Speech House Road railway station

51°48′07″N 2°33′59″W / 51.8020°N 2.5665°W / 51.8020; -2.5665Grid referenceSO610116Platforms1Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companySevern and Wye RailwayPre-groupingSevern and Wye and Severn Bridge RailwayPost-groupingSevern and Wye and Severn Bridge RailwayKey dates23 September 1875Opened8 July 1929Closed to passengers12 August 1963Closed to freight

Speech House Road railway station is a disused railway station opened by the former Severn and Wye Railway in 1875, it remained open for 88 years until the line, north of Parkend, closed to freight in 1963. Passenger trains on the Severn and Wye Railway, north of Lydney, were withdrawn from 1929.^[1]

History

v t e Railways and Canals of the Forest of Dean
Railways legend Waterways legend
Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway Mitcheldean Road Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Jn Ry Drybrook Quarry Ross and Monmouth Railway Drybrook Halt Lydbrook Junction Nailbridge Halt Steam Mills Crossing Halt Lower Lydbrook Churchway Colliery Upper Lydbrook Whimsey Halt Mineral Loop Drybrook Road Coleford Railway Serridge Platform Cinderford New Wimberry Quarry Whitecliff Quarry Bilson Halt Speech House Road Ruspidge Halt Bicslade Tramroad Staple Edge Halt Bicslade Wharf Eastern United Colliery Coleford (CR) Upper Soudley Halt Coleford (S&WR) Bullo Cross Halt Gloucester– Newport line Milkwall Newnham Parkhill Colliery Ruddle Road Halt New Fancy Colliery Howbeach Colliery Parkend Forest of Dean Central Railway Whitecroft Awre for Blakeney Tufts Junction Mineral Loop Norchard River Severn Middle Forge Jcn Lydney Town Severn Railway Bridge Severn Bridge Gloucester and Sharpness Canal St Mary's Halt Sharpness Lydney Junction Sharpness Docks Lydney Sharpness branch line Upper Forge Lydney Harbour Pidcock's Canal Lydney Canal Lower Forge Gloucester– Newport line River Severn

The station was built by the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Berkeley Road, over the Severn Railway Bridge between Sharpness and Lydney, following the route of the River Lyd to Parkend and finally onto Cinderford.

The station was situated on the south side of the Speech House Road (now the B4226).

The station consisted of one platform with a small building, a passing loop, a signal box opposite the platform building, next to the road crossing. It also had a small goods yard with a facilities for coal, timber and general freight, the station being home to a wooden derrick crane.^[2]

The Seven and Wye Railway opened the station as a halt in 1875. The facilities were then expanded by 1878. Cannop Colliery closed in 1960, removing most of the freight traffic that passed through the facilities. In 1963 the line was closed north of Coleford Junction.^[3]

Current usage

Nothing remains of the station except the track bed (which is in use as a cycle track). A rail and sleeper name board marks the location of the platform (and the altitude at 78 m / 256 feet) and a pair of false wooden crossing gates - marking where the cycle track crosses the B4226.^[4]

The Dean Forest Railway (based at Norchard) plans to eventually extend a further 2+1⁄2 miles to the site at Speech House Road, (bringing the line up to total of 6+3⁄4 miles in length).^[5] This could also include a station at Bicslade Wharf, as part of this proposed forthcoming project.^[6][7]

Services

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Parkend		Severn and Wye Railway Later Severn and Wye Joint Railway (MR and GWR)		Serridge Platform
	Proposed Heritage railways
Parkend		Dean Forest Railway		Terminus

References

External links

• Station on 1952 OS Map
• Photograph of the US army using the freight facilities in the 1940s