Church Stretton railway station serves the town of Church Stretton, in Shropshire, England. It is on the Welsh Marches line, south of ; trains on the Heart of Wales line also serve the station. All services are operated by Transport for Wales, which also manages the station.
The station is the highest point of the line between Shrewsbury and and is the highest station in Shropshire; on the northbound platform, a small plinth notes the station's altitude: above sea level.
History
The station opened on 20 April 1852, as part of the newly created Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway. It was originally to the north of what is now Sandford Avenue and the old station building still remains, but is no longer in railway use. Sandford Avenue had been called Lake Lane for centuries and became Station Road with the arrival of the railway in the town, before becoming Sandford Avenue in 1884.Crowe and Raynor (2011) Church Stretton through the ages The original station building was designed by Thomas Mainwaring Penson.
In 1914, the station was relocated just to the south of the Sandford Avenue road bridge. New station buildings were erected, but these were demolished in 1970 with the station having become unstaffed in 1967. Today, the only station structures in use are two passenger shelters on the platforms and a footbridge.
Facilities
The station has two platforms, one for northbound services (platform 1) and the other for southbound services, with a footbridge crossing the line connecting the two. The shelters were replaced and electronic information displays were installed in 2011. CCTV was also installed and, together with the new shelters, has reduced anti-social behaviour.South Shropshire Journal 24 February 2012 In 2013, a ticket machine was installed on platform 1.
There are two small areas for car parking/dropping off on either side of the line: one can be accessed from Sandford Avenue (the B4371), the other from Crossways, off the A49.
Services
The general off-peak service in trains per hour is: 1 tp2h to , via and 1 tp2h to 1 tp2h to , via Cardiff Central and ; some services continue to , or 5 tpd to . 5 tpd to and Swansea via
Passenger use The station has a large number of passengers using it considering the town has a population of just 5,000 and is the eighth most-used station in Shropshire.Office for Rail Regulation Station usage figures The high usage can be explained by two reasons: the town is a popular tourist destination and many of its inhabitants travel to Shrewsbury and Ludlow for employment, education and shopping.
Infrastructure
The track through the station is prone to flooding when heavy rain occurs as, although at the apex of the line, it is at the bottom of the valley in which Church Stretton lies and is effectively a saddle point. In the wet autumn of 2000, the space between the two platforms filled with water and train services had to be cancelled along the line.
Following serious flooding of the railway in 2000, the signal box at Church Stretton, to the north of the Sandford Avenue bridge, was "switched out" and closed in 2004. The set of points at the station lay defunct before being removed in 2009, together with the box (built 1872) and all signals. Control of the line has been transferred to Marsh Brook signal box to the south.The Signal Box 'Section C' – 2004
Volunteering
The station has been adopted by local volunteers who maintain it, including the garden areas behind both platforms.Church Stretton – Volunteering – Railway In 2008, a group of volunteers transformed the unattended station gardens and won the Station Gardens of the Year competition two years later. In 2011, a tree sculpture depicting two owls was carved by David Bytheway.Stretton Focus June 2011 page 11 There is also a Church Stretton Rail Users' Association. The main passenger footbridge connecting the two platforms was renovated and painted in 2013.
Bus connections The town is served by three bus routes: 435 between Shrewsbury and Ludlow, operated by Minsterley Motors; this connects the town with nearby villages including All Stretton, Dorrington, Leebotwood, Little Stretton and Marshbrook 580 between Shrewsbury and Cardington, also operated by Minsterley Motors 780 Long Mynd and Stiperstones Shuttle, operated by Boultons of Shropshire.
Bus services run to and from Beaumont Road, from the station.
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
YouTube and narration on the history of Church Stretton station