Place Southill Grid reference TL129424 1 January 1962 Closed Platforms in use 2 | Area Central Bedfordshire 8 May 1857 Opened Original company Midland Railway | |
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Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways Similar Blunham railway station, Cardington railway station, Chaul End railway station, Henlow Camp railway st, Sharnbrook railway station | ||
Southill was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line which served the village of Southill in Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.
Contents
History
Southill station was opened by the Midland Railway in 1862 as part of its new line from Bedford to Hitchin, part of a larger scheme to allow its Midland Main Line a direct route to London without using rival Great Northern Railway metals. Passenger traffic over the Bedford to Hitchin section was minimal and services were reduced to a shuttle by 1880. The section between Southill and Shefford was the only part to remain double-tracked after 1911.
The station was convenient for Southill Park, the seat of the Whitbread family who had supported and brought their influence to bear on the realisation of the line. On 3 June 1890 a new signal box was opened at Southill as part of the introduction of block telegraph working between the station and the Midland Goods Yard at Hitchin.
The inter-war years saw a decline in traffic with the introduction of buses between Bedford and Hitchin. Traffic picked up again during the Second World War when troop specials were run to enable conscripts to return home from the RAF camps at Cardington and Henlow. The introduction of railbuses after the war did little to improve traffic, and the line closed in 1962.
Present day
The station building has been converted into a private residence. The ticket window remains, as does the platform area, sidings and cattle pen which have been incorporated into the garden. Not far from the station in Southill Park is a stone obelisk erected in 1864 in honour of William Henry Whitbread whose influence and energy helped bring about the Bedford to Hitchin line.