Rowden Mill railway station

Rowden Mill railway station was a stop on the Worcester, Bromyard and Leominster Railway; it served an area to the north-west of Bromyard, in Herefordshire, England.

Rowden Mill
Open day, August 1997
General information
Location	Wacton, Herefordshire England
Coordinates	52.2057°N 2.5469°W / 52.2057; -2.5469
Grid reference	SO627566
Platforms	1
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Leominster and Bromyard Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 September 1897 (1897-09-01)	Station opened
September 1949	Unstaffed
15 September 1952 (1952-09-15)	Station closed
Location

History

Opening

Opened as part of the final section of the Worcester, Bromyard and Leominster Railway, the railway was bought out of bankruptcy by the Great Western Railway in 1888, which completed the line in 1897.^[1]

Closure

After the Second World War, and with the greater use of the motorbus and private cars, traffic on the line fell considerably. Unstaffed as a station from September 1949, the line closed to regular passenger services on 15 September 1952.^[2]

On 26 April 1958, a special train organised by the Stephenson Locomotive Society ran from Worcester Shrub Hill to Leominster, via Bromyard, calling at Rowden Mill, Fencote and Steens Bridge. The 50 society members rode on the last train that would run on the complete track before it was removed. The Worcester to Bromyard section was subsequently closed under the Beeching Axe in 1964.^[3]

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Fencote Line and station closed		Great Western Railway Worcester, Bromyard and Leominster Railway		Bromyard Line and station closed

The site today

A view of Rowden Mill station in 2010, showing a Class 03 shunter no. D2371, GWR Toad brake van and various wagons

The Rowden Mill site was purchased privately in 1984 and was restored.^[2] Two sections of track were also reinstalled. Rolling stock of various types including coaches, brake vans and goods vans have been located on the line at various times in the recent past.

In March 1989, Rowden Mill received the British Rail Award in the Ian Allan Publishing Railway Heritage Awards for the Best Renovated Non-Working Station.^[4]

Rowden Mill station now operates as a holiday letting business, making the station buildings and a British Railways Inspection Saloon is available as accommodation to visiting guests.^[5]