Blenheim & Woodstock was a railway station constructed in the neoclassical style which served the town of Woodstock and Blenheim Palace in the English county of Oxfordshire. The station, as well as the line, was constructed by the Duke of Marlborough[1] and was privately run until 1897 when it became part of the Great Western Railway. The number of trains serving the station was cut in the late 1930s, and again in 1952 down to only six trains a day.[2] The last train ran on 27 February 1954 adorned with a wreath.
Blenheim & Woodstock | |
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General information | |
Location | Woodstock, West Oxfordshire England |
Grid reference | SP446167 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Woodstock Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | GWR |
Key dates | |
19 May 1890 | Station opens |
1 March 1954 | Station closes |
The station building was initially converted into a garage and petrol station. Then the forecourt of the site was no longer used as a petrol station, but for used car sales only with a building company using some of the land behind the station. There were proposals for demolishing the building to make space for housing,[3][4] but the district council rejected them as "The former station building makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Woodstock Conservation Area."[5] Approval was given only after the plans included retaining the station building.[6][7]
In 2013 the land behind the station building was built on as a small estate of high specification houses, and the station building was retained with no major changes to the main structure but small changes to the detail. It is now used as small offices and commercial premises. The forecourt is a small landscaped garden.
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
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Shipton-on-Cherwell Halt Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway Blenheim and Woodstock Branch Line |
Terminus |
Closed railway stations in Oxfordshire | |
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Great Western Main Line |
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Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway |
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Cherwell Valley line |
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Witney Railway; East Gloucestershire Railway |
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Wycombe Railway |
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Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway |
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Chiltern Main Line |
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Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway |
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Great Central Main Line |
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Varsity Line |
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Banbury to Verney Junction branch line | |
Blenheim and Woodstock branch line |
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Short branches |
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