Wargrave railway station

Wargrave railway station is a railway station in the village of Wargrave in Berkshire, England. The station is on the Henley-on-Thames branch line that links the towns of Henley-on-Thames and Twyford. It is 1 mile 67 chains (3.0 km) down the line from Twyford and 32 miles 68 chains (52.9 km) measured from London Paddington.

Wargrave
LocationWargrave, Wokingham (district)
England
Coordinates51.498°N 0.877°W / 51.498; -0.877
Grid referenceSU780783
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeWGV
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Pre-groupingGWR
Post-groupingGWR
Key dates
1 October 1900 (1900-10-01)Station opened
Passengers
2015/16 95,646
2016/17 96,638
2017/18 90,078
2018/19 87,760
2019/20 92,180
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

It is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway, and is a ten-minute walk from Wargrave High Street.[1]

The station has a single platform, which is used by trains in both directions and is long enough to accommodate a four coach train.[2] There is a 30 space car park, but no station building other than a simple shelter. The station is unmanned, and tickets must be purchased on the train.[1]

History

When the Great Western Railway opened the Henley Branch Line on 1 June 1857, the only intermediate station was Shiplake.[3]

The Great Western Railway provided no station at Wargrave; apparently it considered Twyford station close enough. After many complaints from the villagers the GWR opened a station in 1900.[4] At the time the line was double, so two platforms and a footbridge were provided, there was a goods yard with a few sidings and a 6 ton crane.[5][6]

The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1936 to 1939. 1937 was a particularly busy year as some eight berth camp coaches were positioned here to provide accommodation for parties wishing to witness the coronation. These coaches were let at twice the normal hire rate for the week.[7][8] A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region from 1953 to 1964.[9]

The line was singled again in June 1961, rendering the second platform and footbridge redundant. The station retained its Great Western Railway building until 1988 when British Rail demolished it on the grounds that it was unsafe.

Service

In normal service, there is a regular service between Henley-on-Thames station and Twyford station. During the morning and evening peak hours, all trains call at Wargrave. However, off-peak, only every alternate service calls at Wargrave in each direction. On weekdays, trains operate every 45 mins in the morning and evening peak, reducing to hourly during the day. On weekends, trains operate hourly throughout the day. During the morning and evening rush hours some services run through to/from London Paddington station, whilst a few off-peak trains run through to/from Reading station. At other times, passengers for Paddington and Reading must change at Twyford.[10]

During the Henley Royal Regatta, held every July, a special timetable is operated with additional trains. During this period, the service pattern for Wargrave is subject to change.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Twyford   Great Western Railway
Henley-on-Thames branch		   Shiplake

References
  1. "Wargrave (WGV)". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  2. Yonge, John; Padgett, David (August 2010) [1989]. Bridge, Mike (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western (5th ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 3A. ISBN 978-0-9549866-6-7.
  3. MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. p. 417.
  4. Quick, Michael (2019) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). Railway and Canal Historical Society.
  5. "Wargrave station on OS 25 inch map Berkshire XXX.6 (Ruscombe; Shiplake; Sonning; Twyford; Wargrave; Woodley and Sandford)". National Library of Scotland. 1910. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. p. 557. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
  7. McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. pp. 31 & 34. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  8. Fenton, Mike (1999). Camp Coach Holidays on the G.W.R. Wild Swan. pp. 114–115. ISBN 1-874103-53-4.
  9. McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 95. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  10. "Twyford to Henley-on-Thames" (PDF). First Great Western. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
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