Article

The Railways of Helmdon

1899 - 1966

Source: Nick Catford

Station Name: HELMDON

Date opened:	15.3.1899
Location:	North side of an un-named minor road.
Company on opening:	Great Central Railway
Date closed to passengers:	4.3.1963
Date closed completely:	2.11.1964
Company on closing:	British Railways (London Midland Region)
Present state:	The platform is intact but heavily overgrown, the platform edge is partly visible along the down side, the footings of some of the platform buildings can also be made out. The lamp room beneath the bridge can still be entered. The goods shed is of timber construction with corrugated metal panels with an open loading platform facing onto the track; there is a roofless brick goods office alongside. The goods shed is in a dilapidated condition but largely intact with an open section of platform, a brick weighbridge building also stands nearby; this was in reasonable condition in 1989 but is now roofless. The adjacent stationmaster’s house is in private occupation. The trackbed to the south of the station is a public footpath.
County:	Northamptonshire
OS Grid Ref:	SP586430
Date of visit:	August 1975 and 21.5.2008

Notes: During the construction of the Great Central a large camp was built, together with various sidings, underneath the viaduct at Helmdon and many navvies lived there for some time. The construction work provided much needed traffic for the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway.

There was also a small brickworks beyond the Sulgrave Road bridge which provided many internal bricks for the structures although bridges, viaducts, etc. were faced with blue bricks from elsewhere. Helmdon was never a busy station with a small goods yard on the up side of the line, the yard mainly handled domestic coal and had one siding and a small goods shed. The station closed to passengers with the withdrawal of the local service in 1963 but goods traffic lasted until 2nd November 1964.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/ticket5.gif

The station was built to the standard Great Central design with an island platform accessed by stairs from an entrance in the centre of the bridge spanning the line at the south end of the station.

The booking office was on the platform. The centre piers of the bridge were left hollow to provide lamp rooms. The buildings were demolished early in 1966 before closure of the line.

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Helmdon Station looking north in May 1934 Copyright photo from John Alsop collection .

1954 OS map; the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway's Helmdon Village Station seen above closed on 2nd July 1951.

Helmdon Station in the 1950's Photo by Paul Riley.

Helmdon Station looking south in June 1958 Copyright photo by R M Casserley.

Helmdon Station looking north in August 1975; the goods shed can be seen in the background and the stationmaster's house above and to the right. Photo by Nick Catford.

Helmdon Station looking north in February 1995. Photo by David Warby from his Lost Lines website.

The down side of the overgrown island platform at Helmdon looking north in May 2008 Photo by Nick Catford.

Station Name: HELMDON

[Source: Nick Catford]

August 1975	August 1989	February 1995	February 1995
May 2008	May 2008	May 2008	May 2008
May 2008	May 2008	May 2008	May 2008

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/thumbs/helmdon_thumb12.jpg — May 2008

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/thumbs/helmdon_thumb13.jpg — May 2008

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/thumbs/helmdon_thumb14.jpg — May 2008

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/thumbs/helmdon_thumb15.jpg — May 2008

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/helmdon/thumbs/helmdon_thumb16.jpg — May 2008

More photos

Helmdon station under construction (Great Central Railway, 1890s)

Date: 1899 - 1966
Contributor: Nick Catford
Reference: Article 080

Researched and written by Helmdon Local History Group volunteers. We do our best, but we can sometimes get things wrong. Corrections and additions are welcome.