Churn railway station

Churn railway station was a station on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway in England. It served Churn Down, a remote part of the Berkshire Downs. The nearest village was Blewbury, two miles north, which was already served by Upton and Blewbury railway station, the previous station on the line.

Churn
Station in 1967.
LocationChurn Down, Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire
England
Grid referenceSU517825
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyDidcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Pre-groupingDidcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Western Region of British Railways
Key dates
6 July 1888 (1888-07-06)Opened (private station)
1905Opened for public use
4 August 1942Closed
8 March 1943Re-opened
10 September 1962Closed

History

This was a small and very isolated single platform halt with access only via an unmetalled downland sheep road. It was built as a temporary stop to accommodate a competition held by the National Rifle Association in 1888. However, from 1889 military summer camps were established near to the station which required the use of the halt as the only access to the site. Timetables provided that trains would not call at Churn unless prior notice had been given to the Stationmaster at Didcot.

Facilities

The station buildings consisted of no more than a simple wooden shelter and basic lavatories.[1] In order to provide deliveries of goods for the camps a small siding was built at the southern end of the station.[2]

In fiction

In 1905 it was the subject of a fictional crime mystery, Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture, part of Thrilling Stories of the Railways by Victor Whitechurch (1905)

Closure

The station closed in 1962 when the entire line was closed to passenger traffic. Freight operations ceased in 1966.

Routes
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Upton and Blewbury   Great Western Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway		   Compton

References
  1. Geocaching website
  2. Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5

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