Fishponds railway station

Fishponds
Fishponds railway station in 1972
General information
Location	Fishponds, City of Bristol England
Grid reference	ST632755
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
March 1866 (1866-03)	Opened as Fish Ponds
1 April 1866	Renamed Stapleton
1 January 1867	Renamed Fish Ponds
1 May 1939	Renamed Fishponds
7 March 1966	Closed

v t e Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Legend
Gloucester–Newport line (SWR) to Newport Gloucester Birmingham & Gloucester Rly (MR) to Birmingham  M5  Haresfield Golden Valley line (GWR) to Swindon Stonehouse (Bristol Road) Stonehouse & Nailsworth Rly (MR) to Nailsworth/Stroud Stroudwater Navigation Frocester Cam & Dursley Coaley Junction Dursley & Midland Junction Rly (MR) to Dursley  M5  Berkeley Road Sharpness branch line (MR) to Sharpness  M5  Charfield Wickwar Wickwar Tunnel Thornbury branch line (MR) to Thornbury Yate Westerleigh Junction South Wales Main Line (GWR) to London Paddington Coalpit Heath Sidings Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot  M4  Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield & Bath branch line (MR) to Bath South Wales Main Line (GWR) to Swansea Mangotsfield Goods line to Avonmouth docks Staple Hill Staple Hill Tunnel Filton Abbey Wood Fishponds Avonside Locomotive Works Clifton Extension Rly (GWR & MR) to Avonmouth Kingswood Junction River Frome Atlas Locomotive Works and collieries  M32  Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots Bristol St Philip's Bristol Harbour River Avon (from Bath) (GWR) Temple Meads Goods Depot Great Western Main Line to London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads Bridge over Victoria Street tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh depot River Avon (to the sea) Bristol & North Somerset Rly (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton and Exeter

v t e Railways in the Bristol area
Legend
Cross Country Route Thornbury branch line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line via Severn Tunnel Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPR&P) North Filton Platform Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Stoke Gifford depot Avonmouth Docks Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Junction Avonmouth Docks Filton Portway Park & Ride Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield (1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield (1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Warmley Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Oldland Common unitary authority area Avon Valley Railway Lawrence Hill Waste depot Bitton Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Avon Riverside Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Princes' Wharf Kelston Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh T&RSMD SS Great Britain East Depot Bristol Docks (North) Bedminster Bristol Docks (South) Parson Street CREATE Centre Mangotsfield to Bath line South Liberty Lane Depot Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Bristol–Exeter line Pill Whitchurch Halt Portbury shipyard Keynsham Royal Portbury Dock Bristol & North Somerset Rly Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Great Western Main Line (1954–1964) Portishead Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (1879–1954) Portishead Portishead Pier

Fishponds railway station was a station in Fishponds, Bristol, England, which was closed by Dr Beeching's cuts in the 1960s.

Fishponds station was just south of where Morrisons supermarket car park is today. The railway line was built in 1835 for transport of coal from Coalpit Heath to industry in the centre of Bristol. The station, originally named Fish Ponds, was opened in March 1866, and was renamed Stapleton on 1 April 1866.^[1] It was part of the Bristol to Birmingham line of the Midland Railway. The station was renamed Fish Ponds on 1 January 1867, and Fishponds on 1 May 1939.^[1] It had two platforms plus a shunting line constructed in 1905 for the Avonside Locomotive Works to move their newly built locomotives onto the main line.

Network

The stations at the Bristol end of the Midland line were St Philips (where it ended within walking distance of Bristol Temple Meads), then Fishponds, Staple Hill and Mangotsfield. At Mangotsfield the lines split, and passengers could continue onto Gloucester past Parkfield Colliery and Coalpit Heath, and or through Warmley, Oldland Common and Bitton when the Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line was opened in 1869. There was also a spur to Clifton Down, the Clifton Extension Railway, built in 1874 and closed to passenger traffic in 1941.

Closure

The line was closed in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Stopping passenger services on the Bristol to Gloucester line ceased on 4 January 1965; the station closed to goods traffic on 31 December 1965. However, trains continued between Bristol and Bath Green Park until 7 March 1966. The signal box remained open until 12 April 1968, when most of the station buildings were demolished. The line through the station was due to close on 3 January 1970, but a landslip at nearby Staple Hill led to its closure a week early. The tracks were later removed. There are still remains including the stairs to the footbridge on the Bristol side. The line was converted into the Bristol & Bath Railway Path which was completed in 1986, though the trail through the Fishponds station site deviates from the original rail line because of the roads associated with a supermarket on adjoining land.

Services

References

• Peter Aughton (2007). Bristol: A People's History.
• John Bartlett (2004). Images of England, Fishponds.

External links

• Fishponds Local History Society
• Bristol & Bath Railway Path

51°28′40″N 2°31′45″W / 51.4777°N 2.5293°W / 51.4777; -2.5293