Bentley railway station (Suffolk)

Bentley
Location
Place Bentley
Area District of Babergh
Grid reference TM119368
Operations
Original company Eastern Union Railway[1]
Pre-grouping Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
Platforms 3
History
15 Jun 1846 Opened[1]
7 Nov 1966 Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain
A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

Bentley railway station, also known as Bentley Junction between 1849 and 1878,[2] was located in Bentley, Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line. It had two through mainline platforms and an end bay at the country end of the down line to handle services on the Hadleigh branch. The bay could accommodate five coaches.[3]

There were goods sidings on both the up and down sides of the station at the country or northern end and also sidings to a malthouse at the southern end of the station on the down side.[4]

It closed in 1966.

The site of the station is still clearly identifiable at the Station Road level crossing, and the former station building is now a private dwelling.

Just to the North of the station was the branch line to Hadleigh.

The railway farm

During 1916 the Great Eastern Railway ran a poultry demonstration trains throughout East Anglia often visiting towns on market day. The purpose of this train was to encourage self-sufficiency during the food shortages of the First World War. Encouraged by the reception this train got, the GER purchased Dodnash Priory Farm in Bentley, Suffolk as a poultry demonstration farm. The hen houses were built at Stratford Works and had individual works numbers. By 1920 the farm was producing 40,000 eggs per month for the GER as well as chickens, turkeys, fruit and vegetables for the GER hotels, restaurants, dining cars and buffets.[5]

Dodnash Priory also served as a rest home for GER horses. A siding about three quarters of a mile south of Bentley railway station on the down side served the farm.[6]

The farm survived into LNER days being sold in 1927 when the farmer reached 70 and retired. The siding had been removed in May 1925.[7]


References

  1. 1 2 Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Vic (June 2011). Branch Lines to Harwich and Hadleigh. Midhurst: Middleton Press. plate 104. ISBN 978 1 908174 02 4.
  3. ↑ Mitchell 2011, plate 103
  4. ↑ Mitchell 2011, plan X
  5. ↑ Brooks, Mike (October 1982). "Great Eastern Railwayana: Part 8, The G.E.R. and Dodnash Priory Farm". Great Eastern Journal. Vol. 32. Great Eastern Railway Society. pp. 12, 13.
  6. ↑ Moss, Chris (July 1992). "Photo caption - alternative motive power". Great Eastern Journal. Vol. 71. Great Eastern Railway Society. p. 31.
  7. ↑ Watling, John (January 1997). "Dodnash Priory Farm (letter)". Great Eastern Journal. Vol. 89. Great Eastern Railway Society. p. 35.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Manningtree
Line and station open		   Great Eastern Railway
Eastern Union Railway		   Ipswich
Line and station open
Disused railways
Terminus   Great Eastern Railway
Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway		   Bentley Church
Line and station closed

Coordinates: 51°59′21″N 1°05′04″E / 51.98929°N 1.08436°E / 51.98929; 1.08436


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