Bentworth and Lasham railway station

Bentworth & Lasham
General information
LocationBentworth and Lasham, East Hampshire
England
Coordinates51°10′14″N 1°02′38″W / 51.1705°N 1.044°W / 51.1705; -1.044
Grid referenceSU669417
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBasingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Key dates
1 June 1901Opened
1 January 1917Closed
18 August 1924Reopened
12 September 1932Closed to passenger traffic
1 June 1936Closed to goods traffic[1]

Bentworth and Lasham railway station in Hampshire, England was on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway between the villages of Bentworth to the south and Lasham to the north.

History

The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway opened on 1 June 1901,[2] and Bentworth and Lasham station opened the same day.[3] A wind engine designed by John Wallis Titt,[4] supplied the station buildings and cottages with power.

The remains of the station in 2006
The area of the station in 2012. The light horizontal line under the foreman's house on the left is the remains of the platform

Towards the end of the First World War, the station and railway were closed on 1 January 1917[3] because it was on a minor line; the rails were taken up for re-use elsewhere.[2]

Following the war, permission was sought to abandon the line because it had been unprofitable, but this was refused by Parliament; instead, the Southern Railway agreed to rebuild the line for a ten-year trial.[2] The light railway and station re-opened on 18 August 1924.[3][2] It was featured in the 1929 film The Wrecker.

On 12 September 1932, the station was closed to passengers,[3] the line being used for goods until its final closure in June 1936. The corrugated-iron platform building and waiting room survived until its demolition in 2003, and as of January 2012 the remains of the platform edge can still be seen.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Herriard
Line and station closed
  London and South Western Railway
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
  Treloar's Hospital Platform
Line and station closed

References

  1. ^ "Basingstoke Railway History in Maps". Christopher Tolley. 2001. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Dendy Marshall, C.F.; Kidner, R.W. (1963) [1937]. History of the Southern Railway (2nd ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 137. ISBN 0-7110-0059-X.
  3. ^ a b c d Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ^ Griffith, Edward (1982). The Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway 1901 - 1936. Newbury: Kingfisher Railway Publications. p. 16.