Fishponds railway station

Fishponds
Fishponds railway station in 1972
Location
Place	Fishponds
Area	City of Bristol
Grid reference	ST632755
Operations
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways
Platforms	2
History
1 March 1866	Opened (Fish Ponds)
1 April 1866	Renamed (Stapleton)
1 January 1867	Renamed (Fish Ponds)
1 May 1939	Renamed (Fishponds)
7 March 1966	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
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File:The Site of Fishponds Railway Station.jpg

The site of Fishponds railway station in June 2006.

Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Legend
Gloucester to Newport Line (SWR) to Newport Gloucester Birmingham & Gloucester Rly (MR) to Birmingham (1854-1965)Haresfield Golden Valley Line (GWR) to Swindon Stonehouse (Bristol Road) (Closed 1965) Stonehouse & Nailsworth Rly (MR) to Nailsworth/Stroud Stroudwater Navigation (Closed 1961)Frocester Cam and Dursley(Opened 1994) (1856-1965)Coaley Junction Dursley & Midland Junction Rly (MR) to Dursley Berkeley Road(Closed 1965) Sharpness Branch Line (MR) to Sharpness (Closed 1965)Charfield Wickwar(Closed 1965) Wickwar tunnel Yate to Thornbury Branch Line (MR) to Thornbury Yate( Closed 1965 Reopened 1989 ) Westerleigh Junction South Wales Main Line (GWR) to London Paddington Coalpit Heath Sidings Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot x20px Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield & Bath Branch Line (MR) to Bath South Wales Main Line (GWR) to Swansea Mangotsfield(1845-1966) Goods line to Avonmouth docks Staple Hill(1888-1966) Staple Hill Tunnel Filton Abbey Wood Fishponds(1866-1966) Avonside Locomotive Works Clifton Extension Rly (GWR & MR) to Avonmouth Kingswood Junction River Frome Atlas Locomotive Works and collieries Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots ( Terminus 1870-1953 )Bristol St Philips 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 Philips Marsh TMD River Avon (to the sea) Bristol & North Somerset Rly (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton and Exeter

Bristol Area Railway Map
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 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 (BPRP) North Filton Platform Filton Triangle Depot Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Docks Avonmouth Filton Junction Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Avonmouth Docks 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 Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Warmley unitary authority area Lawrence Hill Waste depot Oldland Common Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Harbour Railway St Philips Marsh T&RSMD Bedminster Parson Street Bristol Docks (North) Bristol Docks (South) South Liberty Lane Depot East Depot Bitton Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Avon Riverside Pill Keynsham Portbury shipyard Whitchurch Halt Royal Portbury Dock Kelston Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Mangotsfield Branch Line (1954–1964)Portishead Great Western Main Line Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway Bristol & North Somerset Rly (1879–1954)Portishead Bristol to Exeter Line Portishead Pier

Fishponds railway station was a station in Fishponds, Bristol, England, a victim of 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, named Stapleton Halt, was opened on 1 April 1866, and was part of the Bristol to Birmingham line operated by the Midland Railway. The station was renamed Fishponds on 1 July 1867, and 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 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

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Bristol St Philips Line and station closed		Midland Railway Bristol and Gloucester Railway		Staple Hill Line and station closed
Bristol Temple Meads Line closed, station open
Montpelier Line closed, station open		Midland Railway Clifton Extension Railway		Staple Hill Line and station closed

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