Midgham railway station

Midgham National Rail
Midgham Station, looking east
Location
Place Woolhampton; Midgham
Local authority West Berkshire
Coordinates 51°23′46″N 1°10′42″W / 51.3961°N 1.1783°W / 51.3961; -1.1783Coordinates: 51°23′46″N 1°10′42″W / 51.3961°N 1.1783°W / 51.3961; -1.1783
Grid reference SU572666
Operations
Station code MDG
Managed by Great Western Railway
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Increase 33,902
2013/14 Increase 35,670
2014/15 Decrease 33,996
2015/16 Increase 34,772
2016/17 Increase 36,410
History
Original company Berks and Hants Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping GWR
21 December 1847 Opened as "Woolhampton"
1 March 1873 Renamed "Midgham"
2 November 1964 Renamed "Midgham Halt"
5 May 1969 Renamed "Midgham"
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Midgham from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal
The station looking to the west from the level crossing

Midgham railway station is located in Berkshire, England, in the valley bottom village of Woolhampton. Originally called Woolhampton, the station's name was changed to Midgham, a neighbouring village, in Victorian times to avoid confusion with Wolverhampton.

It is 46 miles 59 chains (75.22 km) measured from London Paddington.

History

The line from Reading to Hungerford was planned by the Berks and Hants Railway, and before it was opened, it was absorbed by the Great Western Railway (GWR).[1] The station at Woolhampton was opened with the line on 21 December 1847;[2] it was originally named "Woolhampton" but on 1 March 1873 was renamed "Midgham".[3] According to oral history, the name Midgham was used in preference to Woolhampton in order to avoid possible confusion with Wolverton railway station and the much larger Wolverhampton railway station;[4] the GWR having reached Wolverhampton in 1854.[5]. The station appeared in a 1943 World War 2 training film for US Soldiers titled "How to Behave in Britain."[6]

The station was subsequently renamed twice by British Rail: on 2 November 1964 it became "Midgham Halt" but on 5 May 1969 it reverted to "Midgham".[7] The station name was subtitled "for Douai Abbey" until refurbishment with current Network Rail signage.

Description

Midgham station is near the centre of Woolhampton village, on an unclassified road just south of its junction with the A4 road. There are two flanking platforms on each side of the double track line. The Reading bound platform has a small shelter and a small car park. The unclassified road crosses the railway line at the eastern end of the station by means of a level crossing, and this crossing also provides the only access between the platforms.

Services

The station is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway from Reading to Newbury. Trains run hourly in both directions on Mondays to Saturdays, and every other hour on a Sunday. Typical journey times are about 12 minutes to Newbury and 20 minutes to Reading. Passengers for London Paddington must normally change trains at Reading (except on Sundays, when services runs to & from the capital).[8]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Aldermaston   Great Western Railway
Reading to Newbury
Local Services
Reading to Taunton line		   Thatcham

References

  1. ↑ MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. pp. 192–3, 294–5.
  2. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 255. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ↑ Butt 1995, pp. 159,255
  4. ↑ "Basingstoke Railway History in Maps". Christopher Tolley. 2001. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. ↑ MacDermot 1927, p. 336
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltVtnCzg9xw
  7. ↑ Butt 1995, p. 159
  8. ↑ Table 116 National Rail timetable, May 2016
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