Ledbury
National Rail
Ledbury station in 2008
General information
LocationLedbury, Herefordshire
England
Coordinates52°02′42″N 2°25′30″W / 52.045°N 2.425°W / 52.045; -2.425
Grid referenceSO709386
Managed byWest Midlands Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeLED
ClassificationDfT category E
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.219 million
2019/20Steady 0.219 million
2020/21Decrease 67,320
2021/22Increase 0.163 million
2022/23Increase 0.188 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Ledbury railway station is located on the outskirts of the town of Ledbury, on the Worcester to Hereford line in the English Midlands. It has regular services to Birmingham, plus several direct trains a day to London Paddington.

History

The station in 1958, with the branch to Gloucester leaving the main line on the left
Hereford to Paddington express in 1958

The line was originally built by the West Midland Railway who opened Ledbury station on 15 September 1861. A branch line from Ledbury to Gloucester, via Dymock and Newent opened in July 1885 for which a new signal box was opened at Ledbury replacing one or perhaps two earlier signal boxes and controlling a small engine shed on the north side of the station and a goods yard on the south.

The Newent branch was closed in 1959, and the goods yard and engine shed closed in 1965, leaving just the station itself. The modern station comprises two platforms with waiting shelters and car parking facilities, the station is unusual in having a privately run ticket office located in a wooden chalet by the entrance.

Stationmasters

The station master's house is on the approach to the station forecourt and is Grade II listed.[1]

  • Frederick Corran Barrett 1863 - 1864[2] (afterwards station master at Abergavenny)
  • John Watkins 1864[3] - 1876 (formerly station master at Tredegar Junction)
  • Charles Cox 1876 - 1878[4] (formerly station master at Marlborough, afterwards station master at Banbury)
  • Arthur William Perks 1879 - 1882[5]
  • Richard Roberts 1884 - 1897[6] (afterwards station master at Stroud)
  • Thomas Bailey 1899[7] - ca. 1911
  • George W. Lane 1924 - 1932[8] (formerly station master at Hartlebury)
  • Percy William Tow 1932 - ca. 1938 (formerly station master at Henwick)
  • Frederick William Peachey ca. 1939
  • C.T. Richards ca. 1953

Today

Following the singling of the double track between Hereford and Ledbury in 1984, the station area bears the only section of double track, where trains travelling in opposite directions can pass each other, between Shelwick Junction, near Hereford and the East portal of Colwall New Tunnel beneath the Malvern Hills at the former Malvern Wells station and near to Great Malvern.

The single-track Ledbury Tunnel, immediately to the east of the station, was notorious among steam locomotive crews for its bad atmosphere, the result of its unusually narrow bore combined with a steep gradient and a curve at the north end.

The station was featured in episode six of the second series of Great British Railway Journeys broadcast on 10 January 2011, in which Michael Portillo travels from Ledbury to Shrewsbury.

Services

Ledbury has a passenger service every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25 and 26 December). Monday to Saturday this service comprises typically one train per hour in each direction between Birmingham New Street and Hereford, with extra trains in the morning and evening peaks on weekdays. Some early morning and late evening trains start/terminate at Worcester Shrub Hill instead of Birmingham New Street. This service is reduced to a 2-hourly service on Sundays.[9] These trains are operated by West Midlands Trains, which took over from London Midland on 10 December 2017.[10]

Trains between Hereford and London Paddington also call at Ledbury. Monday to Friday, there are six services eastbound to Paddington, and five westbound. This is reduced to five eastbound and four westbound on Saturdays and four eastbound and five westbound trains on Sundays. All trains to London are operated by Great Western Railway.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Historic England, "Station House (1082900)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 21 August 2021
  2. ↑ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway: 113. 1835. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.3". Great Western Railway: 147. 1835. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Great Western Railway". Oxford Journal. England. 1 June 1878. Retrieved 21 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway: 320. 1835. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Notes". Stroud News and Gloucestershire Advertiser. England. 24 September 1897. Retrieved 15 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.6". Great Western Railway: 52. 1835. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ledbury Stationmaster". Gloucester Journal. England. 22 October 1932. Retrieved 15 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "National Rail Timetable" (zip). Network Rail. p. Table 071. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "Your questions on London Midland losing rail franchise". BBC News Online. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  11. ↑ "National Rail Timetable" (zip). Network Rail. p. Table 126. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2004). Worcester to Hereford. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 69-79. ISBN 9781904474388. OCLC 862604858.
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Hereford   West Midlands Railway
Birmingham-Hereford		   Colwall
  West Midlands Railway
Dorridge-Hereford		  
  Great Western Railway
Cotswold Line		  
  Historical railways  
Ashperton   Great Western Railway
Worcester and Hereford Railway		   Colwall
Disused railways
Ledbury Town Halt   Great Western Railway
Ledbury and Gloucester Railway		   Terminus
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