Area City of Leicester Pre-grouping Midland Railway Platforms in use 2 | Grid reference SK6005105130 1875 Opened | |
Place Leicester, Leicestershire Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways Similar East Langton railway st, Asfordby railway station, Bardon Hill railway station, Old Dalby railway station, Broughton Astley railway st | ||
Humberstone Road station was a station to the north of Leicester, England, opened in 1875 and closed in 1968.
It was opened by the Midland Counties Railway, which shortly joined the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to form the Midland Railway.
The small village of Humberstone, situated some two miles further north-eastwards was noted for its alabaster mine but, Humberstone Road station alongside what is now the A47, served the northern side of the city which was rapidly expanding. Although the line is still a major route (the present-day Midland Main Line), there is now very little trace of it.
It lay derelict for many years after being taken out of service as a passenger station. As a grade two listed building it had to be preserved, but British Rail did not have sufficient funds for such an operation. A buyer was looked for. Eventually it was sold to Leicestershire County Council for £1 plus VAT (15p at the time!). It was moved brick by brick to its new home at Shenton Station, on the Battlefield Line Railway, where it would serve as an information point for Bosworth Battlefield and a southern terminus building for the railway.
The next station was at Syston between Leicester and Loughborough. A short distance away was the similarly named Humberstone railway station, which was on the Great Northern Railway's Leicester branch.