeley and three north-west of Dursley, and for the first year of its life it was called "Dursley and Berkeley Road".[1] Dursley acquired a station of its own in 1856 with the opening of the Dursley and Midland Junction Railway branch from Coaley Junction.

Sharpness branch line
For canal icons used below, please refer to waterways legend instead.
Dean Forest Railway (To Parkend) Severn Bridge Gloucester–Newport line (From Newport to Gloucester) Severn Railway Bridge over River Severn (Dismantled 1970) Swing bridge over Gloucester and Sharpness Canal Sharpness Old Port Sharpness (closed 1964) Sharpness Docks New Docks Branch Sharpness New Port Berkeley (closed 1964) Cross Country Route (To Gloucester) Berkeley Road (closed 1965) Berkeley Loop Cross Country Route (To Bristol)

Severn Bridge Railway
For canal icons used below, please refer to waterways legend instead. Dean Forest Railway Severn Bridge Tunnel Lydney Town Severn Bridge St Mary's Halt Lydney Junction Lydney Gloucester–Newport line (From Newport to Gloucester) Lydney Harbour Branch Pidcock's Canal Forges Lydney Canal Lower Docks Upper Docks Severn Railway Bridge over River Severn (Dismantled 1970) Swing bridge over Gloucester and Sharpness Canal Locks onto River Severn Sharpness Sharpness Docks Locks onto River Severn Old Docks Branch River Severn Cross Country Route (To Gloucester) Berkeley Berkeley Road (Closed 1965) Berkeley Loop Cross Country Route (To Bristol)

Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Gloucester–Newport line (SWR) to Newport Gloucester Birmingham & Gloucester Rly (MR) to Birmingham  M5  Haresfield Golden Valley line (GWR) to Swindon Stonehouse (Bristol Road) Stonehouse & Nailsworth Rly (MR) to Nailsworth/Stroud Stroudwater Navigation Frocester Cam & Dursley Coaley Junction Dursley & Midland Junction Rly (MR) to Dursley  M5  Berkeley Road Sharpness branch line (MR) to Sharpness  M5  Charfield Wickwar Wickwar tunnel Thornbury branch line (MR) to Thornbury Yate Westerleigh Junction South Wales Main Line (GWR) to London Paddington Coalpit Heath Sidings Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot  M4  Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield & Bath branch line (MR) to Bath South Wales Main Line (GWR) to Swansea Mangotsfield Goods line to Avonmouth docks Staple Hill Staple Hill Tunnel Filton Abbey Wood Fishponds Avonside Locomotive Works Clifton Extension Rly (GWR & MR) to Avonmouth Kingswood Junction River Frome Atlas Locomotive Works and collieries  M32  Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots Bristol St Philip's Bristol Harbour River Avon (from Bath) (GWR) Temple Meads Goods Depot Great Western main line to London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads Bridge over Victoria Street tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh depot River Avon (to the sea) Bristol & North Somerset Rly (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton and Exeter

View southward, towards Bristol

View NE, towards Gloucester in 1961

In 1875, a branch line from Berkeley Road station was built to the new docks at Sharpness, passing around three quarters of a mile to the north of the town of Berkeley. The branch opened for goods traffic that year and to passenger services in 1876, with a station at Berkeley. In 1879 with the completion of the Severn Railway Bridge the Sharpness branch became a through-route to Lydney and the Forest of Dean.

As with the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway junction at Stonehouse (Bristol Road) railway station further up the Bristol and Gloucester line towards Gloucester, the actual junction for the Sharpness line was to the north of Berkeley Road station, and branch line trains departed from and arrived at a new set of platforms built at a tangent to the existing Brunel-designed station. The junction was controlled by a signalbox at the north end of the branch line up (towards Gloucester) platform.

Berkeley Road, like Stonehouse to the north and Mangotsfield to the south, was considered one of the more important stations on the Bristol and Gloucester line and some long-distance trains called there.[2] The Sharpness branch, however, became less important and was reduced to single track in the 1930s. Damage to the Severn railway bridge in 1960 led the branch to cease being a through-route and passenger services were withdrawn in November 1964, though it remains open for some goods traffic.

Passenger services were withdrawn entirely from Berkeley Road in January 1965 with the withdrawal of stopping services on the Bristol to Gloucester line. Goods facilities at the station remained open to November 1966, except for a private siding which has since closed. The station was demolished after closure.

In November 2019, it was revealed that there were plans to reopen the station to serve two new garden villages nearby.[3]

Services

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Charfield Line open, station closed		Bristol and Gloucester Railway Midland Railway		Coaley Junction Line open, station closed; Resited and reopened as Cam and Dursley
Berkeley Line and station closed		Sharpness Branch Line Midland Railway

References

1. Mike Oakley (2003). Gloucestershire Railway Stations. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 1-904349-24-2.
2. Bradshaw's April 1910 Railway Guide (1968 reprint ed.). David and Charles, Newton Abbot. p. 573. ISBN 0-7153-4246-0.
3. RAIL Issue 892 p.28