Bournemouth West
1874 - 1965
| The railway history of Bournemouth is nothing if not
interesting. A rail borne visitor to Bournemouth today could reasonably assume
that the current station in all its finery is all that there ever was for the
traveller to the town in the past but that's far from the case as the
'other' Bournemouth station was of equal importance and significance in
its day. In Victorian times Bournemouth was but an insignificant coastal fishing village that also happened to have a magnificent hotel visited by the gentry of the day. That was the stumbling block where the intrusion by those new-fangled, smoke belching steam trains was concerned and the hotel's owner went to extraordinary lengths to inhibit any such incursion into his territory. Additionally, it was the reason for the existence of the fabled Castleman's Corkscrew about which so much has been written over the years. That diversionary route, for that was what it was, enabled trains from the east to reach Poole, by far the most important town along that stretch of coastline and a major port to boot, by approaching it from the west which is about as convoluted a traffic arrangement as one would preferably avoid. Poole was reached from Broadstone to its west in December 1872 and would remain as a terminus until an extension was built to Bournemouth which opened on 15th June 1874. Meanwhile, the railway from the Southampton direction had also managed to establish a terminus in 1870. This was originally called just Bournemouth but was subsequently renamed Bournemouth East and then, much later, Bournemouth Central. The siting of Bournemouth's new terminus station appears to have been based on pragmatism as the line from Branksome (it had no station of its own at that time) then followed the lie of the land to a point quite far removed what we now know as central Bournemouth and so the associated noxious fumes would be similarly divorced from the esteemed guests at the hotel mentioned above. |
 |
This looks for all the world like an impressive station frontage
and it was when the station was built. However, as will be seen below, once the
station had been considerably enhanced with additional platforms, this part of
the infrastructure became the parcels office as depicted here in the summer of
1962.
photograph by Michael Blackbourn |
| The enhancements to the main station buildings included a
completely new 'frontage' which was built parallel with the platforms
as opposed to end on as shown here and constituted a second station when
originally built.
photograph by Michael Blackbourn |
 |
 |
Part of the expansion of the station included a substantial
goods handling facility as shown here in 1962. Part of what made the west
station a magnet for railway enthusiasts was the sheer variety of motive power
and stock to be seen there which is evidenced by the vehicles on view in this
image. Although a, theoretically, Southern environment by this time Gresley and
Stanier stock are predominant with barely a glimpse of former SR stock in the
background.
photograph by Michael Blackbourn |
| Behind the Stanier vehicle in the above picture can be seen a
former goods shed, no longer rail connected by this time, that had already
succumbed to private use. The van in the above image is related to the whatever
business was being conducted in the shed at that time.
photograph by Michael Blackbourn |
 |
 |
At the country end of the goods yard was this brick built water
tower of no great size but perhaps of greater interest is the contraption to
the right of it which was probably a tool shed or bothy Constructed from at
least two old carriages with the birdcage section in the centre which might
well have come from a third.
photograph by Michael Blackbourn |
| The early years of Bournemouth West's existence saw little traffic which all, of course, emanated from the west of the town with contributions to the small volume from the Somerset & Dorset, Weymouth and Castleman's Corkscrew. That status was to change for two reasons after 1888 when the triangle at Branksome came into use and, later, with the advent of seaside holidays being made possible for a larger proportiion of the public. |
All photographs are copyright
First | 2nd
This page was created 22 May 2007
