Piddington railway station

Piddington was a railway station on the former Bedford to Northampton Line. Despite its name, the station was located close to the village of Horton in Northamptonshire, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village of Piddington.

Piddington
Location	Horton, South Northamptonshire England
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Bedford & Northampton Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
10 June 1872[1]	Opened as Horton
1 May 1876	Renamed Piddington & Horton
1 April 1904	Renamed Piddington
5 March 1962	Closed to passengers
7 September 1964	Goods facilities withdrawn

History

The line and station were opened in 1872 and operated by the Midland Railway which became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. The line closed to passengers in 1962.[2] Until 1939 the western end of the line was at Northampton St Johns Street Station.That station closed in 1939 and the trains were diverted into Northampton Bridge Street Station and from there they ran into Northampton Castle Station.[3]

For a short while from December 1892, Piddington and Horton were also served by the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway, known as the "SMJR",[4] with a station called Salcey Forest to the south west of Horton and south east of Piddington. This line ran from Towcester to Ravenstone Wood Junction on the Northampton to Bedford line between Piddington and Olney stations via Blisworth and Stoke Bruerne. There were connections from Towcester to Banbury and Stratford upon Avon.[5]

Routes

A 1911 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Piddington

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Northampton St. John's Street		London, Midland and Scottish Railway Bedford to Northampton Line		Olney

Present day

The station can be found off the B526 in Horton village. The route of the line is just to the northeast of the village. There is a proposal to reopen this line.[6][7] Confusion sometimes occurs as there is a disused railway line close to Piddington itself, however that is the former Stratford and Midland Junction Railway, which had no station at Piddington or Horton except Salcey Forest referred to above.

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 123.
2. "The railway through Turvey 1872 to 1962". Turvey History. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
3. Brown, Susie. "Northampton St Johns Street Station". Life and the Railway.
4. "Stratford and Midland Junction Railway (SMJ)". Retrieved 16 October 2008.
5. "Stoke Bruern". The SMJ Society.
6. "Sole Trader Self Employed, "Bedford - Olney - Northampton"". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
7. BBC News, "New bid to reopen old rail link", 21 June 2004.