Attenborough railway station

Attenborough railway station (originally Attenborough Gate and briefly known as Chilwell) serves the village of Attenborough in Nottinghamshire, England. It is sited on a spur of the Midland Main Line between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway.[1]

Attenborough
National Rail
General information
LocationAttenborough, Broxtowe
England
Coordinates52°54′24″N 1°13′50″W / 52.9067°N 1.2306°W / 52.9067; -1.2306
Grid referenceSK518346
Managed byEast Midlands Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeATB
ClassificationDfT category F2
Key dates
1 December 1856Opened as Attenborough Gate
1 November 1858Closed
1 September 1864Re-opened as Attenborough
19 April 1937Renamed Chilwell
27 September 1937Renamed Attenborough
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 99,484
2019/20Increase 0.107 million
2020/21Decrease 17,586
2021/22Increase 46,934
2022/23Increase 52,704
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

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Midland Railway locomotive 547 fitted for oil burning ca. 1920

The station was built as a halt in 1856, known as Attenborough Gate, on the Midland Counties Railway line from Nottingham to Derby, which had opened in 1839. It was sited next to a level crossing and tickets were bought from the crossing keeper.[citation needed]

The station was built on its present site by the Midland Railway and opened on 1 September 1864;[2] the "Gate" suffix was dropped and the name became Attenborough.

Becoming part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923, the station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

During World War I, the station had its platforms extended[citation needed] as it was used as an interchange for soldiers and workers heading for National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 at Chilwell.

In April 1937, the station was renamed Chilwell; however, this did not go down well with Attenborough locals who raised a petition, which 235 local people signed.[3] This resulted in a decision by the LMS to revert the name to Attenborough.[4]

 
Down freight train approaching the station in 1961

The signal box survived until at least 1982 but has since been demolished.

When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail.

It is an unstaffed station, having lost its station buildings and staff in the early 1990s. Following a rebuild of the platforms in 2005, the station has no architectural remains from any earlier station except for parts of the footbridge.

The footbridge was replaced in 2007, receiving a new steel deck and stairways. The blue brick towers, which support the bridge, were retained.

Stationmasters

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  • John Silvester[5] until 1876[6]
  • George Jukes 1876 - 1878[6]
  • John Bradshaw Bott 1878[6] - 1904[7] (formerly station master at Carlton)
  • Arthur Griffin 1904[7] - 1908[8] (afterwards station master at Holwell Junction)
  • Joseph Henry Wildgoose 1908[9] - 1925 (formerly station master at Scotby)
  • Thomas R. Cliff 1931 - 1936[10]
  • T. Powell from 1936 (formerly station master at Willington, Bedfordshire) - ca. 1948
  • Thomas W. Tate 1956 - 1966[11] (formerly station master at Nantwich)

Services

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A Class 222 Meridian on an inter-city service near Attenborough on the Midland Main Line

East Midlands Railway operate the following services that stop here:[12]

Interchange with EMR's inter-city services can be made at Derby and Nottingham; trains between Nottingham and London St Pancras pass through Attenborough but do not stop.

CrossCountry operate a small number of stopping services, in the early morning and late evening, on the route between Nottingham, Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central.[13]

Preceding station     National Rail   Following station
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Leicester-Lincoln
East Midlands Railway
Nottingham-Matlock

References

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  1. ^ "Attenborough". National Rail. 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Attenborough". Nottinghamshire Guardian. British Newspaper Archive. 9 September 1864. Retrieved 29 July 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Notts Station Name Change Outcry". Nottingham Evening Post. British Newspaper Archive. 26 May 1937. Retrieved 29 July 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "Attenborough, Not Chilwell. Station's Name to be Changed Back Again". Nottingham Evening Post. British Newspaper Archive. 9 June 1937. Retrieved 29 July 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 377. 1871. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 686. 1871. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "1899-1908 Coaching; Piece 1027". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 305. 1899. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Midland Railway Changes". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 12 November 1908. Retrieved 11 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Town and Country Gossip". Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 18 December 1936. Retrieved 11 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Presentation to Stationmaster". South Notts Echo. England. 18 December 1936. Retrieved 11 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Stationmaster to retire". Long Eaton Advertiser. England. 1 April 1966. Retrieved 11 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Timetables". East Midlands Railway. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Timetables". CrossCountry. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
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